Day 4 – Total confirmed cases in US: 9,415
Today is the first day of Spring. It is also two weeks since I went to work so I am a little ahead of the shelter-in-place curve.
There are good things that will come of this. They will be heavily outweighed by the bad but they deserve acknowledgment. Air quality has improved in industrialized areas as production shuts down and people stop commuting to work. We are making a radical move from a world of stressful overwork to a world with too much time on its hands.
2020 is an appropriate time for the world to stop, take a long, deep breath and appreciate all the things we have, and have lost, including each other. Every situation that has hit the human race over the last few years has been fodder for our deepening divides. The enemy we are fighting is one the whole human race shares, even if there are some, including our president, who are using it to stir hatred between us. The virus does not care about your political point of view or your religious beliefs. You cannot win an argument against it.
Among creative people, this is an opportunity to spend some quality time with your muse. Some are already too sick or worried to feel inspired but for anyone who can tap into it, this unique moment offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to concentrate on your art.
There are two kinds of artists: those whose strength is clarity of vision, and those whose strength is collaboration. The first kind will obviously fare better in isolation but the state of media and communication makes virtual collaboration a real possibility. Bowery Poetry is live-streaming their weekly open mic this Sunday from 4-7PM (est) on Instagram. Their “No Desk Poetry Concert” will consist of poets reading original work from the safety of their homes. Arts organizations from the Metropolitan Opera to the Kraine Theater are live-streaming content.
I have been frustrated for years by the lack of time I felt I could devote to my creative energy. Maybe this is one of those be careful what you wish for things.
Words & Music by Mike Power 