It's hard to describe where we are at this point. Its very difficult to put into words and to try and describe this paradoxical place that we find ourselves in amidst this pandemic. And though we've been in this grim reality for quite some time now, it's still almost impossible to imagine that we are going to be living this way indefinitely. But the looming question above all is how did it all happen? How did we get here? How did we wind up in such a horrible predicament? I've heard many stories about the origins of this contagion thats plaguing our planet. It is a mystery with a thousand explanations and a million conspiracy theories to boot. I don't know, but one thing's for sure, none of us asked for this and none of us deserve it. We were all placed in a very precarious position which unfortunately has developed into a complete and utter tragedy. We have both community and world leaders that downplayed this disease. They of course, carry the brunt of the blame. This is from the top to the bottom both foreign and domestic. We also have corporations to blame for spreading this disease because they're not practicing what they preach. They're not enforcing CDC recommendations and regulations, like proper cleanliness and sanitation and they are not ensuring that both customers and employees are wearing masks and practicing social distancing. They're not making sure that both employees and customers are adhering to policies and safety measures that are necessary to avoid or minimize the possibility of being infected within their establishments. We also have tech giants to blame that are allowing people to spread discord about COVID 19 on their platforms. There are a lot of things missing in these disquieting times but believe me, a shortage of blame is not one of them. But what the world needs now most of all is a solution and a clear-cut message about how to end this deadly Pandemic. With millions of lives lost and with the health of millions more hanging in the balance, the world is now facing an existential crisis the likes of which we haven't seen in over a hundred years. And with the recent discovery of different variants and mutations of the virus on the rise in various locations around the world, it seems things are going to get worse before they get better. This will only lead to more COVID cases which undoubtedly will lead to more hospitalizations which in turn will result in more deaths. So with this in mind I extend an earnest plea to my fellow compatriots. Please Wear Your Mask! Please be respectful towards the health and safety of your fellow countrymen and women. Wear all the appropriate PPE needed to protect yourself and others from potential harm. We can beat this thing but we're gonna need each other to do it. We can't do it alone. To the Don't Tread on Me crowd and all the people saying that the government's encroaching upon your first amendment rights by asking you to wear a mask and you refuse to do so because of this, you sound utterly ridiculous and not only that you're being pathetically selfish. You're putting yourselves and others at risk and you're possibly one of the reasons this virus continues to flourish in our country. People are getting sick and dying in record numbers. You think I wanna wear a mask all the time? Heck no I don't. It's uncomfortable. It's annoying. It's aggravating but I do it because I've been convinced that COVID 19 is real. I'll be the first to say that I didn't take it very seriously at first and I thought it was a hoax but boy was I wrong. All it took is one person in the hospital and 1 death and I was a believer. Now why are you still not convinced after millions?