My Easter Prayers for YOU All

Deke's Note: Damn! Isn't this Easter?!? Where are WE headed? 

All this week I have longed to communicate my feelings to you all. Here, where my soul comes to relieve its burden as a "frontline worker". I've heard this term thrown out in countless platitudes as what folks are supposed to express. Often, it seems forced. Although we see it written in social media, our passengers have yet to echo this to us on a grand scale.

Before now, we were largely invisible within the greedy pig of the world economy. Finally, even Congress is counting transit workers as "essential" to keep Big Money's magical coinage dropping into its coffers. Meanwhile, the working folks are the ones who suffer, offering ourselves to the golden calf. After all, it's what is expected of us.

Yet I cannot count myself equally as vital as those who care for victims of COVID-19. Healthcare workers whether in hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, cancer treatment centers, and many others are most at-risk during this dilemma. There are also thousands of US who deliver this suddenly-vital segment of working class folks to their daily toils. Only now, our collective vocations have become a possible death sentence.

It is increasingly-dreadful to read what Facebook and Instagram have to report about the deadly toll this tiny assassin has visited upon us all. New York is hardest hit because it is so densely-populated. Still, those brave transit workers keep working.

Here in Portland, Oregon we're a bit more spread out, at about 3 million folks. We can realistically "socially-distance" ourselves, and the Governor's "Stay at Home" order has helped lighten our loads. Still, your bus operators are stuck in COVID-19 proximity from six to 10-12 hours or more every day. We show up for work in great numbers, even though many have had to "self quarantine" or "isolate" ourselves by staying home after finding symptoms our bodies cannot ignore. I'm not sure how many are sick, hoping not to be, or simply too afraid to expose themselves to this horrid nightmare. Many are falling sick but not counted because they will only be tested for the virus once hospitalized. This not knowing is possibly our greatest fear.

I am angry right now. At our leadership nationwide, for not taking early and immediate steps to keep everyone safe from a worldwide pandemic that was imagined a year ago by the United States' own Federal Emergency Management Agency. I'm also furious because so many have failed to take this pandemic seriously enough to STAY AT HOME.

What, is this some sick joke to you? Every type of social media has implored people to remain in place unless absolutely necessary, but many refuse. Some kind of political game meant to convince you to vote one way or another? It is NOT, folks. This is serious, and it's about time people realized our collective fate is in peril.

For five straight days, New York City has suffered over 700 deaths. That's 3,500 in less than a week, nearly 9,000 since this all began. You might say, "Well, out of 8.5 million, that's not terrible." Sure it is, considering this threat could have been avoided. None of these people needed to die. If it were to last another 10 weeks that's 35,000. Twenty: 70,000-100,000, in one city alone. That's a helluva lotta caskets. Many of them are transit workers, who dutifully show up for work while the dumbasses in society pile onto their rides not even realizing they are infected with perhaps the most deadly virus ever seen. They in turn pass it onto the next poor soul who crowds onto a transit vehicle after a long shift as an "essential worker", jammed up next to a guy who is just rolling to 7-11 for a case of beer. These people and countless others contract the virus and pass it on to their family members.

Madness multiplied by ignorance equals stupidity.

Just imagine if Portland were to see NYC's percentages, which is entirely possible if Portlanders stop observing the "Outlive the Curve" plea to "Stay at Home". We're about a third of New York's population, so let's say we see 233 deaths a day next week from the novel-Coronavirus ("novel" meaning something so powerfully-deadly we've never seen before). That would mean over two weeks we could lose over 3,000 lives. Multiply that by the next six months or however long it may take for a vaccine to become readily-available, and we could lose another 18-20,000. Unless we remain steadfast in our desire to protect ourselves, it could easily double or triple over a few months more.

This is a worldwide health emergency like nothing we have seen since the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. It could be potentially much worse. I cannot even fathom the worst possible scenario. Actually, I wrote a short story about it early on about a month ago. Now, I can't even read my words now for fear it may come true.

I'm fucking scared as a bus operator. Sorry, but that's my current reality. Many of us are, but what else can we do but our jobs? Nothing, except to hope for the best. At least I still have my optimism, but it's taking quite a beating these days.

I've never been one to give in to hysteria, but America's, trend toward mass stupidity, tends to magnify it a million-fold. We're so politically-divided we can't see the mess we're in, let alone where we're headed. People tend to trust mass-religion rather than common sense these days.

As this Easter dawns with no coming together to worship the ascension of God's son to Heaven, it should give us pause to wonder why this has happened. Perhaps it's His way of reminding us to come together as ONE, as your first responders have. YOU might stay at home and stop the infectious curve from deepening; WE cannot. Perhaps this is the time we should look inward and find that soulful voice imploring us to do as He commanded, simply to love one another. I hope you cannot deny our innate goodness. We all have it, yet many don't let it shine.

I do not agree with Revelations. Sorry, but I believe it was written to scare people into believing something other than accept God's love. I don't believe some cowpoke on a white horse will fight the Dark One. I do hope, though. I hope we learn to practice the Golden Rule. So far, I have seen enough positive things to outweigh the negative through this nightmare so far.

Have we forsaken that age-old Biblical command from Mark 12:30-31? "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength... and Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

We seem to have lost this holy advice through political infighting spreading anger the past 50+ years. This strife and anger aimed at one another has driven us apart. I'm tired of it. Religion has only driven a wedge between good people, not drawn us together. Protestant vs. Catholic, Jewish vs. Muslim... it's all led to war and death. It needs to just... stop. We have yet to find the one thing which could lead us toward a peaceful life together. Once we do, our life on Earth will long endure whatever challenges biology throws at us. We can get past this, if we only work for one another, rather than against each other.

Peace, safety and health be with you all. I pray for you all this Easter. Mostly, I pray my multitudes of fellow "frontline workers" remain safe and that we see less deaths and more promise toward healthiness amongst ourselves. Be you bus or light rail operators, road or rail supervisors, road mechanics, yard maintenance, station agent or any number of other transit angels, my Easter prayers are for YOU and our families, along with the many others who endure the front lines of this pandemic. May we find the path to health and safety, that we may grow together to make the future a better one for all.

May the power of our one God lift you up and keep you and yours safe and healthy as we endure this, the greatest challenge of humankind to date. I pray it be so; I hope you join me so.

With deep and lasting love, I remain your
Deke N. Blue