Submitted in response to The Coronavirus in Just Six Words writing prompt.
The Reality of Processed Meat
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Take Care of Yourself DQ. We're back again, with some shocking facts about the meat you're putting in your body, and the toll it has on our environment.
*Cue weird piano music*
With the average American consuming 156 hamburgers a year, and each burger using up 425.1 gallons of water, we can only imagine the damage we are doing to our environment. Additionally, if everyone skipped eating one burger a week for a year, we could each save 22,100 gallons of water per year. This could not only be beneficial to our environment, but also our bodies. The effects on the environment are much worse. Scientists may use different numbers, mostly because there are many different types of beef, such as grass-fed, conventional beef, and natural beef. However, an article from Business Insider, gives us the update on conventional beef, a beef frequently used, and produced by, the United States.
Here are the numbers:
Conventional beef production requires more than 485 billion liters of water, per 1 billion kilograms of beef produced, and requires 5,457 hectares of land, per 1 billion kilograms of beef, which is equal to 54.5 feet of land. The worst numbers are methane, and the carbon footprint. As a direct quote from SoCalGas, methane that is released into the atmosphere, before it is burned, is harmful to the environment. Because it is able to trap heat in the atmosphere, methane contributes to climate change. Additionally, we are using 0.126 pounds of it, or in ounces, 2.016 ounces. The carbon footprint really brings it all around though, which is equal to 4 pounds of carbon footprint.
If that wasn't enough for you to feel at least the smallest amount of guilt, this might. The effects of eating red meat on a daily basis are many, but to name a few are heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even colorectal cancer.
I can hear the cons coming in now. But what about the protein and the fiber? My answer to that is simple plant-based protein. The stars of this show are beyond meat, and are impossible foods worth over 16 billion dollars combined. The even crazier part is that one Beyond Burger patty has the same amount of protein as an Inn & Out burger patty, with 20 grams of protein.
But yes, there are cons, as many synthetic types of meat are not perfected.
The amount of sodium can be very high in Beyond Burgers, and many people are cautious of the calorie count, which is one reason I haven't tried this particular brand.
I began my vegetarian lifestyle after staying a week in the slums of Ecuador. It was a healthier choice for me, and it continued to be so throughout my stay. It was a struggle for me once I came back to the states, but I did tons of research on foods that could be healthier for me. I eventually came to the realization that I was not only doing this for myself, but rather for my environment now. I recommend this to people right now, because having the time to do something meaningful for you, and others, makes a huge difference in your mood, and also can help your body and environment.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-healthy-is-the-new-meatless-beyond-burger
https://www.takeextinctionoffyourplate.com/extinction_facts/pdfs/BurgerFactsheet.pdf
https://www.businessinsider.com/one-hamburger-environment-resources-2015-2
Corona-spiracy
Conspiracy theories are considered by many to be the epitome of stupidity and paranoia. And I understand why. Drawing connections between distinct events that don’t exist seems pretty inane. Conspiracies around coronavirus don’t seem to be any different. Just making stuff up and saying that it’s clearly the only explanation. But that’s where you’re wrong. You see, at first glance, many conspiracy theories seem dumb. But trust me, if you just fetch your tinfoil hats and suspend your disbelief, I think I can make these theories make sense.
So let’s start with a simple one. Coronavirus was made by the Chinese government in league with the Illuminati to control the world population. Alright, so where do I start. This must seem really dumb. I mean, does the Illuminati even exist? Well my dear readers, of course it does. How can you explain the pyramids? The Sphinx? Or what about the moon? You think those are man-made, or in the case of the moon, natural? Of course they aren’t. They were built by a race of alien lizard men that hatched from the moon, which is an egg, and now control the world. They built the Sphinx and they built the pyramids. So with so much power, do you really think it’s a stretch to say that they also made Corona? Of course it isn’t. It’s obvious at this point. And now that I’ve proven this one, everything else will start to make sense.
So now for a more interesting one. Where does Bud Light fit in with this? Well, Corona Beer has suffered as a result of Coronavirus. Americans aren’t known for being the sharpest tools in the shed, and they fear buying Corona will give them Corona. Or it could just be that China is one of their largest markets. The fact that many people in China are staying home to avoid getting Corona is preventing them from purchasing copious amounts of Corona. No, it’s definitely dumb Americans. The most sensible explanation is often wrong. So who profits from this “corona-phobia?” Bud Light of course. They are the next biggest brand that sells beer. And I think that Bud Light paid the Illuminati with human sacrifices to make coronavirus and spread it around the world in order to cripple Corona.
Now for the final conspiracy. Who was orchestrating this at an Earth level? After all, the Illuminati watches us from the international space station, so who was running things on Earth? None other than Gretta Thunberg. Who else could it be? It’s not like you could possibly argue that it just happened naturally like the Spanish flu or the black plague. Who wants to stop environmental pollution? Gretta Thunberg. Who wants to save the polar ice caps? Gretta Thunberg. Who’s secretly an alien shape-shifting lizard person? Gretta Thunberg. And has this plan worked? Yes. Dolphins are returning to Venice, cities all over the world have much less smog in the air. Most importantly, the economy is collapsing so all those evil evil factories can’t operate anymore. I think I've proven this one.
Now, while I know it’s not the best time to remind everyone, I hope you were keeping your tin foil hats on. The government may have read your mind and could be on the way to arrest you and wipe your memory. But remember, reality is an illusion and we are all secretly slaves to lizard overlords. That’s all, don’t forget to like and subcr… oh wait, never mind.
Rebirth
Renaissance. A french word, meaning rebirth. The Renaissance, in short, was a rebirth of European culture from the 14th to 17th century. The art movement that came along with all of the advances in the sciences, literature, politics, and economics, has been on my mind lately more than ever.
We are currently experiencing a pandemic. For safety, we are undergoing a government-issued quarantine. Some people are using this time to pursue a passion, learn a new skill, perfect their craft, or anything to get their creative juices flowing. Personally, I have yet to try these things. But an artist named Chuck Styles is currently inspiring me to further consider that list.
Chuck Styles creates a lot of realistic portraits, often using vibrant paints to stand out against and complement the natural tones of humans. In my opinion, his art style is beautiful and I can’t say I’ve seen anything quite like it. I could stare at the paint for hours and continue to find more and more unique qualities and connect his pieces through more common patterns. His art is inspiring and one of a kind.
Scrolling through https://www.artofchuckstyles.com/, his writing, “Creating Art in a Crisis” jumped out to me faster than the Renaissance art movement presentation in Mr. David’s 8th grade art class. Out of all of Chuck Styles’ series’ that one grabbed me. Out of all the art movements we learned about, that one caught my attention. Probably because they were both born from a really dark time.
Styles’ series was sparked by the current pandemic and is described as “depicting this time period in human history”. And the black death ended an era and sparked the Renaissance. If there are artists out there right now that have the Same idea as Chuck Styles--which, I know there are--we could witness an entirely new and significant art movement!
Imagine living through a movement as eminent as the Renaissance. That could be our future. We still talk about it 400 years after it ended! ‘The Creation of Adam’ (specifically the hands) is one of the most recreated pieces in history! It was even a trend on TikTok a few months ago to paint those hands on jeans! What if, 400 years from now, if humans are all still doing their thing, they’re talking about and recreating your own or your friend’s/family member’s art piece? What if our art inspires people so long after it’s creation?
Even if it doesn’t last that long or is nearly that influential, I want to see this happen. I think it’s just one way to social distance together. It makes me want to pick up a pencil.
Stay at home and save lives
Submitted in response to The Coronavirus in Just Six Words writing prompt.
Stay at home and save lives.
Summer
I and most people can't wait for summer to come. Personally, the most recent summer was the best summer I have ever had. Maybe the best time of my life. I spent almost every day hanging out with friends, spending time with family, going on vacations, to the beach, but most importantly, I was able to wake up whenever I wanted to. And I know that's how most summers are for people. But before this summer, all I did was surf, and stay home. Staying home for me is much different than the average person. For those of you who don’t know, my mom owns a daycare inside my house. Which yes, I know, is crazy. When I wake up, it's only to the noise of 12 children in the house, or some loud music, or kid shows like Mickey mouse. This is how I would usually spend my summers. But, something changed last summer, it was the best summer yet. In my gut, I don't know how much fun this summer will be, with COVID and all.
Of course, I miss summer, who doesn't? But think about it, if summer lasted eternally, you would get tired of it. You know that feeling at the end of the summer, you feel prepared to go back. In a sense, you want to return to school. Then, after the first week, you're tired of it, why? Why do we always feel like this? I believe that humans have the nature of always wanting more, once you get something, you're satisfied, but after having it, you want something else, something new and fresh.
This is what summer has always felt like to me, you want it so bad, so when you get it, you enjoy it until you eventually get tired of it. You want something new and fresh. You finally make it past school, the entire year, you soak up all the fun and joy, till you get bored. Then you kind of miss school.
For me at least, this also relates to basically everything. For example, when you get a new car, you love it so much, but after a few years, everything changes. It gets old, you want something new, you get tired of it. What once seemed like something you would never get tired of, you throw away.
When I was writing about summer, something popped up at me. How is this year's summer going to be? With COVID, how are we going to enjoy ourselves? What protocols are we going to have to follow? Are we still going to be on lockdown? This is where my problems start, if you couldn't tell, I am an extreme over-thinker. I mean, like majorly. I always think, what if this, what if that? How can I fix this, how about that? But, I think this is a good thing, it keeps me on my toes, I'm always ready. I like to say, if you go in with low expectations, you will always come out more happy than if you over-excite yourself. So maybe this year's summer won't be so bad, maybe it will. But either way, we need to adapt and change how we do things so we can succeed through this hard time.
San Diego: Life & Ocean
Our country alone has 4,429 cases confirmed with 165 deaths. As it is known for being a city on the Pacific coast, California is known for its beaches, parks, and warm climate. All the beaches in California have been closed since the coronavirus has happened., However, they’re slowly starting to open back up. It’s unfortunate that everything is getting closed because the people that took advantage of staying at home before Corona now wish they could go out.
When we were first told to isolate ourselves quarantine at home, when the virus had just become known, it was not taken very seriously. People wouldn’t listen and still headed out to the beach which had made the situation worse and unsafe for everyone. People would go on the beach which is not good containing all the older people at risk of the virus, and when the virus spread got worse, they eventually had to shut beaches down forcing us to self isolate at home which is hard for everyone that has to work or students that have their schools shut down. As we go through this quarantine, we now have to do online school so that we can continue with this school year. What’s tragic is the fact that seniors, eighth graders, and fifth graders don’t get to promote or graduate at school. Their events canceled which is disappointing and a big loss for those people. It’s very different and interesting using Zoom as our way to connect with others for school. With that, it’s also hard getting food to provide for students that usually count on school food. Along with the young people, elderly that can’t go out to the stores and get food for themselves or their families are having a tough time.
Food is a big necessity, as we go through this pandemic, we see people buying lots of food. We see people fighting over toilet paper and hand sanitizer. We see all the aisles in stores empty. People started overbuying products because people are scared they’ll run out of an item and won’t be able to go back to the store and get it, and so people who need those items the most won’t be able to get them because of people unnecessarily buying the products in bulk. These products include cleaning products, face masks, hand sanitizer, hand soap, diapers, and way much more. Fortunately, stores began putting signs above certain products that show how much a specific item we’re allowed to purchase; a limit.
Even though we’re supposed to be staying at home quarantined while having the approval to go out to get necessary stuff, even with masks, we’re still at risk of catching the virus no matter what. People are going out to hang out and have fun with a bunch of people and seem to not understand the meaning of “staying at home.”
Good thing is, places are starting to open back up. It’s slowly becoming normal again, and I’m sure the wait is going to be worth it. Everyone will forever remember the coronavirus outbreak that happened in 2020. It may even be in the history books for future generations.
Anyway, did you guys hear about those murder hornets?
Omnipotent Paradox
Today, a puzzling thought occurred to me, which was that if God is incredibly powerful, then they should be able to create a rock so heavy that even they can’t lift it. However, if they cannot lift it, then they’re not completely powerful. After further research, I discovered this was called the omnipotent paradox.
As the days progressed, I began to do further research, and I looked at the two types of infinity. The first is countable infinity, which is just counting by a set amount up to infinity (1, 2, 3...). However, the type of infinity I found that could possibly put god’s power into perspective is uncountable infinity. This type of infinity is the number of decimals between any two numbers. By using this we can find the smallest number, which is 0.01. Moreover, in the bible or any other religious book, it never actually says that god is omnipotent. Therefore, we can safely assume that God is an infinitely small amount of all powerful, or more than omnipotent.
What Will Change After Coronavirus
At the moment, I am in quarantine, as are most other people. When I think about the shelter in place that is happening right now, I also have to think about when it will end, and what will it be like when it is over. So, what do I think will change when we get out of quarantine? Well, I think some things will change, like video calling and noticing how close you are to people, and some things, in the realm of politics, that should change, but probably will not.
When in quarantine, lots of us have been connecting with friends and family through the internet and video calls. The thing is, some people are connecting with relatives or friends who don’t live in the same area as them, people who we wouldn’t normally be talking to. Personally, my family has had weekly zoom calls with people that we normally see several times each year. This quarantine has brought us together in the face of adversary, and I believe that this togetherness will continue even when the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Many people did not know that things like Zoom existed before having to use them for work and school. Using these tools, we can have realer communication with people who we have relations with.
A second thing that I think will change is everyone’s awareness of how close you are to someone. Currently, if I am walking in my neighborhood, there is a lot of thought that goes into the best way of staying the furthest distance possible away from people. Even once we get out of this, I think that there will be a heightened awareness of where people are in relation to you.
A thing that should really change is the United State’s policies on dealing with worldwide pandemics in the future. Our leadership did not do much at all when the virus was first starting to spread. There was, and is, a lot of false information going around about how to cure COVID-19 and where the virus came from. There are theories like it came from 5g towers, which is completely false. 5g towers can carry viruses, but those are computer viruses, not biological viruses like the coronavirus. People are also saying that it was a biological weapon created in a lab somewhere in China, or that one specific person brought it to China. Those are all false, as far as we know, and should not be presented as true unless we know that they are true. There is also a ton of misinformation on how to cure COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine, bright light, and putting disinfectant in people’s lungs, those are all completely untrue and they can actually hurt you. Even our president is spreading this misinformation at press conferences that are supposed to be presenting true information, and then backing down and saying that he was being “sarcastic”. As you can see, there is a lot about our situation that has not been handled well, and that should not have been the case. Sadly, I don’t think that much change will actually happen. I think that it will be another empty promise in politician’s campaigns, but until another major virus shows up, I don’t think a lot will actually end up changing. However, we can change this if we work together to let those politicians know that we want changes to be made as protection from future pandemics.
Overall, this quarantine is going to change us, and we can’t let ourselves just forget about it after it is over. We need to make sure that we remember the good things, like connecting with video calls, and the bad things, like how unprepared the US was for this pandemic. If we all do the right thing, we can prevent a future pandemic from becoming as bad as this one.
Problems of Society
The Problem is “today's problem”. Problem is defined by some to be a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful, needing to be dealt with, and to be overcome. To others it can be defined as an inquiry starting from given conditions to investigate or demonstrate a fact, result, or law. However, those who are unbound by the restrictions of a quick and easy internet search might define a problem as something of a barrier, a burden, or perhaps a guardian. A guardian? How peculiar. A guardian of what? Perhaps answers, or solutions, or maybe clarifications, perhaps even something that is not a synonym. A problem is a guardian of a good situation, and solutions are not what are guarded by problems, but the key to unlocking them. The goal of solving a problem is to no longer be plagued by that problem. However, due to the goal of this piece of writing, everything I have recently remarked has been of no consequence. No, No, No. We are here to discuss THE “Problem” and that is a different topic entirely.
The “problem” is uninteresting. Things like the collapsing of society, a plunging economy, as well the three concept lists in my writing becoming trite. The “problem” is exactly what you would not expect of a problem. You would think that in the middle of the crazed hysteria, that is the modern lifestyle, there would be a lot of problems. When you think of a pandemic you would expect madness to ensue such as riots in the street, people robbing stores, littering, etc. However, this is not just a pandemic, this is the “problem”. Yet when you look outside, there are no crimes being committed or even faint societal rules being undone (besides the inevitable evasion of fellow civilized folk ). The reason there aren’t such absurdities is because of the faint trace of a solution, perhaps a solution such as riding it out, and people sense this is due to the ill-conformity of their mindsets towards an enduring problem. Essentially, they seek even the idea or hint of possibility of THE END. However, the people are too shortsighted to realize the clear errors in their solution, errors that are too manifold for someone as irascible as myself to mention and construe.
Of course, there is the other side of the spectrum. People are, and according to the imminent and foreseeable future, too caught up in pulling apart other people’s truths to fact check their own lies. These nescient people of bountiful naiveness decided to go out in the streets and protest the idea of there being a “problem”. For these people, they have made the decision to not follow the built up safety net rules, and flaunt their belief of disbelief around in the medium of protests. Protesting is a perfectly fine way to get your idea across under normal circumstances. Alas, there should be no one protesting as of the current situation, aka the “problem”, and because they are contributing to the complete opposite of preventing the spread of adverse solutions.
However, these people have a reason. A reason, it's always something. Of course their reason is completely and totally devalued due to the “problem”. These people wish to work, go to barber shops, and do whatever other social activities are disabled due to the “problem”. While I do realize that everyone going to their places of business and resuming the “pre-the-problem” lifestyle would be a very blithe occasion. The “problem” is solitarily pushing the date of The End farther away than we had intended, predicted, and silently hoped.
Now you see the abhorrent truth that we are probably not at all the slightest bit engrossed in the “problem”, but seem to be more infatuated in the applications towards our own charitable narcissism. Of course, me saying that puts up the illusion that I am some sort of sophomaniac (although the language I have been using may have already made you perceive me that way).
Now in truth I have accomplished my fortuitous goal of educating you on the “problem”. Nonetheless, considering the fact that you are living in the here and the now, assuming you are not a has-been, retro enthusiast, or deceased, you already know about these things as a result of being alive. Every person with a pulse has found a recent interest in advertising the “problem” to just about every living creature with some sort of listening apparatus. In conclusion, everything I have just written has been a restatement of commonplace facts.
The Future
I wonder what will come out of all of this chaos? Chaos meaning COVID. COVID meaning being eternally stuck at home with nowhere to go. It’s weird to think about what this will be like in a few months.
Will this all be over? Will life ever go back to normal? It feels like an eternity since I was at school. Will I have a summer? Will I get to celebrate my birthday in June?
I remember how it all came so quickly. One day we were having a normal school day and the next day we are told no more school. It's all so weird that just a few weeks prior there was no plan at all, we all were just living normally. Now we are imprisoned inside all day and nothing sounds fun.
Every morning I rub my eyes till they are cracked open. I have been going to bed late. Not as late as others, but pretty late. I force myself out of bed, drag myself up for a short workout, then I eat till my stomach feels densely full. Then slouch over on my chair to glare into my computer screen for hours for an online school. Zoom classes come first. I sit through the awkwardness of can’t telling if anyone is staring at me for an hour and a half. My time is often eaten up by work or stress about work. We really don’t have that much work. I feel as though my emotions are muted and I can only vividly make out what they are trying to tell me which makes me more overwhelmed and confused making it hard to work. To put it visually, my brain is my body’s computer. For every tab I have open is another stress. I can only trash it when I am done, but trashing it only dismisses it temporarily. It usually comes back in the form of a pop-up. When the time comes (freedom) I am stuck. What to do now?
________________ I don’t know.______ Now I’m bored. ________Again.____________ Like everyday.
I ponder about one day far in the future where I tell my kids (if I have kids) about all of this. If this was the future the beaches become a graveyard of trash and abandoned treasures. The stores go bankrupt and lose their money. The homeless become sick and their numbers grow. Depression and chronic loneliness grow. Crime goes down a bit but not the crime of innocent people and families dying. It’s weird. The feeling of uncertainty. I never felt a feeling this strong. I need to know what will happen, but I can’t. The door to my home locks me into a safe place and I feel that outside of there has become a world of instability, exposure, and peril. Behind our masks, we become by-products of the demons of fear. We are wasted away by the news that makes us weak and feels more and more powerless until we are nothing but lost hope. We need more news to lift us up, but the problem is: is there any?
This meaning wiping down food from the stores, constantly doing chores to keep things clean, wearing masks, virtual friends, and COVID-19 altogether. The world is different now. We planned on going to Big Bear a few weeks ago, but now the only mountain I can see is a mountain of homework piling up behind my back. Dust collects on everything even the skills and math I used to know but now seem to struggle with. My senses have been put on hold until anything fun picks up the phone. My friends get cut off by poor connections with wifi and our real connections which now feel like they’re fading away. I see there faces but I don’t SEE there faces. I miss them. I’ve changed. We’ve changed.
But that’s okay.
Life is constantly changing and it's our job to change with it even if it’s hard. This is a milestone, not a wall we can move around. The world has changed and even though there is nothing we can do about it, I know you and I both wish this all would just end everything would go back to the way it was before. Everyone feels this way.
My life before this seems like a fabricated reality. My memories have become wishes and my photos have become dreams. On weekends it’s so hard not to want to hang out with my friends in person. I don’t even know the last time I hugged them was. Even on that last day of school none of us were expecting this to come. To be completely honest we were all a bit excited to not have school, we all thought we were just getting another week of break and then we'd all come back. I wish I could hold on to that last moment with them forever, but it feels like butter that is slipping from my hands. Now, we are all bored out of our minds wishing for something to do with our lives.
Wishing, dreaming, and waiting
for something
normal,
Unless this is the
new normal…