With air pollution levels rising and the morale of disabled Northeasterners sinking, it’s time they face some difficult truths. The coronavirus will continue to mutate, politicians will continue to ignore disability issues and if anyone gets sick, they’d better not expect the government to take care of them. Oh, and also, the world is on fire.
While it may seem disheartening to have to constantly navigate a burning society, it’s important to stay open-minded, and open-lunged, to the hazy carbon drifting around you. It’s tempting to say “that’s not how it used to be,” and you’d be right, but you need toughen up and accept this never-ending series of preventable global crises. That’s just the new normal!
You might want to resist and try to protect yourself using proven, effective safety measures, but honestly we’ve already been through that whole thing and it’s time to just give in. Masks are weird, and if you wear one outside this summer to shield yourself from the toxic pollution, you’ll get a weird little tan line around your cheeks. That’s not cute.
Instead, you need to step out into the beautiful amber waves of air, close your eyes and take a big, unmasked breath. Inhale the future, and let each microplastic settling inside you be a reminder of the challenges you’ve overcome. Let the flames of the forest fuel the fires of your heart.
And if you get some carcinogens in your bloodstream? Who cares! You’ll have so much brain fog that you probably won’t even notice.
We can step outside and breathe poisonous smoke or step inside and breathe poisonous fragrance chemicals. It’s Russian roulette.