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Before COVID-19 I had a trip booked and paid for to do yoga teacher training in the Sacred Valley in Perù & visit Macchu Picchu before beginning my Ph.D. this Fall. Now I won’t be going on that trip, traveling this whole summer as planned, or starting graduate school in person. https://twitter.com/ozz_factor/status/1263827600226619392
BUT, literally none of that matters if the cost is millions of people needlessly dying, and vulnerable/high at-risk people (including those i love and care for) being terrified to go out because a virus that is simply a bug for many is life threatening.
God I hate using this word so tirelessly, but seriously, check your privilege. The unfortunate part of this all isn’t not being able to travel the world this summer — it’s millions not being able to pay rent and feed their families when the majority were already struggling.
It’s racial-ethnic minorities dying at disproportionate rates because of disparate access to healthcare, good food, quality air, etc. It’s kids being homeless while not being able to go to school where school is the only stable thing in millions of kids’ lives.
This pandemic has and will affect the mental and emotional health and well-being of too many people — an unintentional side effect of the necessary measures to flatten the curve, but a valid one.
Your feelings are valid, but right now, not traveling and “finding yourself” in your 20s are not the issues that deserve our undivided attention and certainly shouldn’t be magnified to the extent I sadly continue to see. Life won’t be like this forever. This too shall pass.
Also, I hope people understand (hopefully by reading this thread) that tweets or the media publicizing things like what I just said above make you appear extremely tone-deaf and privileged right now.
