Wednesday, January 13, 2021

A bit of sunshine in a dreary day!

 One thing I haven't shared is the miraculous changes happening with my brother.  After a discussion with his psychiatrist changes were made to his medications and we have been slowly reducing his clinozapam and have eliminated his buspirone.  There was almost an instant change, like a thin veil had been lifted and underneath is the brother I remember.  He is thinking clearly and his constant phone calls have stopped.  He doesn't lose his train of thought and just overall is AMAZINGLY better.  Of course he still requires assistance with meals and grocery shopping but the improvement is miraculous.  I can't even describe how much this has helped Ron and I.  I feel so much more hopeful for the future.  We will continue to monitor him and if we see an increase in anxiety we will quickly report it to his doctor.  I don't think he was initially over medicated because his symptoms at that time were so severe it required that level of sedation.  But he has improved and as long as his symptoms remain controlled it is best to use as little medication as possible.  We have been through hell for the past 10 years.  We can finally breathe again.

Monday, January 11, 2021

I have no words! But I'll give it a shot!

 On the 6th of January I received my first dose of the Moderna vaccine.  I was so excited to get it I had not slept but a few hours the night before.  So about 11:00 I fell asleep but awoke to find the Capitol building under seige.  I was taken back not sure what was happening but I never once felt shocked.  Nothing is shocking that relates to Donald Trump.  He prepares you for anything through his rhetoric.  The only people who seem to have been surprised by Wednesday's insurrection were the Capitol police.  God only knows why as they were being offered assistance days before the event.  

I know there are conflicting ideas as to where we go from here.  Do we impeach 45 even if no action is taken during the first 100 days of Biden's administration.  Knowing how short memories are  I wonder if there would even be a chance of conviction.  Part of me believes there must be some consequence for his actions.  No one should ever be above the law.  Though we see that is not the case when one has the privileges afforded by race and wealth. It is played out in courts every day.

Something else that has come to mind is the need for every American to hold a mirror to their own face.  We have to ask ourselves if we have contributed to the divide by engaging in verbal combat with individuals who do not share our political views. I left social media because the attacks from both sides were becoming more and more hostile.  I realized that no ones views were going to be swayed by a post on Facebook no matter how articulate or logical you think it sounds.

My biggest concern of all is how do we combat disinformation?  The first time the idea of "alternative facts" was introduced I thought we were doomed.  Now, no amount of data, research, fact will persuade someone from what they "want" to believe.  Technology and the information highway may be the biggest enemy of democracy.   It is not an external threat I fear will bring the country down.  The seeds of distrust were planted and cultivated and here we are.  People willing to destroy the very thing they believe to have been stolen from them.