First he threatens to kill himself live on TV, but instead he settles for launching this enraged rant encouraging his viewers to open their windows, get angry and collectively scream: “ I’m MAD as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore !” Ironically, this in turn raises the ratings to new highs.

 

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do believe there is a little bit of Howard Beale in each and everyone of us lately. We’ve simply had enough of this pandemic, racial injustices, never ending shootings largely in the US, civil wars, bizarre climactic changes, etc.

 

The world has gone crazy! I’m not suggesting you remove your flat screen TV off the wall and throw it out the window, but the resounding echo of communal frustration and disbelief at the state of global chaos ought to be noted. Doesn’t it warrant some type of collective chant ? People are dying all around us from Covid 19. This didn’t have to happen.

 

I knew a woman who spoke to me often about the RAPTURE. I’m no expert on this, but it relates to the antichrist wreaking havoc on the world and then in the Rapture all those believing in Jesus are saved. So there still is time to convert if I’ve got this right. But there are a series of events such as we are witnessing, which occur such as plagues, turmoil amongst humans, bizarre climate events and things like those murder hornets already showing up on the west coast. It does make one question why is all this occurring? Is someone sending us a message that we need to do better as humans ?

 

Covid is certainly giving us a run for our money. Many of us have had our initial vaccine which we coordinated through our provincial governments. The guidelines for qualifying criteria and which vaccine might be available differ sometimes daily. Should we consider enacting the federal emergency act ?  The variants are relentless and are attacking the younger aged population now. They are more aggressive and targeting an already overtaxed healthcare system. We knew this was coming. It’s not shocking that it’s here, but rather that we aren’t prepared to handle and control this invisible killer.

 

Recently, there was a protest in Montreal over the new curfews being enforced. Many feel violated by being forced to wear a mask. It’s a global pandemic and yes certain rights are being infringed upon to save lives. It’s that simple. A simple traffic light analogy here conveys that, yes we all must stop at a red light whether we want to or not. Why? Because if we don’t enforce some rules, civilization goes to hell in a hand basket.

 

Where is all this relief money coming from? The various governments around the world must be printing currency as we speak, to keep up with assistance programs for small businesses, plus staff unemployed with each lockdown. They never budgeted for additional trillions of dollars.

 

Will the world ever be the same ? Is this our new normal forever ? Or do think in a decade, we will remember Covid 19, as a mere blemish on the world’s complexion ?

 

Canada is not a third world country. Yet we are dependent upon others to obtain sufficient vaccines.  

 

A dear friend of mine lost her significant other in late March. He caught the UK variant. He had yet to be vaccinated. Had a syringe been available to him

even a month earlier, he’d likely still be here on this earth.

 

The vaccine rollout is far too slow in my opinion.

 

And I do question some of the decisions about who qualifies for vaccines established by the powers that be. Prisoners, who have committed crimes against society and who can’t socially distance, get vaccinated before school teachers? What is terribly wrong with this picture ?

 

Our healthcare system needs the tools to look after our citizens. But many of us are sitting ducks, patiently waiting for reasonable care.

 

Each province finds itself doing its best to secure enough vaccine and alter its protocol constantly.

 

So you try and take whatever inoculation you are offered. You may not get the one you want.

 

We have a long road ahead of us and it’s abundantly clear we are all not on the same page.

 

The Messiah, if there is one, he or she or it, may luck into securing Pfizer. But let us all pray that they are first watching from above and like Howard Beale, are getting mad as hell, as they watch us humans flounder here on earth.

 

Are we there yet? Not even close. Our GPS isn’t even registering our future destination.

 

So get angry, get vaccinated, hang in there and do your small part to save us all. This too, shall pass. Let’s just arrive safely on the other side of the mountain folks. It’s uphill for the foreseeable future.

 

Have a read of Howard Beale’s rant below. And we thought things were bad then.

 

Howard Beale :  " I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth, banks are going bust, shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be. We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.' Well, I'm not gonna leave you alone. I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot - I don't want you to write to your congressman because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first you've got to get mad. You've got to say, 'I'm a HUMAN BEING, God damn it! My life has VALUE!' So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!' I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!... You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"