I Am Strong, But I Am Tired

I saw a meme with these words the other day. 

And this simple sentence struck a chord. I have been feeling tired mentally if not physically for quite some time. Then I realized that I really am strong, but I also am tired.

Life these days is tiring as well as tiresome. Until a new president took office, I was so tired of waking up every morning, fearful of what the orange tinted occupant of the White House had done to put our country at risk overnight. 

Now I’m tired of oh so many things. This administration is trying its best to undo some of the damage inflicted on the United States during the previous 4 years. The effort to get a majority of Americans vaccinated has slowed, but the appearance of the Delta variant of the virus seems to at last have opened the eyes of people to the threat this virus poses. I also hope that the recent granting of full approval by the FDA to the Pfizer Covid vaccine will encourage more hold-outs to be vaccinated. Vaccination rates are up, especially in southern states with the lowest percentage of the population vaccinated.

But I am tired of listening to the whines and the threats and the general distrust of science, and the excuses and the refusal of so many to do the one thing that can make a huge difference in the fight against this coronavirus. Parents are protesting mask mandates in schools. At least one Republican governor is threatening to withhold funding from school districts that mandate the wearing of masks. Who could possibly oppose anything designed to  protect children, especially those too young to be vaccinated, from a potentially deadly virus?

We could get this pandemic under control if only the anti-vaxxers and the anti-maskers would stop their mindless rhetoric about their 'freedumbs' being violated. Apparently these clowns feel it's OK to spread a potentially deadly virus to those with chronic illnesses and other medical conditions that preclude them from being vaccinated for legitimate reasons. The hypocrisy of these people going on about 'My body. My choice' is so blatant. They don't/won't/can't see the hypocrisy of demanding rights for themselves that they refuse to give to women regarding birth control and abortion.

I am tired of watching what should have been a medical and public health issue (wearing a mask, getting vaccinated) be turned into a political issue. This virus doesn't respect party lines. It is an equal opportunity threat to life. 

I am tired of watching helplessly as the women and girls of Afghanistan once again fall under the repressive Taliban regime, which says it will give females 'some' rights. Will women and girls be precluded from attending school, working outside the home and even leaving home without an approved male relative accompanying them?

I am tired of the divisiveness and finger-pointing that are so rampant in this country. I am tired of the Republikkkans' efforts to weaken Americans' right to vote. And I wonder whether America will be able to survive as a constitutional republic, or whether we will become a fascist nation led by a small group of oligarchs.

We certainly seem to be heading in that direction at breakneck speed. And the Democrats in Congress seem incapable of doing anything to stop this runaway train.