Living with the fiercely-independent people of the American West during COVID-19


It's May 1st, 2021, I live in Arizona, where I plan to spend all of the rest of my days, and I'm fascinated by the different reasons why so many people here refuse to believe that a deadly disease, called COVID-19, actually exists. And today I'd like to address the people that I've always admired, the fiercely-independent people of the American West.

I've always surrounded myself with these people, who are very quick to push back at anything that even hints at taking away their fierce independence. These people are very quick to take offense, and they fight, both physically and verbally. If you're familiar with the old term "chip on their shoulder", you know these people. Personally, I've always been too lazy to get involved with what they enjoy doing, like standing up and looking for the bus way down the street at a bus stop, but I'm glad that they're there, fighting the good fight. They will make the bus stop for me.

For my whole life, going back to when I was a little kid (and I was VERY little as a kid!) I've befriended these people. They often walked around snarling like mad dogs, but I would put my hand out, let them sniff it, assure them that I wasn't going to harm them, and they became my friends. In the corporate world, I called these people my "big protectors", and I found that once they've decided to be loyal, they will fight with a canine veracity.

Of course, these fiercely-independent people, who can be whipped up into a frenzy very easily, make easy targets for unscrupulous people, and that makes me sad for them. Nowadays, of course, these people won't be getting vaccinated, and while there's a very good chance that they'll be just fine, their odds are lower than vaccinated people. I'm no expert on contagious diseases, but even a basic understanding is enough for me.

I like living in the West, and I like my fiercely-independent friends. I will never, ever, understand what motivates them to be so belligerent, but I accept it as part of their personality, and respect it the way that I respect the canines on a big dog.

Cave Canem.
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