Birthdays are supposed to be times of great happiness. They are occasions on which we celebrate another year of being alive. They’re joyous occasions, and can make feel very special. However, on the same day that someone is celebrating life, another person is mourning life lost. Most tragedies that happen in our lives won’t become national or even international news. They’ll only be remembered by a select few. Occasionally, tragedies make their way into the national and international headlines, and remain engrained in our hearts and minds for a long time. Sometimes, those impactful tragedies have occurred on our own birthdays. One example is the Tenerife disaster. It was one of the worst airplane disaster in history. Coincidentally, the anniversary of it is the same day as my birthday. What a weird coincidence. Knowing this makes my birthday feel very strange. I’m celebrating life on my birthday, while somewhere in the world, there are people out there who are mourning the lives lost on that tragic day. It is a strange feeling to feel, and it really puts life, and death, into perspective. We all are born into this world, and we will all one day leave this world, as well. It may happen when we’re young, when we’re old, or when we’re somewhere in the middle. It can happen any time, and on any day, even on our own birthdays. It is crazy to think about, but we have to remain positive and hope that nothing bad happens to us.
Tag: society
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Birthday
So today is my birthday. Does not feel like much of a birthday today, though. With the whole coronavirus pandemic going on in the world, I have not been in much of a celebratory mood.
It really sucks, for I was looking forward to my birthday for a while. Back in January, before things got as bad as they did with coronavirus, I was looking forward to hanging out with friends on my birthday. I wanted to grab a bite to eat with them. I was thinking about trying “Beyond Sushi” in the city with them. It was a vegan sushi restaurant, and I wanted to try something new and different. I was also thinking about going to Gamestop to buy a new game, or possibly going to a book store to get some books for myself. There was so much I was thinking about doing for my birthday both with friends and for myself.
Things did not turn out that way, however. Currently, the world is dealing with a pandemic, and in the US, the cases are skyrocketing. It’s pretty serious. It is really depressing, too. It is really depressing to hear about all of this shit going on. I want things to get better. I hope they get better. I know at some point, this virus will subside, but what will be the result? Who even knows?
All I do know is that I will try to make the best of the situation. I still have books. I still have music. I still have movies. I still have YouTube. I still have the Internet. I still have family. I still have friends. I still have my health. I will try to keep in touch with my friends and family for as long as I can, and I will try to stay as healthy as I can for as long as I can. I hope I don’t wind up getting sick. I do not want to get sick, and I do not want to get other people sick. Nobody knows what will happen days, weeks, or months from now, but what is for certain is that we have to try to remain positive, take precautions, social distance as much as possible, and if we are still working, hold onto our jobs for as long as possible. We have to take things one day at a time and see what happens.
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A Day With A Smartphone
Called a cab. Missed it.
That’s okay.
Just use the Uber app.
Tell it where you’re going, and pay right away.
Five minutes later, the cab’s outside.
Get inside, and you’re on your way.
Get dropped off at McDonald’s. Meet with your friends.
Go to the counter, and pick up your order.
Show the cashier your phone screen and the purchase you made on the McD’s app.
Two minutes later, your food’s in your hand.
How very convenient.
Sit down with your friends and chat about whatever.
Show them the latest Marvel movie trailer by searching it up on the YouTube.
Just then, you get a Twitter notification about whatever it was a celebrity had said.
You then get an update from the NY Times app about a recent speech The President has made.
Later on in the day, you’re ready to go home. You use Google Maps to find out where you are
And where the nearest train or bus stops are.
Once you find them, you decide to walk there, so that way you can enjoy a breath of fresh air.
You soon get to the train station, and you use the local train app to pay.
The gate is now open, and you can go through, so you do.
On the train, you debate what you want for dinner.
Since it will be a long way until you get home, you decide to order from GrubHub.
You schedule it to be delivered in an hour and a half, since the train ride takes an hour.
Once that’s out of the way, you decide to relax for the rest of the way.
You download some tunes from Spotify and enjoy the rest of your ride.
Once you’re home, your food is outside. You take it inside, eat it, and go to sleep for the night.
You set the alarm on your phone to wake you up in the morning.