Step forward, step back, step forward.

I don’t get it. We will know what we must do, but …

Lately, the reaction to the pandemic not just from government, but from people, has been confusing to say the least.

People who were wearing masks and practicing social distancing apparently threw those concepts out of the window in order to travel to see loved one for more or less traditional Thanksgiving gatherings.

Call me a cynic, but I would have thought at least some people would have embraced a Thanksgiving without travel and without the cousins, aunt and uncles who you don’t want to see but are forced to do so once a year.

Honestly, just between us, wasn’t the prospect of a quiet holiday at home more appealing than the usual family spectacle of boorish in-laws, political loudmouths, bratty kids?

While many people did stay home, there were millions who didn’t.

Gov. Charlie Baker is clearly having pandemic fatigue and I can’t blame him. I think he is one press conference away from simply screaming “You idiots!” into the camera.

I want to see the person signing for the deaf translate that.

After months of talking about avoiding large gatherings, Baker spoke of the hundreds of virus cases that came about by people attending church. Were people listening to him? Why in the name of all that is Holy did anyone think this was a good idea? Pray at home. Read your scriptures at home. “Attend” an online worship service. Why risk getting sick?

Now I view myself as someone who attempts to live by Christ’s teachings – unsuccessfully at many times but I can’t believe the Creator of the Universe wouldn’t cut us some slack for a year or so in order to do something positive for ourselves and one another.

 I would think more pressing cosmic matters would be at hand for that entity. Dogma, to me, is far less important than taking actions that show your concern for yourself and others.

Nationally, we see how the president no longer speaks about the pandemic or relief very much and is focusing on his increasing dimming chances of overturning the election. What does it tell you about him that he seemingly no longer cares about what is happening to the nation?

In Congress, the next pandemic relief program is being held up by one man, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who in his dotage seemingly no longer cares to even give lip service to the concept of the federal government addressing the crisis.

Locally we have seen communities move forward and then move back. Schools systems are reversing themselves about remote versus hybrid versus in-person education. I can’t blame them because they react to guidance from the state which changes as the pandemic ebbs and flows. There are parents urging for the return to normal based on low COVID-19 rates among children. There are others who don’t want to face a member of their family being sick.

The governor doesn’t want to close down businesses  more than they have been, as he is very aware of the status of too many unemployed people who are barely hanging on as help dwindles down to nothing. Yet it is clear, looking at other parts of the country, when you re-open businesses to something normal, people lose all perspective. They do stupid things and the pandemic gets stronger.

What I love most are people who believe that not enough people have died. That’s right. COVID-19 hasn’t killed enough of us to be a real issue according to some of the Facebook friends. The CDC annual report on such matters noted in 2018 that heart disease killed 655,381; cancer got 599,274 of us; and accidents killed 167,127.

So, I bet when the 2020 stats are compiled COVID-19 will be firmly in third place, since we are now approaching 300,000 deaths. That designation, however, will still not impress some people.

A side note: I like when I read that people over 60 with other health conditions – such as this writer – shouldn’t be counted if COVID-19 was the catalyst for their death. After all they were going to die anyway. While the pandemic has made this fat old diabetic man a tad fatalistic, I don’t want to kick the bucket right now and I don’t think I deserve an early death. That’s probably a minority opinion.

With the December holidays approaching at great speed, I can only hope that people get pass their pandemic fatigue and do the right thing. Please.