An Artist's Life: Que Sera, Sera

We all remember how the year 2020 had taken off with a big KABOOM.

The sudden tragic passing of LosAngeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant with eight other passengers on that doomed helicopter flight in Jan 26 (one of them being his daughter) had the City of Angels reeling at its loss, which was felt all around the globe. The news got me feeling numb and helpless, just another reminder that life is short and fragile, and we are mere humans with our days numbered; our life can end in a blind no of an eye and we would not be prepared for it.

Then came the COVID19.

It was apparent that this was a long time coming- the Black Plague that had wiped out a third of the world's population many centuries ago has reemerged in the 21st Century in a form of a new kind of virus, one that my Dad sometimes affectionately called "the bat flu." It was nothing new of course there had been other kinds of flu that had nearly erupted into a pandemic years before- bird flu, swine flu, SARS, MERS- among several other non flu related diseases. But this time it's more serious, thanks to the ineptitude of the authorities and our leaders drunk with hush money and their foolish pride, this flu managed to reach the finish line the other flu types had failed before, and now to date has seen to nearly 700M cases and almost 7M deaths worldwide(Coronavirus tracker, updated frequently). At the height of this biological terror the order was issued everywhere for civilians to stay indoors and avoid social contact with one another, and we essentially became prisoners in our own homes. Whatever short term or long term plans we've made would have to either wait or bid adieu with no certainty of when this ordeal will end.

But what does this have to do with art, you ask?

Last week I made a post about the unpredicability of life and no matter how well planned it cannot withstand the sudden onslaught of lemons. I've learned since then the futility of making meticulous plans and to be more open to whatever sudden changes or hurdles may come my way. So when the Lockdown happened I just sat back, relax, drink beer, make art, play video games, eat junk food, watch dumb YouTube videos, all while waiting for this whole thing to blow over. All this "free time" at hand has allowed me to make new assessments of my artistic skills and achievements, and gave me inspirations for the next steps I want to take once the world opens up again. But first and foremost I had to be careful to take care of my health and my parents and pray on hope that we, our families outside this house, and friends across the country and beyond will make it through this ordeal.

That was three years ago today, and while it seems that the worst of the storm has passed, the impact can still be felt, not just personally, but globally, and will likely take many more years to make a full recovery. Or in a worst case scenario, inch ever closer to worldwide dystopia. But as I had learned, the future is beyond our control, and we have to make the most of the present and be prepared for anything that will come our way. So I will just eat, drink, make art, and be merry (whenever I can), and let it be.

Here's a sweet little song to end this otherwise dreary rant by the lovely late Doris Day:

Stay Safe Everyone. God Bless You All.