Plague Journal, Whole Lotta Water
These are unprecedented days. Nothing like this has come before in my memory. The science fiction writers have imagined stories of circumstances that massively threatened the survival of humanity, stories 
of microbes. Remember War of the Worlds by Orson Wells? As a kid I remember sneaking an illicit reading of the story from a Classic Comic book. My father didn’t believe in spending money on comics. The renderings on the comic book pages of the Martian death rays fascinated me. The onslaught of destruction among humans turned with a lethal sickness among the invaders caused by an invisible bacteria.
In the story we are now living, things are working in reverse. It is we that are sickened by a extremely contagious virus. We do not yet see how the end point is to be reached. We do know that social distancing, testing, and rapid treatment of those infected are relevant to the overcoming of the assault. Whether our American society can meet the standard demanded by our collective survival remains to be seen.
One aspect of life that has provided much satisfaction has been the reclamation of an old stereo system, one that had served us during the years when I would have considered myself young. The components consist of a Sony receiver, a Panasonic CD player, a Pioneer double cassette deck, and a Pioneer PL-12D turntable. The turntable for LPs was purchased at a time when I worked for an electronics retailer/wholesaler. The company was a Pioneer dealer. I remember building a display to demonstrate the Pioneer components to potential customers. At that time I purchased the turntable for my own use. It was stored for over 30 years (who plays LPs anymore). I was about to dispose of it. My daughter knew of a Louisville business that refurbishes such old equipment. It now looks good-as-new and sounds great.
Blues music has played a important part in my life, off and on. Last night I listened to a CD, a Blues sampler of artists associated with Alligator Records in Chicago. This song by Shemeka Copeland caught my attention. The song uses imagery and the terminology of the Christian heritage. The nature of one’s world is formed by past experience, long ingrained habits. Who does not find it very very difficult to cease behaviors that cause harm to ourselves and to others? Copeland’s lyrics speak of the need for a purification, for a fresh start, to become an unstained person, to wash away one’s sin. The problem is not just that one mistake, but a pattern of behavior that’s tenacious, debilitating.
I no longer use those terms in my day to day conversation. “Sin” almost never comes to mind anymore. But I am reminded that psychologically, existentially the point endures, and this is where the battle is fought. This Blues lyric is a piece of truth-telling. I also think that as a people, there has never been a time when truth telling was more important than it is now.
Listen and enjoy: Whole Lotta Water. The lyrics are unavailable on the net, but you will be able to sufficiently understand Copeland’s robust clear voice.
