Covid Series: The World Needs More Strong Local Communities

Guest Writers: Baer and the Lady Gainesville, Florida

This outbreak has been refreshing. It has made me appreciate people more, the earth more, our food more, our home, our art.

This is the most connected I’ve felt to my community in my life.

Right now people care about the things that really matter…people in need, local businesses, artists, food, creativity, wellness, relaxing, going outside, and slowing down. It has been shocking to see this. 

We are quarantined at the Lil’ Nugget House, which sits next to a state forest full of eagles, hawks, and owls; and a short walk from the swampy alligator filled Lake Pithlachocco.

The wooden paneling walls and floors common in a 1950s home, creating a dark cabin-esque vibe. Although it’s tiny, we somehow have our family (wife/wife/puppy dog) and a roommate + dog sharing the space without trouble. The large yard helps.  

Our mental health is better than usual actually. We get to do all the things we normally don’t have time for. The stresses of losing half our income do weigh at times, but honestly we’re used to losing income randomly. We feel grateful.

Our living room is a working music studio. The only difference in our daily lives is that we are musicians, and all our gigs have been cancelled.  It’s not all daisies and roses, reality is hitting harder. 

How long will our meager savings last? When will we be able to play shows again? Will we stay healthy? Will our loved ones stay safe? Will our society change? Will people wake up? The weight of these questions are heavy…but all we can do is what we can today.

We think the world needs more STRONG LOCAL COMMUNITIES. In many places, there is no reason that people should be going hungry, have nowhere to live, a living wage. The problem is that most of our money, our hard work escapes our communities and ends up trapped in the pockets of the rich. 

The next time the economy collapses (and it will); you will not have as many worries if you have a strong local community around you.  We have power in our dollar, in our work, in our words, in our vote.

The same social pressure that is keeping you at home, socially distant…that social pressure would keep you from Walmart, Amazon, the list goes on and on. It would send you to the farmers market, a show, therapy, your passion, a non-profit organization, to the polls, your city commission, and the adoption agency. If we want the next generations to live a better life than us; then we must shift our values as a society. 

We need to heal our society. We need to change what we are doing.

It may be too late…or is it?

Baer and the Lady created this video to further share their experience of the coronavirus’s implications.

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