Renaissancemen.org

All – I have been screeching about COVID since the beginning.  I got my preps in order and urged all of my friends and family to stock up.  Most of my anger was geared at the mainstream media putting on replay “the flu kills 30,000 per year, this killed 8”.  Or whatever the number was.

I get where they were coming from.  In recent years, there were scares like ebola that scared the shit out of me.  Their job was to not sensationalize, but bigger picture – all of these news corporations are just that – corporations.  All of them also saw the danger of giving some hard truth and reporting on the real issues, which could have (and eventually did) crash the stock market.

But my screams and hollers were for awareness.  They were to get people on the right path.  I feel now that the messages I heard from my peeps a month ago are now coming to light.  The mainstream media has been 2-4 weeks behind YouTube reporting on this. Specifically, take a look at Peak Prosperity who have been giving amazing updates on this since the end of January.

And now…there’s hope.  Why?

1. Better testing – the more people we can test, the more we can see what the problem is.  There HOPE with this as well could be that this reveals a much lower case fatality rate.  IF that’s the case, and it’s .5 instead of 3.4, this might help more get back to work sooner.
2. Antibodies test – seems like they are trying to test now to see who may have antibodies.  Perhaps this already went through 50% of our population?  Those who have antibodies can get a bracelet or the like and be sent back to work.
3. Masks – the message now seems to be trickling out for everyone to wear masks.  Peak Prosperity brought this up a month ago as a best practice in Hong Kong that has worked.  The mainstream media had reported “masks don’t work” and I saw that message forwarded from healthcare professionals in my networks.  This, however, is not true.  Masks work by preventing those who have it to GIVE it to others, not protect you from GETTING it.  What the MSM was slow to get their arms around was this disease can spread without symptoms.  Simply breathing on people without a mask can spread the disease from a carrier to another host.
4. Delivery – lots of delivery is working in overdrive.  Grocery stores are continuing to re-stock, mostly.
5. Telework – all of those people who “couldn’t telework”, suddenly are.  Amazing.
6. Tele-education.  I wrote articles about this years ago, how I think e-schooling will be the wave of the future.  This nudged it there.
7. Social distancing is a thing now.  I ventured out once in the last 2 weeks for some groceries and everyone was really good with keeping their distance.  Heard one guy cough in an aisle when I was on the end and I didn’t go anywhere near that aisle.  The hell with the ketchup I needed.
8. Leaders are getting organized.  Whether it is Trump or Cuomo, some leaders are stepping up.  Not everyone has all of the answers, but leaders lead.
9. Re-opening.  There is a massive appetite for re-opening – but I feel they want to do it as safely as possible.

That all being said, if you look at the stock market, it looks like the zombie attack of armageddon.  Everyone who followed the stock market knew it was overbought.  I figured a correction was coming down to 22k or so.  Maybe 24k.  I didn’t see it down to 19k, and perhaps it even goes to 15k within a week or two.  That is “under bought”.  I feel right now there’s a lot of fear selling, and this is making a lot of stocks that are very healthy companies cheap for the purchase.

What I also feel is that the “pain” in this country will go through April, and then things will start to re-open.  The HUGE unemployment numbers will shock the hell out of people, but this is temporary.  This is another 4-8 weeks.  In the meantime, a good portion of these people can file unemployment claims and be eligible for stimulus.

What I’d recommend to anyone is try and have 3 months worth of bills sitting around in savings or the like.  People will tell you “I don’t have that kind of money” and then you see them buying $150 shoes, a $1200 cell phone, a $600 TV, and going out to eat 12 times in a month.  I am ****hopeful**** some of this behavior changes.

What I’ve also seen these past few weeks is I’ve worked more with telework because I don’t have the 3 hour commute, but I’ve also been able to walk my dog a few times a day (which she loves) and I’m seeing the entire community out and about walking their dogs and kids.  Now, we don’t get within 20-30 feet of each other, but we are all getting out in the sunshine and seeing the joys in spending time with our loved ones.

Make no mistake – there can be SOME hard times ahead.  Some of you reading this I know may have recently lost a paycheck and there’s some questions as to when you will see one again.

But this is not a 2 year endeavor.  I read the “peak” of this will be mid-April here.  Another report I saw was May 8th.  I just feel that we will be on the other side of this come mid to late May.  With the uses of masks to prevent others from getting this, social distancing, and quite a few people possibly already having this, I do see the light at the end of the tunnel now.

The downside of this is the economy got ripped.  But for how long?  Companies like “wework” have been a dumpster fire and I just read that yesterday they are pulling the rip cord on aid for it.  Companies that have been unhealthy with the books may not return.  With “survival of the fittest”, this may also apply to companies as well.  Companies that can adapt to new times, more quickly, may gain more market share.  Companies that hold on to the “old way” of doing things may be left behind.

Lastly, I read there’s a TON of jobs currently – maybe some who are displaced can get a few weeks/months working in a different job until yours comes back?  Just some sort of hope there.  I also see the aid will be there for people.  One HUGE problem with the Great Depression was that in 1929, we were pegged to the gold standard.  Today, we aren’t pegged to the gold standard, which allows them to print currency to help people, NOW.  The downside of this, down the road, is inflation.

Overall, I am optimistic.  Spend this time with your family.  Find the little joys daily in life.  Be THANKFUL for what you DO have!!