BY GABE IVANOSESEI
I am going to use a straight forward approach in this article and say that “Viral Menace” can describe in a very accurate way, the inner state that I had during most of the pandemic because I realized, that it’s not just the virus that we should be scared of, but the contemporary society as well because during the quarantine when I had more time for myself and afterwards I came to the conclusion that most people nowadays, don’t appreciate those around them at their true value and they don’t know to enjoy the simple things in life.
At least from my point of view the contemporary society works, or better said it’s based on a set of wrong principles, because people tend to prioritize material things like money, expensive clothes, cars and they seem to be more preoccupied by their social status. They seem to forget that they should focus more on their spiritual side and on finding inner peace and real happiness, instead of cultivating an artificial one and trying to hide behind a mask and pretending that everything is good in their lives.
Writers and artists in general tend to tell people the truth through their works, even if they don’t want to hear it and I think that it is precisely what they are meant to do and I also think that our society can change its course towards the better, for the future generations with the help of art.
To prove this I am going to use my own personal example because during the quarantine I discovered that I like to write and I found out from my own experience that writing although it is a laborious process, can bring you a lot of satisfactions and can bring you closer to the inner peace and can increase your spiritual and psychological strength that we all need, especially during this difficult time.
I also want to mention that I am from Romania and in order to improve my writing skills, I began to read a lot of American literature and I discovered a wide range of authors like Ernest Hemingway, Jack Kerouac, Truman Capote, William S. Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson. After I’ve read “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” I was impressed by the fact that Hunter could combine his journalistic abilities with his personal experiences in such a way, that he was able to create a unique universe impossible to replicate and which can be recognized among the other great American writers and why not?
Among the other great writers of the universal literature, what I want to say is that you can recognize a work by Hunter S. Thompson, like you can recognize a painting by Raphael or Jean-Michel Basquiat. I can’t think of a better example than my own when I say that art be it music, literature, painting can improve a man’s life and can help that man find the joy to live during a difficult period like the one we are living right now all over the world.
And dear Anita, I don’t know if my article will be among the selected ones, but I wanted to share my story with you and I hope that you will find my article enjoyable and that it will make your day a little bit better.
With respect and consideration, Ivanosesei Gabriel
Editor’s note: Dear Gabriel. Thank you for your personalized note in your story (if it was meant to be in the story, since you write with an interesting personal perspective — I’ve been reading through the articles as the former managing editor uploaded them for me to read, so that I may read them, edit, then click “publish” for this online edition. Your riff is lovely and it did indeed make my day better. You & your fellow guest authors have made some difficult months enjoyable, and inspiring. Thank you so much Gabriel.
