Being Productive During This Pandemic

Written by Manuel A. Carmona


​​   These are scary and uncertain times we're living in these days, but it's nothing new; we should've been ready for it by now. I'm not saying we should've known how to handle a virus that we didn't even knew existed, much less that it had the capacity to cripple society like it has; I meant that we've dealt with enough tragedies in our lifetime to have learned our lesson and always be prepared. Obviously, by the chaos we're seeing from people fighting each other over toilet paper, people partying during Spring Break while being warned there's a virus swallowing the entire Planet and there's no cure in sight or people camping outside of supermarkets to buy everything they can get their hands on without even realizing most of that stuff will go bad in a week; we've learned nothing from our previous mistakes.

   In my household we live under a certain... code that we follow religiously: Love God, Love One Another and Love Our Neighbors. I however, taught the wife MY personal Mantra, one I've lived by since I was very young: Hope for the best but ALWAYS prepare for the worst. Because I live by that Mantra we're always one step ahead of bad situations. We have means to store food, medicine, cleaning products, weapons, B.O.Bs (Bug Out Bags), maps, alternative routes; etc. So when this whole craziness of people going to stores desperate trying to buy the last roll of toilet paper began, we sat at our house thinking to ourselves how clueless some of these people are, how unprepared and/or unaware some people live their lives and it's sad but I guess we're witnessing Darwinism at it's finest... some people have learned from their mistakes and evolved while others are flocking supermarkets under a contagious pandemic trying to buy cases of toilet paper and Lysol. 

   So, since we were prepared from the start, I've taken advantage of this quarantine to work on a few projects I've been putting off because of lack of time. It's been a stressful time for everyone I'm sure, especially those in high risk areas but me personally; I've tried to not be overwhelmed with the situation and used this time to stay productive and creative. I've been busy finishing a short story I did for last year's 12 Hour Comics Day tentatively  titled Spaceboy 2020, which will be part of the upcoming Truthful Comics Presents relaunch later this year. 

   I've also seen many of my colleagues doing the same, trying to stay positive and focusing on their projects although I know it's been extremely hard for some of them due to all the event cancellations because of this Pandemic; since they make a big chunk of money at these conventions. So, if you know any creators who've ​mentioned on social media that their upcoming events have been cancelled be a blessing to them by supporting them, buy one of their books, t-shirts, prints or anything else they produce; we all need to help each other out during this difficult times. Stay safe, stay indoors as much as possible and stay informed; we'll get through this together. As always... keep it Truthful!

​-MC

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