The Year of the Mask

When I was a kid, I liked to watch Zorro, the version of the Disney series. Originally, this fictional character was created by the writer Johnston McCulley in 1919. They say that the story of Zorro was inspired in Joaquín Murrieta, a Mexican miner who suffered terrible injustices in his native California, becoming an avenging murderer. Joaquín Murrieta's misfortune occurs after Mexico loses the war against the United States in 1847 and hundreds of thousands of North American gold diggers enter the region and with impunity steal, rape and murder locals, including Murrieta's wife.

It is understandable that McCulley did not want to position his North American countrymen as the bad guys in his own story and thus the story of Zorro, as a work of fiction, takes place in the same place, but in the previous period, where the domination was Spanish. This is an example of how the perception of facts has always been manipulated.

However, Disney's Zorro has several elements that have always attracted my attention: Colonial America; the symbiosis of Hispanic and indigenous cultures; the romantic settings of the haciendas and cities of Spanish influence; the mysterious character and man of action, who intelligently fights against political oppression and injustice; the unbeatable swordsman and skilled fighter; the excellent rider attuned to his black horse named “Tornado”. In addition, Zorro exerted a great attraction on the ladies, whom he treated gallantly and from time to time he stole a kiss from them.

The lyrics of the series' theme song were etched in my mind (in Spanish): 

Out of the night,

When the full moon is bright,

Comes the horseman known as Zorro.

This bold renegade

Carves a "Z" with his blade,

A "Z" that stands for Zorro.

Zorro, Zorro, the fox so cunning and free,

Zorro, Zorro, who makes the sign of the Z.

He is polite,

But the wicked take flight

When they catch the sight of Zorro.

He’s friend of the weak,

And the poor and the meek,

This very unique señor Zorro.

Zorro, Zorro, the fox so cunning and free,

Zorro, Zorro, who makes the sign of the Z.

Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro, Zorro.

Who would have thought that 63 years later, the use of the mask would once again become a symbol of fight, this time against an invisible enemy called SARS-CoV-2, which for simplicity I will continue to call COVD-19, which is the name of the disease it can cause. The mask, however, now covers the mouth and nose and its meaning is no longer so heroic.

Reflecting on Zorro and the current situation of COVID19, I once again recognize the values that are essential for me:

• Freedom, both of expression and circulation

• Integrity, coherence between ideas, decisions, what is said and done

• Creativity, to develop innovative solutions and inspire criticism and reflection

• Learning as the basis for growth and transformation

• Balance, exercising acceptance, hearing different ideas, points of view and cultures

The series contained all these values and Zorro's mission was to liberate California from the oppression of the Spanish crown. The love for his childhood’s land and people gave Don Diego de la Vega, son of an established Creole family of landowners, the courage to become the legend of “el Zorro”. I emphasize again, that after doing some research on Californian history, I realized that in reality there was little of this liberating romanticism. The population of California went from Spanish oppression to the chaos of Mexican independence. This only lasted 27 years, until North America took control after they won the war. California went from being a rancher and agricultural economy to that of mining exploitation. With the gold rush, there was a massive immigration and conditions for the natives worsened again.

Reflecting on the liberation struggles in different places, I wonder if we citizens of the Western world are really free? Seeing how we live today; I make the hypothesis that we are still subjugated. No longer to the Spanish monarchy, which after centuries has clearly reached the end of its power and moral prestige, just like the British one. But yes, to an interwoven network of beliefs and habits that we have acquired or rather, that we have been inoculated. Like the "bat virus", our oppressive enemy is invisible and works subliminally. Their main weapons are fear, dependence, and distraction.

Fear

The classic dictatorships openly instill fear, cut out the tongues of those who speak out against the regime, torture those who collaborate with the rebels and poison opposition leaders with “Novichok”. In our democratic countries, fear is cultivated opportunistically and indirectly: hurricanes, terrorists, economic crises, the IRS, common criminality, sharks, asteroids, radical political tendencies, chronic diseases, Anthrax, bird flu, swine flu (H1N1) and as the last hit: the "pandemic" of the Coronavirus. Any excuse is good to keep us people scared.

Since the Twin Tower attacks on September 11, 2001, COVID-19 in 2020 has been the biggest cause of terror in the world. In recent history, there hasn’t been a combination of letters and numbers that has paralyzed the entire world with fear simultaneously and for as long as this “China virus”. I will not question its dangerousness. For that, I invite you to come to your own conclusions after reading the opinions of the most critical scientists, analyzing the numbers of deaths by the population universe in each age segment and compare it to the previous year period.

Likewise, it is important not to ignore the percentage of "false positives" in the tests that are being used to measure the "degree of infection". It also doesn't really matter if the virus is natural or was created in a lab, because the effect on generation of fear is the same. What we can see is that, in this situation of collective paranoia, it is very easy for the authorities to implement control measures and restrict citizens' freedom even more. 

Obviously, all these emergency actions and regulations are "in favor of public health and the safety of the most vulnerable." This makes them functionally and ethically legitimate and thus only few dare to question them. The virus is highly contagious, much more dangerous for those over 65, but not deadly enough to have to completely isolate ourselves. In addition, it is said that it comes from China and supposedly there is still no vaccine. These characteristics make it the perfect enemy. The same as the 9/11 terrorists and the Latin drug lords, with whom we have been in war on terror and drugs for decades but have not been able yet to eliminate them. It is no accident that our "enemies" are always "immortal." This way, they can make the most out of them in cultivating the terror.

Another dimension of this first weapon is the fear of rejection. This is the most subtle and powerful, since it is infused to the one who does not conform to the collective agreement, to the supposed common reality, to the opinion and beliefs of the majority. People who do not faithfully follow the general trend, are disqualified, categorized and canceled. The simple fact of not wearing a mask can already be reason enough to marginalize, insult and even attack a person who is still a citizen, with its rights to free expression and movement. The mass media does its part by acting as a catalyst and amplifying feelings of fear.

The consequences of this fear of COVID-19 is that people turn to the authorities to find a guide on how to act. The politicians, opportunistic by nature, take advantage of the situation, increase and consolidate their power and take money from where there never was to “protect and help” the submissive masses. If you add up the money spend on the war on drugs, war on terror, the bail out after the financial crisis and now the COVID-19 stimulus, you reach the sum of the current US national debt of roughly 20 trillion $.

Dependence

After fear, dependency is the second weapon that mows down our freedom. We went from dependence on our parents, to dependence on society, companies and the state. We are dependent on norms, what people think, and our own limiting beliefs. In addition to the psychological dependencies, there are those of a physiological nature. A hungry person does not think. It is a saying that explains the essence of this principle. If people are barely covering their basic needs, they have no ability to focus on other things than working to bring bread to the table.

Over the last 70 years, the purchasing power of most people in the US has dropped dramatically. At the same time, the needs have been inflated by the advertising machinery inciting to overconsumption. Even the way we eat has been changed. The "food" industry has filled us with sugars and refined flours, making us dependent on them and causing us to consume more and more calories. On the other hand, there is a never-ending stream of new diets and the growing obsession with work-outs in order to lose weight again. It's a vicious cycle of dependencies - crazy!

For those of us who have a life of comfort and security, it is more difficult to get rid of attachments and dependencies. Although we can see the opportunity, we do not want to take the step for fear of losing what we have achieved. We depend on our comfort and the tiny security, which is totally relative and therefore fictitious. The book ‘La Vaca” by Dr. Camilo Cruz describes this concept with an excellent analogy. We have to kill the cow to free ourselves from the "security" it provides and go out and seek new opportunities for growth. The book “Who Moved my Cheese” uses a different analogy for the same idea.

Distraction

To forget that we are not free, to satisfy our desire for adventure or to escape the cruel and fearful reality, distraction comes into play, the third freedom-crushing weapon. The entertainment industry offers countless safe possibilities to fill our free time with banalities and prevent us from fighting for our freedom and development. I only name the top 5 of this decade:

1. Sports competitions

2. TV series

3. Video games

4. Social media

5. The insignificant news

In the past, you went to the movie theater once a month, because there weren't as many new movies to see. Nowadays, the production of series and movies is of such magnitude that one could spend a lifetime glued to a screen immersed in other people's stories. It is the same with the younger generations who seek to satisfy their needs for action and adventure through video games. These completely kill the imagination and creativity of our children.

Much more efficient than television, the algorithms of Facebook and Google / Youtube mouth-feed us one piece after the other of what we like the most so that we do not stop consuming the content in hours and hours of sedentary lifestyle. It is no longer necessary to interact in person with family or friends, because recognition and social interaction can be obtained with the 'likes' and comments on Instagram. Although these new media can be of great informational value, they are also used to transmit content sequences that program and influence us in a subliminal way and continue to develop our consumption habits.

Furthermore, they represent a control platform that influences our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. I recommend that you watch the documentary: "The Social Dilemma".

The three weapons or factors: fear, dependence and entertainment work together. A person with fear, hunger and distraction does not think clearly and only reacts instinctively to the impulses it receives. Even if we manage to defeat one of the factors, there will be two more to subjugate us. With COVID-19, the three weapons have been combined in an overwhelming way. Fear of such magnitude has been generated that borders, companies, restaurants, bars have been closed worldwide and we have been isolated at home for more than half a year, with very little or no resistance.

This situation has become moderately bearable, because the entertainment machinery was already prepared and loaded with enough ammunition to face the global paralysis (The Matrix style). In addition, the media has taken advantage and continues bombarding us with manipulated news and statistics (fake news) on the increasing number of infections and deaths to keep us confined.

As for dependency, we are only looking at the beginning, the tip of the iceberg. Behind the curtain of fear and distraction, the true purpose is being worked on, the economy as we know it, is being dismembered and its “reset” being prepared. It is almost too late to react, and it is not a topic that I am going to further develop in this post. In any case, we must bear in mind that, in the new scheme, they will try to have us even more dependent and controlled. I do not know if they will continue to use the same tools, through money or rather the debt and / or handouts of the state as to date. For sure they will soon try to force us to get vaccinated and only then allow us to leave our homes again. This way our well-being will depend on the "health" system, and, returning to my analogy, we will have been marked as with the "Z" of the Zorro.

It is a fact that the masks we are using do not provide absolute protection against any virus, although it probably reduces the speed of infection. That is what is intended, because the undeniable nature of a virus is that it tends to rapidly spread until it reaches the whole population. The crisis must last long enough, so that the behind-the-scenes moves can be executed without us noticing.

On the other hand, its use also confirms obedience, and not using it, points to those who do not follow the official guidelines, in other words, it serves as a patch, like the star that Jews had to wear in Nazi Germany. Anyone who does not wear the mask is inconsiderate, irresponsible and a hazard to public health. In some cases, the mask-less witch-hunt has escalated to such an extent that even groups have been arrested and fines issued. In short, we now also depend on a mask, possibly made-in-China, to be able to move freely. What a coincidence, it seems that the Chinese communist party is the winner so far. They are back to school, reopened their economy and at the same time extended and perfected their people-monitoring and control systems of  facial recognition.

Let's go back to the Zorro story that puts me in a better mood. While he is a rebel with a mask, now the rebel is the one who does not put it on. The government wants to unmask him and sentence him for rebellion and crimes against the crown. But the Zorro does not give up, because his principles of freedom and integrity are solid, and he has absolute certainty that he will achieve his purpose of freeing his people from tyrants. Like Zorro, it is important that we be clear about our values and base our decisions and actions on them.

We are inside a grinding machine that squeezes us little by little, taking the juice out of life. We can only get out of its funnel if we make a conscious effort. The effort has to be twofold: On the one hand, elimination, in which we have to get rid of fear, the desire for immediate gratification that the entertainment and certain dependencies and habits give us. On the other hand, make the effort to continue growing daily, looking for our life purpose and independence.

As well as Zorro, who, at the time of seeing so much injustice in his native California, decided to stop being the noble and wealthy Don Diego de la Vega and at night to become the swordsman with the black cape and mask. Exiting the comfort zone requires great courage and can make your life an authentic adventure. It will connect you spiritually with the community in a common mission of creation and freedom.

I identify with the mission of helping people to free themselves from what is holding them back, to be successful in the earthly world and at the same time live a spiritual life. I want to contribute to finding points of view that balance ideas and open people's eyes in the sense that there are several realities and despite this, we can all live and be happy together. One of my tools is this Blog through which in almost all my writings I provoke and invite to reflect, question and at the same time keep an open mind and seek balance.

Depending on the way we use it, the mask can be a symbol of different meanings: of hiding the true identity, of covert struggle, of a mysterious being, as in the case of Zorro. Or used as a cover for the mouth and nose, a symbol of protection, prevention, but also of obedience, silence, retraction, subjugation like the muzzle of a dog.

In my opinion, it is definitely an interesting phenomenon to see to what extent authorities can keep us conditioned and controlled without the use of force. This is how 2020 will remain as the year of the pandemic, of the Coronavirus, of COVID-19. Unfortunately for hundreds of thousands, the year of tragedy in which they lost a family member without being able to accompany them on their deathbed, or for millions who lost their source of income, the year of seeking a new professional opportunity. For the majority and the most fortunate, it will remain as the year of the mask, the confinement, the quarantine, the restriction and the obligation to follow sanitary instructions. 

Hopefully we get something good out of this crisis. In the best of cases, it could generate a prolonged effect of raising consciousness, questioning, fighting for freedom and simultaneously solidarity, consideration for others, protection of the environment, to keep ourselves healthy in body and mind, of order and cleanliness and why not, of voluntary use of the mask as it has always has been in Japan, to reduce the possibility of infecting others when one is really sick.