Survival Tips from "Finding Nemo"

Remember "Finding Nemo"? The tear jerking and laugh inducing masterpiece made by Disney and Pixar? With the funny blue fish named Dory, who was voiced by Ellen DeGeneres? Remember how nobody wanted to take her seriously, but in the end she gave life saving advice?

In the face of COVID-19, this may seem like haphazard or insensitive advice, but please hear me out.

At the end of "Finding Nemo", Dory and Nemo were both stuck with a school of fish in the net of the fishing boat. I feel like this is a good comparison for how America (and the world at large) is feeling in the midst of COVID-19. We are on the edge of an unprecedented number of people dying, and we're all in this net together. With unfit leaders like Donald Trump and the greedy GOP at the helm of the "trolling" boat (all pun intended), they are willing to sacrifice us if it will help save their economy.

Do you remember how the fish escaped the net? Based on a previous scene in the movie, Nemo was inspired to have the fish work together and push against the trolling boat's net. Nemo and his father went to all the other fish and spread the word they needed to work against the net. Those fish then told other fish, until every fish knew what the plan was. Then they united and pushed as one.

At first it looked like their plan might not work. The trolling boat was pulling them above the water, and both Nemo and Dory were trapped on top of the other fish, suffocating in the air. Despite this, all the fish in the net kept working together, chanting "Keep swimming, keep swimming."

Eventually, the fish's combined efforts worked, and net's rope broke, and all of the fish got to swim away free.

To survive COVID-19, we must follow the example of the fish.

• We must work together and support each other. When one of us feels weak, we will need others to help us out, even if it's just emotional support.
  
• We must spread the word to as many people as we can. What word? Any word for change. We can talk about how the virus works, what unfit leaders are doing to help the virus spread, or even just share our personal stories about how we have been impacted. With unfit leaders and propaganda keeping us misinformed, we must work together for honest communication.
  
• We must all push against the bad advise of unfit leaders. Bad advise and lies are the net we got caught in. If Donald Trump tries to open America before the advise of our epidemiologists, we must continue our social distancing  and keep our businesses closed. Only medical specialists are qualified to let us know when the medical system has the resources to stand against this pandemi. (The fish may have been touching each other, but please remember the importance of social distancing. If you want more information, please refer to the World Health Organization.)
  
• We must save as many lives as we can. In 2020, a human life should not be disregarded because of preexisting conditions or because of their age. We all have something valuable to give society, even our elderly. Our society already made agreements that when you contribute to society, you should be able to enjoy your twilight years, not be sacrificed in the name of the economy.
  
• Unfit leaders must be held accountable for their failings and for every way that they have helped propagate COVID-19. I know Donald Trump is wreaking so much havoc that it can be dizzying to keep up, now more than ever, but Donald Trump has betrayed our country. This nation was founded "by the people, for the people", not "by the economy, for the corporations and wealthy, with the lives of the people."
  
• Our united voices must be heard. Sign petitions, reach out to directly to your elected leaders, and when November comes, support the Democratic blue wave and quash the GOP. We must vote blue no matter who. Democrats in office have been a last line of defense for Americans, making sure that our tax money is used to save our lives, not to support airlines that should be shut down for our safety anyway. If airlines (or any major corporation) really cared about their employees, they would shut down, tap into their vast wealth they accumulated with tax cuts from our government, financially support the employees that helped make them great, and turn to the government to offer their resources to ensure medical supplies and resources are available for people in need.
  
• And the last thing you can do... is "Just Keep Swimming." I know these are difficult times for mental health, and I know that things may seem bleak, and like we are doomed to either death or cold isolation, but there are people who love you. This may be difficult to accept, but we need you. We can't break free without you... If you need to hear somebody's voice don't feel comfortable opening up with somebody you know, you can always contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. There is still hope.
  
  
  

By the way, does anybody remember how Donald Trump spent so much time shortly after being elected just watching Finding Dory on repeat? You would think he would be more compassionate...