Hello reader,

I hope you are well in these rather interesting times. Today is the 125th day of 2023, and has it been a flurry so far! The World Health Organisation (WHO) have declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, but it is still a global health threat. Over in the United Kingdom, the world’s oldest apprentice is probably shouting at his valet to ensure that his hair is ‘just so’ as he prepares to ascend the throne of the United Kingdom as King Charles III, whilst in the United (ha!) States of America, they seem determined to ensure that their mass shooting count exceeds the days of the year – for what it’s worth, according to The Gun Violence Archive (2023), there have been 192 mass shootings and 20 mass murders so far this year.

Say what you will, but I can’t help but think that marketing and publicity text books should be written by the NRA – how an organisation that is so obviously reviled by many across the world, still manages to have their fingers wrapped around the throat of power. Their effectiveness in brainwashing the public with their “very vague interpretation” of the 2nd Amendment has enabled them to be the force behind most policy making in the States, as well as being the reason behind the idiotic gun flex photos we keep seeing after another mass shooting calls for better regulation.

As an Australian who remembers Port Arthur, it is beyond comprehension why a country would not take steps to ensure that guns do not fall into the wrong hands. We are not a gun free country – it is still possible to possess a gun here, but you need to pass very stringent tests and checks before you are issued with a licence. In addition, the majority of the population don’t see the need for one either.

The greatest example of a government who is really looking out for the needs of their population in a singular act, is the government of Serbia, whom after two mass shootings, in a week, have taken decisive action to reduce the amount of guns in their country by 90% by introducing stricter regulations around ownership, and also enacting a one-month amnesty to surrender weapons without reprisal. The New York Times has a fantastic article about Serbia’s gun laws and how it will be changing, and I think it really should prompt America to take a good long hard look at itself, even if we know that that won’t happen.

Thoughts go out to all the families affected by gun violence around the world this year, but unless people really start fighting back, either by voting in officials who won’t / don’t take political donations from gun lobbyists or through other grassroots methods, people will continue to be murdered. For anyone playing along, in 2022, America experienced 646 mass shootings and 36 mass murders (Gun Violence Archive, 2023) which on mass shootings alone averaged 1.769 a day. 2023 is currently rating in at 1.536, so it is trending in the direction the NRA and the GOP want it to head. I suppose that’s why the overturning of Roe v. Wade was such an important point for Republicans – without it, there may be less targets to shoot at.

Yes, that last point is horrific, but a reasonable, sane person cannot just look at the what the GOP is pushing, especially in places like Florida and Kansas, and believe that that is policy anyone wants in a democracy. Autocratic and fascist states, maybe, but not a society where everyone is valued and treated like a human being.

One really important issue here, is that we can no longer sit down and discuss issues like reasonable human beings, particularly in the States. The left vs right diatribe, of which I’m pretty sure the likes of the Murdoch’s have allegedly been responsible for, have crippled any sense or bi-partisanship and also the ability to work for the people. An old video resurfaced on YouTube the other day among my suggested videos, and it was a town hall session held by then Republican Presidential candidate, the last John McCain, and he was fielding racist questions along the lines of ‘I don’t trust Obama because he’s an Arab’ etc, and instead of feeding into the name calling and the anti-this-and-that rhetoric, he chose to demonstrate true statesmanship by declaring that his disagreements with Obama were on fundamental issues, and that was why he was campaigning. Unfortunately, from the 2016 administration on wards, we have seen the division widen from a crack to a gulf, and with the echo chambers that is social media, I do not think it is likely we will see that chasm repaired in our lifetime.

However, that’s enough of the darkness – time for the light.

I got my cardiac MRI results back, and I am absolutely stoked to advise that not only was it not myocarditis, but there is no active pericarditis either! I am still yet to see my cardiologist (as the results weren’t ready the day of my appointment), but my GP seems to think the residual chesty pains I have are due to the high levels of inflammation as a result of the initial issue. That being said, there is still a lot of work to do to get me back to ‘normal’ and I’m trying to do it without taking medications, which will be fun. I need to get my CRP (C-reactive protein) reading down below 8 (currently 16) and my ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) below 15 (currently 50). I will be researching an anti-inflammatory diet over the next few days at work and will be trying to instill this into my everyday life. I have considered going back to the Aston-Rx style of eating, but I am also trying to balance my chronic fatigue so I am allowing myself to have fun treats occasionally.

It will be a bit of an uphill battle, but at least now I’m not stressing every time I get a chest pain and think it’s a heart attack. Life is heading in the right direction, and if the job I just interviewed for goes my way, it will help a lot in getting me to where I need to be to make a step towards normality.

Someone might be crowned King today and achieve the job that he has been waiting for all his life; someone might get shot in the States – that’s the light/dark parameter encompassing the world. For me, my light is finally making a positive step towards better health, and my dark… well… it’s the continued anger at how insane the world is. I should probably reign that in and enjoy the light.

Look after each other

Bx