José Rodríguez
"The Puma"

José Rodriguez is an artist from Maracaibo, Venezuela.

You can find the original video in Spanish on many websites by searching for José Rodríguez Cuarentina

Quarantine

The world changed us.
Life changed us.
Human pride has knelt before a microscopic enemy.
Kisses, hugs, and the simple gesture of holding hands have now been forgotten.
Lessons that make us wake up to how important it was to feel close and demonstrate love.
Yes, we are isolated, but at the same time we are united.
We stop thinking about ourselves, to think about the common good.
Now we look at our grandparents differently, when before maybe we didn't even see them.
Everything that happened has made us understand the essentials of a doctor, a nurse, a self-sacrificing health worker;
the importance of science over economic interests.
We have left behind our sports, concerts, restaurants, cafes, but now we look each other in the eyes at our tables, our rooms, our balconies.
We have reflected not only on basic notions of personal hygiene, but also on the contamination we cause to what surrounds us.
Animals are free, happy, without anything affecting them.
Now we are locked-up human beings who have stolen their space.
All this is possibly not apocalyptic, but it is sobering.
Perhaps humanity needed a shock that would awaken us from the automatic lethargy in which we live.
Where we give prominence to the immediacy of technology over patience for the real.
From this we will go out together, and we will give courage, to that kiss, to that hug, and to that outstretched hand of whoever loves you.
This virus will make us better, because it will make us start everything from scratch.
But for now, and just for now, we will not hold hands, but I am convinced that very soon, together we can get to where we have never gone.
Amen.