I keep thinking about Albert Camus' description of being stuck in a plague -- the boredom, the hopelessness, the feeling of being perpetually stalled out:

I've been thinking a lot about plagues for this video, and its just very surreal to be trapped between two seemingly endless fevers: an actual a plague and the brown plague of fascism. What a time to be trying to search for meaning in the world.

The short answer is: if nothing matters, wouldn't you like to spend your one, fragile life rebelling against the universe's cruelty? And what better rebellion is there than taking care of other humans? Fighting for a world that's just a little bit less sick.

This, from the last page of "The Plague," haunts me every day.

We do not get to choose whether we survive or conquer life's plagues. We only get to choose whether we fight them -- whether we cling to our humanity by trying to be healers, even if we know it isn't enough.

In conclusion: wear your mask, even if it seems like nobody else is doing it. Resist cruelty, even if it seems like the whole world is becoming cruel. Our ability to choose decency -- even in the face of hopelessness -- is what makes us human.