Who is Jonathan Hadley

THE COLD WAR AND THE FALLOUT

I’ve always leaned toward the glass half empty. You could label me a pessimist and you’d probably be pretty accurate. I was born during the cold war, when the USSR was still in power. Exposed to the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl as a child. Contrary to official reports, particles from that incident circled the globe.

THE SOUND, THE DUST AND THE TERROR

I remember watching 9/11 unfold on TV, and gas stations running out of gas the afternoon that the World Trade Towers fell… I remember the deafening silence the following day when there were no planes in the sky. I made a promise alongside the rest of my country to never forget, and while much of my younger years are locked away behind mental walls I refuse to let down for anyone, this day is a day that I remember.

I remember watching, and waiting to see what the outcome was going to be as Fukushima prefecture was evacuated to due climbing radiation levels, while the rest of Japan tried desperately to recover from the devastating earthquake and find their missing family members amongst the rubble. I remember the people that went in to the reactor buildings in spite of the Geiger counter reading, to try and keep them contained.

THE CONTAGION

I remember buying gloves and a mask the day they announced that this new virus had reached our shores. I remember store shelves being emptied in mass. I remember drawing out my entire bank account in cash because infrastructure was failing. I remember when the gloves ran out and there were no more… I remember sitting in my car, after drawing out my cash from an ATM and touching the keypad, burning my fingers with my lighter because there was no soap.

I remember the lock down and the beautiful moment in Italy when musicians played songs together from the balconies of their apartments, while couples danced on their own balconies across the street. I remember having hope.

THE HUMANITY

I remember the riots, I remember the coverage of cities burning and finally, I remember embracing the apocalypse that had become our reality.

ACTUALIZATION

I am no one important.