Here’s something I was pretty sure I’d not be doing again.
Blogging.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
At the request of some of my loyal readers, I am here to bring calm and hope in this time of terror, confident that it will be read, because you have literally nothing better to do.
So, what shall I write about?
COVID-19: origins, spread, safety tips?
NO!! My God, have you not gotten enough of this shit from every single media outlet available?
Instead, today I will talk about how to survive being sequestered with your family without getting cabin fever, leading to you becoming like Jack Nicholson in “The Shining”.
(If you have not seen it, do so. You are literally the only one who hasn’t.)
Now, what authorizes me to speak on this topic?
Well, I am sequestered with my wife, daughter and 3 and 5 year old granddaughters.
Possibly for months.
I am seriously debating volunteering to help out the medical teams in the hope of getting sequestered. Maybe in a cave somewhere.
NO, JUST KIDDING!! I couldn’t be happier.
Besides, I’m a radiation oncologist. You’d be better off with a boy scout with a first aid merit badge.
OK, so let’s address the issues that currently plague us (Ha Ha!):
DISEASE:
Now, this may come as a shock to many of you, but mankind has faced many plagues over the ages. The most famous one is the infamous “Black Plague” in 1348-1351.
About one fourth of the European population died. Yet, in the end the continent (and humankind) survived.
Corona virus is bad, but it’s just not that bad (yet, as far as we know), however, it is the novelty of this disease and speed of spread that is giving everyone fits.
In the end, this will burn itself out.
More importantly, the hope is that humankind will learn something about the nature of our world, where we can no longer think of any disease outbreak as “localized”.
For better or worse, we are a global community. One member gets sick, we all can get sick.
We can never again assume that we are “immune” to the world’s “ills”. (Wow, two puns in a row!)
So what are we dealing with as a result of this disease?
Isolation
Beyond any shadow of a doubt, this “shelter at home” is something we have never had to deal with before.
Never have we had to literally shut down our society to this degree.
Never have we been so confined to quarters. (With the obvious exception of when you were sent to your room for saying, “Shut up!” to your mother. You know who you are.)
What we have ironically learned is that with all of our media devices that incessantly “keep us connected”, we really are not connected without the presence of other people.
Even work, which we bitch about night and day, is suddenly missed.
The fact is, we need each other.
To Much “Together Time”
The diametric opposite of isolation is forced captivity. While we all love our family (and in all seriousness, I do) we suddenly realize how much we miss our “Me” time.
The disruption of our little daily routines (store, gym, etc.) is more disturbing than most of us would have thought, especially when it goes on and on, seemingly without end.
Many of us are like rats in an overcrowded cage, ready to kill one another for a little more breathing room.
(My family is really going to love this.)
Let’s hope that when we are able to resume our activities, we learn to appreciate how much we really took for granted.
Information Overload
We have too much access to too much information. Worse yet, both accurate, valuable information and total bullshit are treated equally today.
And most of us don’t know the difference. Worse, some of us don’t want to know.
What this causes is a constant sense of dread and worry. At the very least, a vague sense of unease.
If you sneeze, you have corona virus. Someone coughs, they have corona virus. Everyday things become death knells.
We worry about family and friends we cannot be with, because the news tells us they could all be dead soon.
This is a time where limiting yourself to one VALID source of information should be enough.
I recommend the CDC website as one of the best.
Hoarding
Given that we live in one of the richest nations on earth, the strange need to hoard everyday products like toilet paper baffles me, especially for a disease that doesn’t cause any GI issues.
I am willing to bet that the vast majority of us already possessed more than we needed, at least for several weeks at a time.
However, this is a great example of “mob” mentality, where suddenly some commodity becomes more valuable than gold.
Who would have ever thought that if they were asked, “What would be the first thing you would stockpile at the end of the world?”, the answer would be, “toilet paper”.
Really? Do you plan to eat it? Weave it into clothes? What the hell is wrong with people?
I’ll tell you what’s wrong.
People are idiots. And people in mobs are even bigger idiots.
What we should all learn is to use your brain, don’t succumb to artificially created panic.
Which brings me to my last topic:
Resolution
As I said at the very beginning, this too will pass. Economies will recover, people will go back to work and back to their daily routines.
We will once again be free to go out to eat and socialize as we desire.
Let us not forget this time, however.
Keep in mind what we missed:
Each other. (But, not too much of each other.)
Let us appreciate what we have. (And not try to get as much of it as we can.)
Kindness and patience. (Which is often sorely lacking.)
And finally, in the face of all the misinformation out there-Stay Skeptical!
I will try to update this post, now that I truly have the time.
Please like and share and stay safe.
Comment below, I’d love to read your thoughts.
Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
1 comment