Here we sit- me remembering I even have a blog, and you, well, wherever you are, I'm sure you're in the same boat.
This pandemic is only the fault of one country- a country that has cursed the world with many diseases in the past . It isn't the citizens of that country, it is the oppressive and ruthless government of that country. One day that will change- enough of those millions and millions will stand up. But that will take a while.
I'm a nurse. I have a BS and MS in nursing and had 13 hours toward a doctorate when I wised up and quit that. In college, I had to take a 3 credit hours (that means 3 long hours a week back when semesters were LONG) course in Epidemiology. I had to take 2 semesters of microbiology and labs. As a freshman, I took aseptic technique. That's just to let you know that I have some idea of what I'm saying. I worked in a world class ICU that once closed to be decontaminated because of a serratia outbreak. It was scary and was a lesson- bacteria and viruses really do inhabit your world and will outlive you.
There are plague pits in England where victims were disposed of as quickly as possible. Some churches will not allow the plague areas to be disturbed. We have a natural fear of what we cannot see but can kill us. We don't believe any scientist if we believe there is any chance they could be wrong. And that is both smart and not smart.
Yet, being human, we see people cough into their hands (which every kindergarten kid can tell you is a mistake), sneeze openly, spit on the ground (and that's really gross), put their fingers in their eyes, and refuse to wash their hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or after returning home. Then when we get sick, we blame everyone from the federal government to the air conditioning system. (oh okay, Legionnaire's disease was real).
But here's the real fact- Mother Nature is a bitch. (Before everyone goes crazy, Mother Nature is not a woman, but she is a "she"- just go with it). She does not care for us or for anything else. She will kill the weak, the elderly, the most vulnerable around us, and just for capricious measure, she'll remove some of the most robust young people just to remind us who is in charge here. She will kill what you love most and leave you with nothing.
There is no one to blame. All the masks in the world will not stop a relentless virus where everyone gets to spin the roulette wheel. In the end, we may never see this virus again. Or not. The virus will hide until it has no place left to hide. And then it may vanish. Forever.
In the end, we all have a decision to make. Face the realities of nature and disease, and every day think of how to mitigate their spread, or hide and spread rumors and lies and attack the people who are working to help.
No one is responsible for all of this. Only narcissists blame other people for things that we all are responsible for. The slow decline of hygiene on a personal level, and the disregard for public health that local governments tolerate leads to the inevitable rapid spread of communicable disease. This is why vaccinations are important. Public health laws are important. People are important.
The development of antibiotics, the progress of medical education and medical research, the use of sterilization, combined with the availability of relatively cheap travel, has given us a disregard for the everyday danger that actually exists in the biological world. We exist as host organisms for many things. Some wanted and needed, some not. But all out there ready to invade.
But one thing is for certain, Mother Nature will eventually move this pandemic forward according to the rules that she sets. This is a time to teach yourself and your kids all of the things that will help to keep them somewhat safe in this new world. Because it will happen again.
And our federal government, like it or not, is doing everything they can. This was coming and no one could have stopped it in advance. For one thing, it is definitely a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation if there ever was one. There was only one world leader who could have contained it- and whether or not his motives were nefarious or just demented, he chose to spread it out to the world. That horse has left the barn and will lead to the end of a lot of globalization. We will have to make our own meds, electronics, clothing, machinery, etc., here in our country. Because love it or hate it, we have some control here.
Take this time to learn to live without screens every day. Bring your kids back into the real world and teach them to balance the antiquated checkbook, help fix something or organize a cabinet or two. Teach them some anatomy and physiology at their level. Teach them the difference between viruses and bacteria. Teach them why we wash our hands. Teach them how to cough into their elbows. Teach them how to get out of a bathroom without touching everything. Teach them how to run the washing machine and dryer. Teach them how to read instructions- cook, assemble something, do a puzzle, etc. This is a terrible time, but a golden opportunity to give them a look at the world as the fascinating place it is.
We got in this position one day at a time, and so it will end. Be grateful for the hospitals, medicines, testing, and health professionals because their excellence is a recent development in history. And hang in there. You have this shared historic human experience that should humble the most arrogant of us.
It is what it is- and we can use this experience to make the world better and improve disease management. Or you can choose to be terrorized and fall victim to every story you hear. As usual, it is up to you!
Stay well.
This pandemic is only the fault of one country- a country that has cursed the world with many diseases in the past . It isn't the citizens of that country, it is the oppressive and ruthless government of that country. One day that will change- enough of those millions and millions will stand up. But that will take a while.
I'm a nurse. I have a BS and MS in nursing and had 13 hours toward a doctorate when I wised up and quit that. In college, I had to take a 3 credit hours (that means 3 long hours a week back when semesters were LONG) course in Epidemiology. I had to take 2 semesters of microbiology and labs. As a freshman, I took aseptic technique. That's just to let you know that I have some idea of what I'm saying. I worked in a world class ICU that once closed to be decontaminated because of a serratia outbreak. It was scary and was a lesson- bacteria and viruses really do inhabit your world and will outlive you.
There are plague pits in England where victims were disposed of as quickly as possible. Some churches will not allow the plague areas to be disturbed. We have a natural fear of what we cannot see but can kill us. We don't believe any scientist if we believe there is any chance they could be wrong. And that is both smart and not smart.
Yet, being human, we see people cough into their hands (which every kindergarten kid can tell you is a mistake), sneeze openly, spit on the ground (and that's really gross), put their fingers in their eyes, and refuse to wash their hands thoroughly after using the bathroom or after returning home. Then when we get sick, we blame everyone from the federal government to the air conditioning system. (oh okay, Legionnaire's disease was real).
But here's the real fact- Mother Nature is a bitch. (Before everyone goes crazy, Mother Nature is not a woman, but she is a "she"- just go with it). She does not care for us or for anything else. She will kill the weak, the elderly, the most vulnerable around us, and just for capricious measure, she'll remove some of the most robust young people just to remind us who is in charge here. She will kill what you love most and leave you with nothing.
There is no one to blame. All the masks in the world will not stop a relentless virus where everyone gets to spin the roulette wheel. In the end, we may never see this virus again. Or not. The virus will hide until it has no place left to hide. And then it may vanish. Forever.
In the end, we all have a decision to make. Face the realities of nature and disease, and every day think of how to mitigate their spread, or hide and spread rumors and lies and attack the people who are working to help.
No one is responsible for all of this. Only narcissists blame other people for things that we all are responsible for. The slow decline of hygiene on a personal level, and the disregard for public health that local governments tolerate leads to the inevitable rapid spread of communicable disease. This is why vaccinations are important. Public health laws are important. People are important.
The development of antibiotics, the progress of medical education and medical research, the use of sterilization, combined with the availability of relatively cheap travel, has given us a disregard for the everyday danger that actually exists in the biological world. We exist as host organisms for many things. Some wanted and needed, some not. But all out there ready to invade.
But one thing is for certain, Mother Nature will eventually move this pandemic forward according to the rules that she sets. This is a time to teach yourself and your kids all of the things that will help to keep them somewhat safe in this new world. Because it will happen again.
And our federal government, like it or not, is doing everything they can. This was coming and no one could have stopped it in advance. For one thing, it is definitely a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation if there ever was one. There was only one world leader who could have contained it- and whether or not his motives were nefarious or just demented, he chose to spread it out to the world. That horse has left the barn and will lead to the end of a lot of globalization. We will have to make our own meds, electronics, clothing, machinery, etc., here in our country. Because love it or hate it, we have some control here.
Take this time to learn to live without screens every day. Bring your kids back into the real world and teach them to balance the antiquated checkbook, help fix something or organize a cabinet or two. Teach them some anatomy and physiology at their level. Teach them the difference between viruses and bacteria. Teach them why we wash our hands. Teach them how to cough into their elbows. Teach them how to get out of a bathroom without touching everything. Teach them how to run the washing machine and dryer. Teach them how to read instructions- cook, assemble something, do a puzzle, etc. This is a terrible time, but a golden opportunity to give them a look at the world as the fascinating place it is.
We got in this position one day at a time, and so it will end. Be grateful for the hospitals, medicines, testing, and health professionals because their excellence is a recent development in history. And hang in there. You have this shared historic human experience that should humble the most arrogant of us.
It is what it is- and we can use this experience to make the world better and improve disease management. Or you can choose to be terrorized and fall victim to every story you hear. As usual, it is up to you!
Stay well.
