March 30, 2020

Pandemic Prognostications

Life has always been a maze of unknowns, but from now on we will quit pretending that we have it all figured out, and admit that this is a much needed global humbling event.

“Disasters are an opportunity for the worst of humanity. And the best.”
- A. G. Riddle 



What happens when what we used to think of life as usual comes to a creaking halt? Where do we turn when what we think we know turns out to be wrong, or at least outdated?

We won't have to guess about questions like these, because all around us, day by painful day, we are finding out.

Looking a little farther down the line, here are are some of my thoughts on how this all might shake out. 


My Pandemic Prognostications


- introverts will have a better survival rate than extroverts (our culture selects for extroverts, but nature is selecting for introverts right now)

- anti-education, anti-specialist, anti-science proponents and areas will not fare well (see New York, the current COVID 10 epicentre, and Florida, where vectors are packing themselves on to beaches).

- people who have been living simply will prove to be better prepared to deal with this global forced simplification, which may turn out to be permanent.

- North Americans will abandon the handshake (I've never liked it, preferring a nod from a safe distance) after seeing that cultures with no-contact greetings/goodbyes have lower infection rates. 

- people will stop believing that our system is benign and beneficial to all when citizens are left to die by a structure that is incapable at protecting them at best, and is fanning the flames of a Darwinian dystopia at the worst.

- areas/cultures that celebrate individualism and "liberty" will have higher infection/death rates over those that recognize the value of balancing personal freedoms with responsibilities toward the needs of the collective.

- our dirty system is going to be exposed in all its decomposing glory, but some will still want to plant their gardens there.

- we will be forced to do away with useless things like cruise ships, flying for no reason other than one is bored or wants bragging rights with one's friends, personal vehicles, and any business that produces anything other than necessities.

- those who didn't realize it before, will come to see that billionaires, sports stars, and celebrities are expendable in this new world, while grocery check out clerks, front line health care workers, and regular working folks are the real heroes worthy of our worship and money.

- many will start to question the value of work, and the value of everything, then decide that staying at home and just living isn't as bad as they were told it would be.

- a decade from now people will still be trying to figure out where the virus originated, if bats were involved, and if it was really a bioweapon unleashed by the dark forces of the greedy elite.

- America's "China bad" propaganda will backfire, just like its Russiagate fiasco did.

- the simplification that the planet desperately needs will be hastened by this event, and we will see that simple is better


No one knows how this will end. No one. Anyone that says they do know is lying.

While it is interesting to watch and take a few wild guesses, like I have here, we will just have to wait and see. I don't know about you, but I am taking this one, one crazy day at a time.

Here is hoping that you and yours are fairing well, and even thriving, whatever that means in today's new world.

Love, peace, and good health to you all.

Now I am waving to you. And nodding, bowing, and giving you the Namaste hand gesture. 

Virtual hugs, too. 

But not the real kind. 





13 comments:

  1. Anonymous3/30/2020

    Hi,

    Watching this from the UK has raised some interesting points.
    -Our populist government is embracing post truth and Michael Gove was yesterday starting to shift the blame for poor UK preparation to China.
    -Strange belief in experts and science is the dominant discourse. Epidemiology is not an exact science. There is NO certain scientific method for dealing with Covid-19, there is a best guess based on scientific discourse.
    -Modelling has not been questioned and really is just a educated guess that most people could probably do without any experience. Naseem Talib gives a good explanation why the government response is pseudo-science:
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/25/uk-coronavirus-policy-scientific-dominic-cummings
    -Thinking systemically has not been addressed, we are in the third historic wave of new diseases due to animal agriculture:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_ppXSABYLY

    Peace,
    Alex

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lots of conflicting messages out there. Time will tell which are most accurate. Prevention is best. We should do whatever it takes to reduce the chances of further pandemics.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3/30/2020

      Below are some of the post truth stories I have come across so far:

      - Trump re-framing corona as the Chinese Virus, using military language invoking foreign invasion.
      - Chinese propaganda outlets creating stories around a "mysterious pneumonia" circulating in Italy at the end of last year, this has led to verbal abuse against foreigners in China. Chinese propaganda is trying to shift the blame and is for domestic consumption.
      -Myanmar has no cases due to the peoples natural immunity, Myanmar government.
      -UK Government shifting blame for not being prepared to China for not giving clear information. This will fuel racism in the UK.
      - UK report into the NHS not being adequately prepared never published.
      - Governments are using a myth of science where there is no consensus.
      - McDonalds is giving free food to NHS workers, heart disease is the biggest killer worldwide.

      You can always rely on post-truth in a emergency. At least Andrew Cuomo seems to care about people in New York.

      Peace,
      Alex

      Delete
    3. A "wartime president". Ha! That would be funny if they weren't shamelessly milking this event for fun and profit. Every crook and hustler is scurrying to gather acorns before the rotted tree falls down. Post-truth. Post-right and wrong. Post-giving a shit about each other.

      Why wouldn't we spend trillions of dollars to prop up this wonderful thing we have created. "It's for everyone's good".

      Resistance is essential.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4/05/2020

      He's so incompetent and he doesn't have a clue:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8icFsfJe0

      Why not make a deal with the virus.

      Peace,
      Alex

      Delete
  2. Great post! As an introvert and minimalist, I am having zero problem with home confinement and social distancing. My greatest hope is that everyone I know and love stays healthy through this pandemic and that a treatment is found soon. Stay safe and well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. While things could change at any moment, our lives have changed very little. We are set up to enjoy our home and local area, and have everything we need. We were already stocking up as we adjusted to life without a car. Perfect timing.

      Whether having to stay home is a tortuous punishment or opportunity is largely a state of mind. I have had to make adjustments to my own expectations as I transitioned to a full time "stay at home" caregiver. Lucky for us, we like being home.

      Stay well, and thank you for your post that mentioned the digestive issues associated with the virus. Like you, I also had a bout of tummy trouble, so the link was good to know.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous3/30/2020

    Gregg and Linda, I think of you every day and hope that you are safe and well - you are certainly living the lifestyle that gives you the best odds. I have loved seeing pictures of clear skies in China and the ozone layer repairing itself. I've always thought that if we wipe ourselves out with our own stupidity, nature will recover quickly. We are seeing this here after the bush fires - new life shooting forth everywhere.

    When I'm in my garden digging and planting for winter as I was this morning, it feels as though the whole terrible mess just doesn't exist. I'm encouraging everyone to plant a food garden, even a small one. It will make you feel better, and it will mean less trips to the store and exposure to infection down the track. And you will feel just that little bit more resilient, and less dependent on the industrial food system.

    Namaste and blessing to all. Take care,

    Madeleine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Planting for winter" is not something most Canadians are familiar with. We are safe and well, waiting for weather warm enough to work some soil. We would like to get going as soon as possible. I imagine there will be many new gardens started this year. You can't go wrong advocating for more home gardens. Wonderful.

      Mother Earth is healing. Nature breathes a sigh of relief. Imagine if we were as resilient as nature. We can be.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous3/30/2020

    Many salient points you've made. I'm of the same mind, also. I hope that this pandemic can prove to be a wake-up call and a stepping stone for humanity to move down a much needed compassionate, conscious, respectful path into the future. No more can we allow things to continue status-quo. I hope that this can begin to start knocking down the house of cards we rest upon, and that we can rebuild a solid structure on a stable foundation. But, who knows how it will play out. The paradoxical adage that "change is the only constant", will always be woven into the fabric of life. I guess all we can do is ride the waves as they come.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Things have been changing in the right direction for a long time, but painfully slowly. We need large, wholesale changes in the way we live, and we need them now. It is very possible to do this if we treat each other with loving kindness, and go forward together.

      "We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words." ― Ursula K. Le Guin

      Don't curse the waves - ride them! Make them!

      We can do this, even from home. We must resist in all ways possible.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous3/31/2020

    Thank you for the post. I personally am keeping away from main-stream news as it really does create anxiety for me. Prefer to focus on what I am grateful for:

    1) Thank you for mentioning grocery store clerks in your post. I would add I am grateful for all those stocking the shelves and doing their best to keep the stores clean.
    2) I am grateful for the people who are keeping our electrical grid up and running.
    3) I am grateful for the people keeping our internet up and running so one can keep in touch with friends and family, as well as watch a good documentary or read a book online.
    4) I am grateful for the "normal" operations that are still going on in my neighborhood like the weekly garbage/recycling pick up.
    5) I am grateful for the teenager in the house down the block who put up hand-lettered signs that say "You are not alone" and "We are all in this together"
    6) I am grateful for my sisters who are good seamstresses who are making fabric face masks (based on CDC instructions) that they are giving to local caregivers and retirement homes.
    7) I am grateful for my incredibly patient and even-keeled boyfriend who keeps me grounded.
    8) I am grateful for the truckers who are continuing to move goods - be that food, medical supplies, and more.
    9) I am grateful for the mail service still running right on time - one other sister of mine needed money in this tough time and I was able to mail it to her safely and quickly.
    10) Last but in no way least I am grateful for you all out there in this community. Thank you for being there.

    -- Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, that is a beautiful last that Linda and I enjoyed very much. Thank you for sharing it here.

      Delete

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