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Talk about what you think the world will be like after the pandemic is over.
We humans are adaptable. We fight as hard as we can to forget events as soon as they are over. Some of us even deny events that are happening now. What do you expect, in a world where some folks argue the world is not round? When I went to college and grad school, I studied the humanities. But now I work with scientists, and I've come to appreciate all that the scientific approach has brought. So much of our lives has been made possible through science and technology: the food we eat, the buildings and transport systems we enjoy, the internet which keeps us employed and occupied. Scientific research brought us a highly effective Covid-19 vaccine, in an astonishingly short amount of time. After this pandemic crisis is over, the scientists will continue to do research. Hopefully the rest of us non-scientists will gain a finer appreciation for what science has done for us. Respect and fund science!
April 26, 2021
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Imagine you’re talking to a couple of high school students in 2050. They ask, “How did the pandemic change the world as you knew it?” How do you think you would answer?
In some ways, it confirmed my most pessimistic suspicions. People denying the virus, refusing to wear masks, holding parties and rallies in tightly-packed indoor spaces. The kind of madness you expect to see in a twilight-zone type sci-fi film, but try to tell yourself isn't what would really happen. Our local YMCA permanently closed, where we were taking my son to learn to swim. Lots of local businesses had to close. I don't know. I don't feel that I have a good answer for this question right now, because I have a "before" and a "during," but no "after." So much of that "before-time" feels almost frozen in amber to me right now, even though I know the landscape will have changed when it's finally safe to resume life again. Right now I just stay in one place most of the time and don't experience very much of what's happening in the world.
November 18, 2020