What we have Learned

(If you prefer to hear the spoken word, listen here for MP3 audio:)

What we have Learned

Now we are engaged in a great covid war, testing whether this nation, or any nation so conceived and dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great media platform of that war. We have come to protect our institutions—our medical facilities and places of commerce, our recreational spaces and houses of worship, our business enterprises and residences—to assure our citizens of safety in their public paths through these gathering places. Those whose lives have already fallen under the infection of covid shall not have died in vain. Rather, let their untimely demise serve as a warning to us who remain. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Nevertheless, as we approach the end of Phase 1 of our long battle against covid, we find ourselves at a crossroads where some among us would persevere in their advocacy of dire measures to lockdown our mobile inclinations, while others of our citizenry would  demand release from them.

Yet . . .it remains for us the living, surely, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work through which these fallen do testify, by their very absence, of our need to persevere in the battle to defeat Covid-19.
The challenge ahead indicates a full-court press to oppose us— in the fateful minutes of the second half of our struggle against a teeming virus that dribbles feverishly against our most fervid defense.
At this critical moment of our offensive thrust, we find victory in the whizzing of our great  object through the last net of infection.



Thus do we celebrate the 3-pointer which, we hope and pray, shall be celebrated as our game-winner:

~ Six feet Apart—or Six feet Under!

~ Grab the Soap—Don’t be a Dope!

~ No need to Ask—Wear the Mask!

And I lay before thee  the great challenge before us in  such a time as this:
Whether by .gov compulsion, or by personal conviction,  shall we—shall we who are scattered like precious seed in the winds of time —shall we shrink from the dear prospect of adopting—whether voluntarily or by compulsion during these perilous days— these simple habits as a matter of common sense and common courtesy?
Nay, I say, nay, we shall not shrink from the task before us!

Send us your tired, your weary, your socially distanced yearning to be healed, so that healing of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth!

Glass half-Full

COvid Confusion

COVID conveys
Confusion, by intrusion,
Contending against our
Contemporary illusions. This damned
Corona thing prevents people from
Congregating, cuz social distancing
Cockamamie
Constricts us to
Collaborating in
Convoluted ways. So we must let ourselves
Commiserate over the loss of
Conventional
Collaboration. But hey!
Coincidentally, we can
Conclude:
Connecting online
Can take the place of the old face-to-face
Conversing like we used to do before this
Cockamamie commotion
Came along, to
Collide with our former
Conductions of
Community-oriented
Cooperation. But this
Collapse of our real
Convening capabilities
Compels us to somehow find new solutions to old
Conundrums. I know this seems a little
Convoluted, but maybe we
Could please try a little harder to
Coordinate our
Collective tactics for the
Continuation of life under these
Confounded
Conflummucks! these
Constrictive
Conditions! Dam! hey we’ll just have to
Conjure up some
Confidence in our public health officials who
Could contrive some strategy and
Concoct some solutions, hopefully better than
Chloroquine, cuz too much of this
Cockamamie
Cwuarantine
Confinement gets them
Contrarian
Confederates all
Conflagrated and
Coiled up like friggin'
Cobras with a
Conniption fit, like, like
Contending, like:

Could we please get this
Cockamamie Covid Contusion
Concluded?! like the
Ckid in the
Car-seat who
Cried out about
COVID Conclusion:
Are we there yet?
but hey I say
Nolo Contendera with
CDC's strategy of
COvid agendera. Just please
Conclude. You
Copy that? If not,
Elude!

Glass half-Full

Ironic: Unity requires Separation

This is the great irony of our present pandemic situation: Unity of purpose compels us to stay apart.
How you appreciate that unity of mission is probably related to your social identity.
The old argument about progressive vs. conservative congeals now around our present controversy over individual movement vs. lockdown.

What this writer has noticed is:
Progressive citizens seem to be enthralled by the newfound collective purpose of defeating Covid.
Conservatives generally want to do whatever is necessary, but they emphasize individual responsibility, preferring  to minimize official restrictions on public behavior. 
In public space, we find that collective obedience gets confronted with rugged individualism.
The respective advocates of each strategy ought to honor each other’s choice as compliantly as possible. Be a team player!

In the months ahead, we shall see how this all plays out.
The speed of Covid-spread seems to be directly proportional to these two factors:
~ Density of people
~ Travel 
 The disease spreads rapidly in large cities where millions of people are perpetually coming and going somewhere.
The disease spreads farther afield whenever any infected person travels from one place  to any other place.
Urban populations should be required, appropriately, to minimize their movements as mandated by official restrictions.



In small town and rural populations, responsible citizens should make themselves informed of guidelines issued by local officials.
As for those citizens who who have reason to travel between areas of high and low population density—your safest--and more responsible behavior-- would require you to retain the standards of whichever travel destination has the more restrictive standards.

In other buzz:
Progressives say Trump’s antics are evidence of creeping Authoritarianism.
Conservatives say lockdowns and social distancing are creeping Socialism.
This Moderate recommends, regarding whomever you may encounter:
Be respectful.
Act responsibly.
Keep your distance.
Protect children.
Love your husband.
Love your wife.
Call your mother.
+ a Word of advice for all you unattached citizens:  this is probably a good time to cease random hook-ups.

Glass half-Full