3/30
Greetings Friends!

“Truth and falsehood are arbitrary terms….The force of an idea lies in its inspirational value. It matters very little if it is true or false.”
 
I couldn’t disagree more! This is a quote from an advisor to the President.  Can you believe that?  Well, the year was 1917, and the President was Woodrow Wilson. The Committee on Public Information was hard at work controlling public ideology.  Laws were passed making it illegal to criticize the war. Lying was apparently institutionalized and was an official part of the government’s response to the Flu Pandemic too.  Historians say it was a deadly technique. 15 months and 670,000 deaths in America and no accurate information to aid them.
 
We are better prepared and better equipped, but the death toll from the 2019-2020 pandemic is expected to be on a list with the large pandemics, hopefully down the list a bit.  We have access to decent information, but I hear from so many that it’s hard to know what is good information and what is not. It has felt to me for some time that manipulation in the news industry and politics is rampant. The efforts to confuse are often blatant and deliberate. My first point of emphasis: Lying causes problems. And conversely, Living the Truth is the solution. Connect to truth through taking your thinking processes very seriously. Exercise your thinking. Turn inwards to find the truth (meditation is the only way to know truth for yourself). No need to criticize the liars, just dedicate to truth. Say a prayer honoring the Truth and its protectors, every day. It will help.
 
Yes, if you’re like me this was a tough weekend: seeing the numbers rise and knowing it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I found myself searching for some thoughts to hold on to. The pain of the sick and suffering all over the world is immense. Is there a breakthrough we will find?  Will our quarantining flatten the curve?
 

Understand Your Role

We all have our parts in this thing that’s playing out. I want to be an assistant director here for a moment.  We have a number of minor characters to tend to, including the Worrier, the Restless One, the Frustrated Person, the Hand Washer, the Hoarder.  We have practiced these a fair amount.  Let’s move on to the main characters.

The main role we have to play is the Distancer.  Let’s play this part really well.  Here’s my advice.  Connect strongly with the ideal of why we are isolating and distancing. Let’s make one thing perfectly clear.  We are not in hiding because we fear. Rather, we are practicing strategy.  The suffering and sacrificing of sequestration is a gift for those who become sick and need help.
 
In the current state of the world sheltering in place truly is, in its essence, a selfless act of love.  We flatten the steady rise of new cases by doing this.  We give the nursing homes and prisons a chance. Isolation is our act of loving kindness to one another.
 
It’s rare that Isolation and Distancing get to be involved in a worldwide strategy of compassion.  We are informing them of the Good Side!  Hugs and Kisses know what’s it’s like to be connected with Love. Now Isolation is learning it. I imagine the usual dark and seedy rooms that Isolation and Distancing call home being flooded with light, warmth and music!  We have commandeered them to aid the Good.  Redemption!
 
And when you cross the street as you see me walking your way know that I know you are caring for me and the community.  Feel that from me as well.  Feel the Good in these actions.  Let it compete with the lack of direct contact. 
 
The other main role many of us are going to face in some regard is that of the Sickened. In our full stature as human beings we are courageous.  We don’t back down.  We accept what is offered and go through it, cleanly. We pledge to do our best to weather the disease with dignity, and we know that the way through to resolving the pandemic is having the case load reach a certain percentage of the population. When we as individuals go through the illness the world gets closer to resolving this. I am under the impression that having a positive outlook will be an aid to us. The news reported on a 21 year old with cystic fibrosis and a 102 year old woman being discharged from the hospital after recovering.  Let’s join the ranks of the recovered if we find ourselves on that road and move this thing through!
 

Earth Occurrrences

Did you know that each of the four big flu pandemics of the last 100+ years followed a La Nina occurrence?  Ocean waters cooling off the western coast of South America and the climate changes that go with it preceded all four.  It’s a reminder that the Earth is an organism and points to some big mysteries that we live with. We can only see what we are looking for.  There’s no La Nina phenomenon happening now, but this also isn’t a flu pandemic.  What earth occurrences accompany Coronavirus Pandemics?
 

New Virology

The scrambling to get the full picture with this Pandemic has brought to light some of the emerging thinking about viruses. It has only been in the last ten years that we have begun to appreciate the role of bacteria in the human body and in health and illness.  We have only just begun to understand the extent and importance of our symbiotic relationship with bacteria.  It wasn’t long ago that doctors tried to sterilize their patients’ intestines in certain circumstances in an attempt to help. Gross misunderstanding isn’t good.  Big opportunities come with knowledge.
 
There is starting to be talk of the Virome, which is the name for the population of viruses that live in the human body. Viruses can be found in every organism on the planet, even one-celled organisms. Viruses are considered to be the most abundant biological entity on the planet. They are a fact of life and are ubiquitous. Not all viruses have the capacity to make a person sick. Even virulent ones are part of a rejuvenation process. They carry signals for cell turn over, which is an important step in detoxification. There are likely a lot of other organism to organism communication within a species that occurs via viruses. Humans may also carry “friendly” viruses that help protect against dangerous bacteria. Much to learn here. I hope that stimulates your interest.
The Best way to be in regards to science is to remember that the final product never arrives.  We continually learn and reshape our understanding of everything.

Be Good!  Stay Well!

Dr Cooney