I believe that medicine’s potential is much more than the version we see in the world today. A doctor should be an educator with the goal of bringing patients to a place of deeper understanding of who they are in the world. To me, medicine is ultimately about self-empowerment through self-knowledge and growth.
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Not much to report today.
Not much going on in the world these days. I can’t think of anything really.
Just another day on God’s green earth.
A baby will be born. A young couple will fall in love. People will gather at the bedside of a dear friend as she passes away.
A dog will hug a cat.
Nature cycles. The leaves fall. The daylight fades. Cold air presses in.
The world’s collective heart beats on.
A closer look reveals…
COVID cases are rising. Our strategy feels arbitrary. Our science seems feeble. It’s like we are on a raft arguing over which life vest is better as the ship is sinking.
There is unrest in the streets. Confusion is purposefully doled out. Politics appear void of civility. How is this not impossibly off the rails?
Oh yeah, and…
The polar caps are melting. And don’t forget that Artificial intelligence is exponentially advancing and is quickly redefining our society.
There is something to do. What if this isn’t off the rails? I believe that we are exactly in the place where we are supposed to be. I believe that there is order if you take a broader perspective.
Humanity, look to find your rightful place.
How can we overcome our greatest obstacle- our own confusion, which sows doubt and despair?
What is the standpoint from which we, as a whole, can best face these challenges and imbue the Earth with Goodness?
1) Make no mistake about it, that is the point: Goodness.
2) This is done and must be done in the face of challenges.
It’s not meant to be done under easy conditions. Only resistance can strengthen us. Ask your muscles. You can handle it. It belongs.
3) And it doesn’t matter how we imbue the Earth with goodness. There are grand ways and subtle ways. It can be done by heroically caring for the world’s refugees, for example, but can also be done by simply appreciating something beautiful out your window or by speaking kindly to yourself. Just commit to it.
4) Support may be hard to sense at times, but it is here. It’s stronger than ever.
Don’t doubt that.
5) The right concepts matter. They can fortify you. Questioning and Openness are the path. Self-reliance is the key.
So what’s with Winter and this novel, respiratory virus? A few things to Review…
It’s a virus that has never been seen by a population. They cause pandemics because nobody at the beginning has protection.
Often novel viruses don’t vary seasonally. This appears to be the case with COVID-19. It seems oblivious to ambient temperatures.
For Boston’s peak, temps were in the 40s., 70s for Italy, 90s for Houston.
But the dry air that comes with winter is an important factor!
All 10 respiratory pandemics of the past 250 years had a second wave six months after the first, but in only three of those cases did it come during winter. The dry air for the second wave is an intensifier. The 1918 flu’s second wave was in winter, as were 3 of the aforementioned 10 pandemics.
As the cold air comes to the Northeast, the air is drier, both outside and inside. Dry air can make the infection rate worse via:
A database compiled by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of about 1,500 so-called superspreader events — where a single infected person ends up infecting several other people at about the same time, in the same place — indicates that only three took place outdoors.
Humidification is just not practical. It’s not possible to keep up. It gets so, so dry.
So air circulation is key, but it’s best done right. There are several documented cases of fans or air conditioners pushing contaminated air toward people who were then infected. Moreover, the coronavirus can easily survive the ride through the heating and air-conditioning systems found in most homes. Air exchange with the outside is key. Open windows when a guest is around, at least.
Air filters can help — a portable Hepa filter is helpful. And if your HVAC outfit is asking, a MERV 12 or 13 filter is what you want.
Masks can’t bear the load and need to be combined with proper air exchange.
Your best bet is simply not spending time in confined spaces with people who might be infectious — which is to say, pretty much anyone outside your own household.
Sorry to break it to you.
It feels nice to remember that, first and foremost, you are not a Democrat. You are not a Republican. You are not an Independent. You are not even an American. First and foremost, you are a Human Being.
You may live in America and you may like the policies of a certain political party, but you are a human and we have an imbedded contract in our spiritual DNA to watch out for each other.
Understanding other viewpoints is good work.
And so is creating a world where we can not only tolerate one other but also love one other.
Fight hard for the world you know we need.
Stay Warm
