I Needed This Today

Another curious human behaviour: Just by chance, I posted every day for over a week last May rather than my typical range of anywhere from one to twelve posts in a month. Then I wondered how long I could keep it going. And now I'm at a point that I make an effort not to miss a day, for no other reason that to see if I can. More frequent posting has had almost zero effect on the number of readers and commenters, but there is so much going on that it's pretty easy to have something to say every day. I have about 20 tabs open to articles or threads that I want to think about more. I often write before I get out of bed in the morning to get all the online detritus off my chest before starting my day, then spend a bit of time looking for some useful or entertaining images to add while I drink my tea. Image curating sometimes takes longer than writing, taking me down so many rabbit holes!

I got a late start today, so here's a nice thread amid the horror show of the news and social media. It's from biorisk consultant Conor Browne:

"I think almost everyone who is still taking active steps to avoid being infected or re-infected with SARS-CoV-2 is tired at this point; I know I am. Having said that, late last night it occurred to me, with considerable clarity, that every single person I have had the pleasure of meeting through this platform [Twitter], every single person still trying to avoid Covid, form, as a group, the most compassionate and resilient set of people I have ever met in my life. These shared qualities are not a coincidence. 

The great conceptual mistake that the individuals and organisations who attack our stance (ranging from individual written or verbal abuse, all the way to the enactment of structural policies at national levels designed to make avoiding infection more difficult) is this: we don't take precautions to avoid infection just to protect ourselves, but also to protect everyone else. 

The science is very clear at this point: It is unquestionably a wise decision to avoid infection. It speaks volumes about the world in which we now live that something so obvious has to be stated. 

I will end with this: all of you are doing the right thing, from the standpoints of health, ethics, and, quite frankly, common sense. You are all outstanding human beings, and, I assure you, you will not regret your ongoing decisions."

Bless you all for continuing to protect others and yourselves, leading the charge with caring and compassion.