My heart goes out to those with rebellious teen-agers, kids kicking over the traces but now forced to stay home (or soon will be) with family. Do we just let them binge on computer games (the male of the species seems most afflicted) and, if not, how do we best motivate them to aspire to something more productive?
These same rebellious teen-agers are often beautifully polite and considerate when they are at their friend's houses, but that is no longer an option either. Or maybe it could be. Families could swap teen-agers for the duration. It might have interesting outcomes.
Showing posts with label Covid 19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Covid 19. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Monday, March 16, 2020
Behavioral changes in the face of catastrophe
I grew up on a farm in New Zealand. When we went to town my mother always wore a pair of gloves. Summer or winter, always gloves. It was because you 'caught germs in town'.
My mother was born in 1920, in other words, just after the flu pandemic that killed so many. Now in 2020 at the start of the worst pandemic since, I remember my mother and her gloves and wonder how Covid 19 will affect us and future generations, what we will demand of our governments, what sort of behavioral changes will be long lasting.
My mother was born in 1920, in other words, just after the flu pandemic that killed so many. Now in 2020 at the start of the worst pandemic since, I remember my mother and her gloves and wonder how Covid 19 will affect us and future generations, what we will demand of our governments, what sort of behavioral changes will be long lasting.
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| My mother's gloves |
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Coronavirus in Sydney
I've been thinking of setting up a blog to track Coronavirus but things are moving so very quickly that it is hard to keep up. Sydney is suddenly tracking quickly along that exponential curve we are familiar with from Wutan and Italy. Today we have 11 new cases in NSW that are not connected to previously infected people or to overseas travel, so we are definitely in phase 2. A couple of weeks ago I would not have believed I would be socially distancing to the extent I am. Keeping 6 feet from everyone and staying home as much as possible. No more concerts, at least for now. My heart goes out to all the musicians affected (among many others). Now is the time for universal basic income. The next two weeks will be a torrid time but I am hoping we can avoid Italy's fate. There are 10 pages of obituaries in today's Milan newspaper.
Much depends on our government and the problem we have is that our current government has been rewarded for focusing on tribal politics and they now seem incapable of thinking outside the square. Trump does something outlandish and our PM Morrison seems to do the same thing. They are cut from the same cloth, both marketing men with empathy deficit. In addition Morrison is an active member of a penticostal church that is getting ready to welcome the rapture (after they have all made lots of money). It is not very encouraging for the Australian public to have the medical establishment's opinion overruled or derided, although I must say it is refreshing to see the science establishment is at least being consulted.
This virus will show us just how important science actually is and will perhaps give us the opportunity to change our ways, as we will have to do to survive climate change. I had just about given up on the chances of the human race to survive, now I am not so sure. This nasty lesson will hopefully refocus us on what is really important.
Much depends on our government and the problem we have is that our current government has been rewarded for focusing on tribal politics and they now seem incapable of thinking outside the square. Trump does something outlandish and our PM Morrison seems to do the same thing. They are cut from the same cloth, both marketing men with empathy deficit. In addition Morrison is an active member of a penticostal church that is getting ready to welcome the rapture (after they have all made lots of money). It is not very encouraging for the Australian public to have the medical establishment's opinion overruled or derided, although I must say it is refreshing to see the science establishment is at least being consulted.
This virus will show us just how important science actually is and will perhaps give us the opportunity to change our ways, as we will have to do to survive climate change. I had just about given up on the chances of the human race to survive, now I am not so sure. This nasty lesson will hopefully refocus us on what is really important.
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