Post # 520 A LITTLE LEMONADE

At the outset of this writing, we would entirely disclaim any and all aphoristic belief that some good comes of every bad experience, that every cloud has a silver lining, or, that if one is given lemons, he can always make lemonade. Some experiences are, in and of themselves, entirely and intrinsically bad, and there is no useful ore to extract from the evil sludge. Rationalizations, to a limited and ephemeral extent, can be a helpful diversion, yet they are seldom useful or realistic. We would aspire to be neither pessimists, nor orthodox optimists, and would prefer to be styled as “realists,” an inclination which appears to be more rational and useful.

The Covid-19 pandemic is, in essence, entirely pernicious and dreadful, with absolutely no redeeming value; it is the catastrophic cause of untold numbers of infected and dying human beings, universal panic and substantial injury to society, financially and socially. The ease of its infection, through human contact, has called for “distancing” of members of society from each other, by actual quarantine, or otherwise. The empirical consequence of this mandatory precaution, has been an abrupt halt to societally existential, interpersonal interaction, an extreme downturn of business, employment and the American economy, the closing of vitally important institutions, such as schools and libraries, and an ominous overcrowding of hospitals. Rarely permissible human interaction, is instructively conducted, with a protective mask, followed, by thorough hand washing, preferably, with antiseptic soap.

The functioning of American society thus has been severely hobbled, resulting in a world of fantasy-like pantomime, with little sound and less joy or personal fulfillment. America seems to be silently sitting, in a medical waiting room, awaiting Dr. Fauci’s advice, as to when one can safely, resume our normal lives (and studiously repudiating, the bizarre medical advice of our inept and ignorant President, and his intimidated, sycophants).

Without detracting, from our sincere, initial disclaimer of belief in the uselessness and irrational conception, that every bad situation has a silver lining, is in the long run, “for the best” or, has an ultimate aspect of good in it, we would posit a few positive observations, which have been brought about in the defensive response to, but certainly not implicit in, the pernicious experience. For illustrative clarity, regarding our distinction, we would pose, by analogy, the development of air raid shelters, built in existential response to enemy bombing, during WWII, as opposed to being the war’s positive result. This is radically distinguishable from, and unlike, the sickening, smarmy advice, concerning, lemonade from lemons.

• In defensive response to the infectious properties of Covid-19, many workers have been obliged to develop skills in the virtual performance of their duties. This recently enhanced skill, may result in material benefits in the realm of employment. The working aged or the disabled, may find their services less challenging and facilitated, without the need for mandatory, arduous commutation to work.
• The true value of natural interpersonal interaction, has been recognized and emphasized, by the necessary distancing and computer virtual experiences. This quality of life, was becoming insufficiently appreciated, by the substitution of electronic, impersonal communication in place of natural, personal conversation.
• The demonstrated, absence of necessity to commute to, and perform services at the workplace, affords more opportunity to electively, to spend more time with family, and explore and develop, lifetime interests, and self- advancement.
• The Trump administration’s program to tactically evade deserved criticism and warranted criminal prosecution, by denigrating the accuracy of the responsible media, especially, in their revelation of his ineptitude and miscreant actions. Trump and his agents, engaged a tactical program to demean truth, itself, (and the daily revelations of the Nation’s reliable newspapers and media), defensively dismissing such factual accounts, as “fake news” and false reporting. Such adamant claims of “fake news” initially, extended to reports of the outbreak of the Corona virus, (the impact of which was greatly exacerbated by such flagrant denials). The all too publically evident and undeniable impact, of the dread viral disease, the hundreds of thousands of people, infected and deceased, put the lie to his programmed denigration of truthful facts and responsible journalism.
• On a broader, metaphysical scale, we see that this calamitous experience has furnished to us, a unique break from our usual life of overwork and overconsumption, and time for personal reflection and objective perception, of the possibility of the simplification of our lives, as contrasted with, its frenetic pace, before Covid19.
• Is it unrealistic to hope that the Nations of the World, presently united in a common war, against a mutual enemy, (the presenting pandemic virus) will evolve other grounds for cooperation and commonality? We can only dream.

* Will this publically demonstrated, accuracy of scientific fact, encourage some reductionist deniers, to recognize the reliability of uniform scientific determinations of man-made, global warming?

-p.