BEWARE THE VIRUS YOU THINK YOU KNOW
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020
They say (whoever they are) the first casualty of every war is truth.
History proves the severity and importance of things held-back, swept under proverbial rugs, and obfuscated with mathematical precision wrapped in Hollywood-style hype.
Subject du jour?
China, in real-time, telling the world the current spin on how much they knew and when they knew it – and giving evidence daily that the shut-down of large areas/populations from interacting with people outside the virus ‘ground zero’ area in Wuhan is containing the truth from the rest of the world. (to say nothing of officials in Ottawa who drag their feet getting Canadians airlifted home – finally, they say they will but will quarantine them upon arrival; my government has moved shamefully slow).
The virus, though experts give broad parameters in their predictions, is that it will be contained better and faster than the SARS epidemic.
Truth, on the other hand, has been shut down, caught, and killed.
In the future, will we wait for governments to tell us the truth, or will technology tell us everything before any politician can issue a press release?
I know that begs the question of whether the media as we know it will survive itself – or be eradicated by a faster algorithm?
If we had an ABSOLUTE TRUTH app to check:
- Would we test it?
- Would we trust it?
Truth is a relative concept for many people – and if you doubt that, have a look at your relatives. OK, maybe not your relatives, but everyone else’s relatives. Serious or funny, in geo-politics or closer to home, truth is often painfully awkward to discern, interpret, or guess. Imagine, for a moment, what it feels like to live in Wuhan right now and how trusting you would be of your officials telling you truth?
Or not?
I read they have fired a bunch of officials for their offenses of slowness-to-disclose.
I doubt truth will suddenly flourish where it has been absent.
Meanwhile, we become more conscious of the viruses we live with all the time – colds, common flu, measles, mumps, rubella, herpes, cold sores, chickenpox, and shingles; and more acutely aware of anything which causes us to shudder each time we hear coronavirus, ebola, hanta, smallpox, polio, rabies. Viruses are everywhere, they always have been. We aren’t as ignorant of them as we used to be – though it seems governments are way behind the curve in recognizing the consequences of inaction…
Reader feedback:
Hi Mark. The debate over whether or not we are motivated by pain or pleasure, negatives or positives, has been raging since philosophers first sat at opposite ends of a log to rationalize the meaning and purpose of existence. Good vs Evil. Light and dark, political left vs right. Rich or poor. Reality or Illusion. As for fear, just like anything else it can be good or bad. Irrational fear is bad because it prevents us from living, pushing the envelope of our comfort zone. Rational fears on the other had are good because they keep provide perspective and help us make better, safer choices. The most graphic example of this I recall from personal experience stems from my time working in a printing shop. One item of equipment terrified me above all others; the paper guillotine. I’ll tell you one thing though. That fear made me very diligent about following the proper safety procedures! I can still count on ten fingers, DM, Okotoks, AB from Mexico
|
|
|
