WORST IS YET TO COME, OR THE CURE
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Worse case scenario – and fearing the worst-case scenario – have you heard that, or been thinking that, lately?
In so many countries the mishandling of the first wave makes the thought of a second wave scary – and here, where things seem well managed, and cases/deaths are low compared to so many other places on the planet, it’s quite unsettling, and we may not have gotten to the hard parts yet …
Worst case scenario – these words have always, in my experience, been used most often in a theoretical sense – when we measure a plan that includes best-case scenario; it could be a weekend trip, date night, or a dish we’ve not cooked before.
In those instances, the best-case scenario might be an ear-to-ear grin, while the worst-case scenario might be “well, that didn’t work out, let’s order pizza,” when the object of the conversation is to demonstrate you’ve discussed the best v. worst possibilities.
Every day we redefine this, our best-case scenario is to survive unscathed.
Worst would not be ‘to be on a ventilator and dying’ but rather that of dying because you needed a ventilator, and there were none available. We seem to have dodged that bullet in Alberta, but Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California aren’t looking any kind of good right now.
I am alone.
Safe, well, alive.
I am not sleeping consistently – which is no surprise because nothing about any day feels consistent with harmony, energy, and joy.
This will not pass without getting worse first – we all know that, fear that. Not just in some far off city with spiking numbers, but everywhere we are or might go.
Whatever precautions we haven’t taken are ones we should be mindful of now – there is no better way to survive than staying smart and abreast of all information.
I yearn for those days recently where environmental issues, party politics, and peaceful protests competed for space on the front page.
Worst case: it kills us all
Worst scenario: it scares us all to death first
Best case: someone finds a cure, makes 7.5 billion doses of vaccine and we all get one
Best scenario: vaccine drops, like the Salk polio vaccine, are administered with drops into a sugar cube – a great vaccine delivery system
Advice: stock up on sugar cubes
Best investment advice: buy stock in companies that make sugar cubes
Or, if nobody discovers an effective vaccine, we can go back to hoarding paper products …
P.S.: for Musing readers in Canada – one our readers in Washington state has some timeshares in Whistler she cannot cross the border to use, so below-market prices are available. If interested, send me a note, and I will connect you. The dates/places are: Week 1 is July 26-August 2 at the Powder's Edge, a two bedroom, two bath condo with an in room hot tub right in the heart of the main Whistler Village; Week 2 is August 2-9 and is just down the road 1/2 mile with a view of the mountain from a full patio. Also a two bedroom unit with a community pool and hot tub.
Reader feedback:
I think empathy can be extremely helpful in understanding where others are coming from; understanding their motives and understanding that I am not in their shoes. I've told the kids that it's good to understand why someone is behaving the way they are behaving, but that doesn't mean they have to put up with it. It's good to understand that bullies are often hurting themselves; that hurt people hurt people, but that doesn't mean they have to take any of the abuse. Empathy also helps us see beyond our own experience - I don't have first-hand experience with a lot of things, but I can learn and try to put myself in someone else's position. And understanding why someone is behaving in a certain way also helps me not take things personally - most of the time, it's not about me at all. xoxox, CJ, Fort Saskatchewan, AB
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