New Verbage
All this talk of the "new normal" has me thinking "hogwash". We need to recalibrate time for a bit. I propose these three terms: The Before Times, The In Between Times, and The Next Times. Eventually, there will be an After Times, but we can't see that far into the future just yet.
The Before Times were the status quo of 2019, before all hell broke loose. As we entered the new year, 2020, we entered the In Between Times, where things, all things, took a major shift, lurched startlingly toward some new, unknown horizon. We are 4+ months into that new reality, and the way forward is largely unknown.
So we are stuck. Stuck in a moment of fear of a new threat, stuck in our homes, stuck as far as a safe way out, and, most importantly, stuck looking for a grip on the situation in the big picture. Are we stuck here for evermore, for an unforeseen amount of time against an unknown antagonist, for a fear of each other as the real threat?
For a bottom line, we have no idea where we are, we have no coherent national leadership on the situation, but we each have our own good judgement. We have never before had the opportunity to reflect on how things were, how they are, and how they could be.
Immediately, there is personal safety. Every interaction with the world poses an existential threat. We are taking our very lives in our hands every time we leave our respective homes. But we must - groceries at the very least, work if at all safe. But what is safe? Right now, there is no universal answer. Except for science.
Basically, science says avoid crowds, were a mask, wash your hands. Turn signals are also good, but that's off point.
Science is also saying infection rates are not apocalyptical, but they are bad. Fatalities in certain areas are frightening. It is also saying this thing can be tamed, to some degree, with minor behavioral strategies. The sudden propagation of plexiglass shields in public buildings, convenience stores, fast food joints, is a sad but essential prophylactic.
But when science is applied to messaging in general we are failing on a monumental scale. The Feds say this that and the other, the Governors say another thing. This is the In Between Times, the times of unknowing, the times of a new threat, of groping for a solution.
Solution? We are no where close. Is the threat as great as we think it is? We have no clue, maybe yes, maybe no. Is there a universal solution? Absolutely not. Nowhere close.
Right now, there is so much shit flying around, there is no grounding, no real ability to decipher the news and find a solid tack. We are all left to our own devices to see the day ahead. It's foggy for all.
But, despite the emotional turmoil which has derailed me many times of late, I feel there is hope. There is hope in our scrutinizing how the Before Times led to where we are. There is hope that in our In Between Times, we, as a civilization will figure out a way ahead, new protocols for dealing with the sick are coming up every day.. And, there is hope that the Next Times will recalibrate to accommodate what we have all been through.
What does that mean?
Well, in the Before Times, there was a status quo. Business did business, that and government writ large went on with some sense of hubris and inevitability. The In Between Times have challenged all of that - why? what were the effects? what could we have done differently? These data are now being studied like never before as to how that lead to this.
The In Between Times have proven nothing if not we have no fucking idea what's going on and what the ripple effects will be. Even if this thing is no more fatal than the average flu, it has taken a disproportionate bite out of our economic and social expectation. We ain't where we were, on any level, where we were a few scant months ago.
The In Between Times are a crucible which will determine The Next Times. How we react now will shape decades of human history. Yet, the current situation is very much in flux. Right now, it's basically hold on, we have no idea where this roller coaster is going. The only things we know for sure are the virus is alive in the population, and there will be more spread.
How this period plays out will determine how the next plays out. My hope is we will quickly develop an appreciation for public health, first and foremost. Care for the least among us to care for us all. Seems kind of basic. If anyone is vulnerable, we are all vulnerable.
It will undoubtedly have an impact on the Next Times political atmosphere. We are going into an election with import not seen in a long time, whichever side one lands. Here, I will opine without reservation.
Our current administration has done nothing to promote the safety of the average American. If anything, it has diminished our ability to survive the challenge, as a power, as an economy, as a leader in the free world.
This is not entirely the government's failing. The national media has done little to throttle the threat, it's all more scary, more bad, and accurately, more costly. It's a shiny new threat to humanity, worthy of wall to wall coverage.
Think Ipod, iPhone, new, revolutionary stuff gets media coverage. This is definitely new, revolutionary, and, most importantly, not understood, very much in the unknown category.
Bottom line, these bozos in the government need to be silenced and replaced, I don't care by who.
The general populous, I feel, doesn't have enough grasp of the facts to have a realistic response. I don't think I'm more informed, smarter, whatever, but the sudden devotion to one approach or the other makes no sense yet. We are in the middle of a data vacuum. Nothing is settled, therefore, we don't know what is the right way forward. "The Facts" aren't available.
Each approach, in the spectrum of open everything up to keep it locked down is currently a study in risk analysis. We are at a point of not knowing, so try something. Some of these somethings will turn out well, some not so much. There will be deaths.
Right now, folks are at breaking point. In my locality, we've had tornados to the north and south, Nashville and Chattanooga, subsequent storms, people are freaked out. Getting thru the day has been dealing with Covid, lack of essentials like power, phone, internet, pretty much total devastation for a 21st century operation, and imminently frustrating.
I don't have solutions, only complaints from the looks of it. I'm just wanting a greater show of humanity, a coming together to say enough is enough, let's change the system. Better health care for all. Better empathy for all. Noticing the little magic of good wherever we can.
This is where I see The After Times coming into play. In this fantastical time, I foresee us knowing that we don't know everything, there are unknowns which could take any of us out, put anyone to the mat no matter of social status, wealth, whatever. The realization that we are all equal, the least of us is valuable, will be the ultimate lesson from all this.
Until we reach that realization, we're fucked.
The Before Times were the status quo of 2019, before all hell broke loose. As we entered the new year, 2020, we entered the In Between Times, where things, all things, took a major shift, lurched startlingly toward some new, unknown horizon. We are 4+ months into that new reality, and the way forward is largely unknown.
So we are stuck. Stuck in a moment of fear of a new threat, stuck in our homes, stuck as far as a safe way out, and, most importantly, stuck looking for a grip on the situation in the big picture. Are we stuck here for evermore, for an unforeseen amount of time against an unknown antagonist, for a fear of each other as the real threat?
For a bottom line, we have no idea where we are, we have no coherent national leadership on the situation, but we each have our own good judgement. We have never before had the opportunity to reflect on how things were, how they are, and how they could be.
Immediately, there is personal safety. Every interaction with the world poses an existential threat. We are taking our very lives in our hands every time we leave our respective homes. But we must - groceries at the very least, work if at all safe. But what is safe? Right now, there is no universal answer. Except for science.
Basically, science says avoid crowds, were a mask, wash your hands. Turn signals are also good, but that's off point.
Science is also saying infection rates are not apocalyptical, but they are bad. Fatalities in certain areas are frightening. It is also saying this thing can be tamed, to some degree, with minor behavioral strategies. The sudden propagation of plexiglass shields in public buildings, convenience stores, fast food joints, is a sad but essential prophylactic.
But when science is applied to messaging in general we are failing on a monumental scale. The Feds say this that and the other, the Governors say another thing. This is the In Between Times, the times of unknowing, the times of a new threat, of groping for a solution.
Solution? We are no where close. Is the threat as great as we think it is? We have no clue, maybe yes, maybe no. Is there a universal solution? Absolutely not. Nowhere close.
Right now, there is so much shit flying around, there is no grounding, no real ability to decipher the news and find a solid tack. We are all left to our own devices to see the day ahead. It's foggy for all.
But, despite the emotional turmoil which has derailed me many times of late, I feel there is hope. There is hope in our scrutinizing how the Before Times led to where we are. There is hope that in our In Between Times, we, as a civilization will figure out a way ahead, new protocols for dealing with the sick are coming up every day.. And, there is hope that the Next Times will recalibrate to accommodate what we have all been through.
What does that mean?
Well, in the Before Times, there was a status quo. Business did business, that and government writ large went on with some sense of hubris and inevitability. The In Between Times have challenged all of that - why? what were the effects? what could we have done differently? These data are now being studied like never before as to how that lead to this.
The In Between Times have proven nothing if not we have no fucking idea what's going on and what the ripple effects will be. Even if this thing is no more fatal than the average flu, it has taken a disproportionate bite out of our economic and social expectation. We ain't where we were, on any level, where we were a few scant months ago.
The In Between Times are a crucible which will determine The Next Times. How we react now will shape decades of human history. Yet, the current situation is very much in flux. Right now, it's basically hold on, we have no idea where this roller coaster is going. The only things we know for sure are the virus is alive in the population, and there will be more spread.
How this period plays out will determine how the next plays out. My hope is we will quickly develop an appreciation for public health, first and foremost. Care for the least among us to care for us all. Seems kind of basic. If anyone is vulnerable, we are all vulnerable.
It will undoubtedly have an impact on the Next Times political atmosphere. We are going into an election with import not seen in a long time, whichever side one lands. Here, I will opine without reservation.
Our current administration has done nothing to promote the safety of the average American. If anything, it has diminished our ability to survive the challenge, as a power, as an economy, as a leader in the free world.
This is not entirely the government's failing. The national media has done little to throttle the threat, it's all more scary, more bad, and accurately, more costly. It's a shiny new threat to humanity, worthy of wall to wall coverage.
Think Ipod, iPhone, new, revolutionary stuff gets media coverage. This is definitely new, revolutionary, and, most importantly, not understood, very much in the unknown category.
Bottom line, these bozos in the government need to be silenced and replaced, I don't care by who.
The general populous, I feel, doesn't have enough grasp of the facts to have a realistic response. I don't think I'm more informed, smarter, whatever, but the sudden devotion to one approach or the other makes no sense yet. We are in the middle of a data vacuum. Nothing is settled, therefore, we don't know what is the right way forward. "The Facts" aren't available.
Each approach, in the spectrum of open everything up to keep it locked down is currently a study in risk analysis. We are at a point of not knowing, so try something. Some of these somethings will turn out well, some not so much. There will be deaths.
Right now, folks are at breaking point. In my locality, we've had tornados to the north and south, Nashville and Chattanooga, subsequent storms, people are freaked out. Getting thru the day has been dealing with Covid, lack of essentials like power, phone, internet, pretty much total devastation for a 21st century operation, and imminently frustrating.
I don't have solutions, only complaints from the looks of it. I'm just wanting a greater show of humanity, a coming together to say enough is enough, let's change the system. Better health care for all. Better empathy for all. Noticing the little magic of good wherever we can.
This is where I see The After Times coming into play. In this fantastical time, I foresee us knowing that we don't know everything, there are unknowns which could take any of us out, put anyone to the mat no matter of social status, wealth, whatever. The realization that we are all equal, the least of us is valuable, will be the ultimate lesson from all this.
Until we reach that realization, we're fucked.
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