To paraphrase the late and astoundingly amazing scientist and philosopher Steven Toulmin in the epic series "A Glorious Accident", "The British were horrible at anthropology because they were always going, ' Well, why aren't these backwards people more like US."
We are now at over 181,000 deaths for the virus with the colder months very much on the horizon. Here in New Jersey, gyms are opening to allow a 25% capacity, which means business as usual, as the floor space is normally massive and they are never remotely within the legal limit in normal times. Sure, it may LOOK crowded, but remember that there is space between those exercise machines, those weights, those benches, etc. The limit for a space is factored in to have those within be able to escape within a fire or other event. Having been a musician most of my life, you would be amazed at the math of it all. So, let's just say that it is business as usual for gyms.
Schools are also opening up here in New Jersey and all over the country. It would take a complete fool to not realize that they are literally gambling to save face and show support to ensure state approved money. There is a reason that school is called "SCHOOL" and not "AN OPERATING THEATER". Students are varying degrees of "young" and do not comprehend consequences over the long game. You did it. I did it. We ALL did it. But that is the blessing of youth, you are insane. That is the place where the fire is and how amazing things happen. But also tragedy, as you can't have one without the other. Don't blame me, blame physics.
Students in grade school are not going to keep their masks on. Masks on? Really? have you ever taught a first grade class? A middle school class? I have and I can assure you that even basic hygiene is a stretch. As for college students? If the assumption is that the entirety of college students will wear masks and stay far from each other at all times for an entire semester, then.......................... you have never been to or known a college student nor been in a dorm or college apartment. Basic hygiene is about as common as an albino three legged unicorn. Please, stop deluding yourself. College is and has always has been, for lack of a better term, gross.
In case you were wondering, here is the game being played across the board: Colleges (and every other institution) have tuition that is beyond reprehensible and are having their students back to gamble for as long as they can that it could not be done, then have all classes online. When the virus spreads and people get it, the people in charge an stand up and say, " LOOK! WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST! WE TRIED TO HAVE CLASSES BUT THIS VIRUS HAS MADE US IMPOTENT TO DELIVER WHAT BOTH YOU AND I DEEPLY DESIRE!"...and the classes will resume online, giving the same education as an online university at a deep fraction of the price. No one has the courage to cancel outright because the money at stake is too great. My guess is that by no later than the end of September/early October, all colleges will be online. One infection that leads to a death will cause a lawsuit so great that everyone will cower in fear. Oh, please. because of the death of someone? Oh no, nonononononono...no! Because of the cash they have to pay out and the damage to the reputation.
A few hours ago, we just had the end of the right wing political convention for the upcoming election. The audience was not far apart and no one wore masks. That is all you need to know. THIS is how the United States is divided against the basic biology of a virus. Period.
Blaise Pascal was a French math genius and was in love with gambling. Those two forces united and he learned how to play the odds, perhaps culminating in the now famous "Pascal's W@ager" about faith in God. Life for Pascal was, while deeply rich and intense, was one of a deep love for math and its sister Physics. You do the math and you play the odds and you gamble on the winner.
At present, we only know a fraction of what the present virus is all about. For all of our seemingly astounding ability, we are at the mercy of both common decency and within a faith upon what we perceive as best. That being said, all those aztec tribes who had been able to do math never before comprehended and built structures we still cannot comprehend, worshiped a sun god that they believed would help them, human sacrifice and all. In the end, well, we know what happened to that society, no?
There is a group of people playing the same game right now with this virus. Unlike Pascal, they reject the math. Like the stunningly brilliant Aztecs, they are gambling on the Sun God rather than the math.
Look, we KNOW what the deal is with a virus and people and gathering together and the spread and what it can do. We KNOW that, even if is a decent guess. But people seem to be putting faith in the sun god and not the math. And know that the US is one of the very few to be doing this and showing the epic death count to show for it. The numbers of virus patients is math. The ones who are dead is math. The predictions for the days and months ahead are math.
But we are not numbers. We are flesh and blood with loved ones and hopes and dreams and souls and credit card debt and friends and regrets and joys. Numbers are abstractions. People are NOT, with all due apologies to Rieux from "The Plague". But humanity has become an abstraction with all this. I dare say that the number of deaths from this plague mean nothing anymore. They are numbers, the same symbols used by the Aztecs and Pascal and Touring and Hawking and you at your checking/credit card bill. Those are numbers, representations of a summation of presence, NOT the actual presence.At times like this, we should understand that we are truly no better than the past civilizations as we are literally doing no better at basic logic and compassion.
Both the past and the future have numbers and, within history, the numbers we are presenting shall not have us be deemed enlightened in any way... Think about it.
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