Reality and Delusion in A.D. 2020

August 15, 2020 By Deana Chadwell

I’ve been indulging in a little fantasy these last few days. Here’s what I’m imagining: Picture a virus invading the country, so we shut down borders, but since we don’t really know right away what the virus is likely to do, we realize that we can’t yet know what to do about it. So, the health department makes suggestions about maintaining a healthy immune system, about sanitation -- hand-washing, sterilizing public surfaces, avoiding large gatherings. And we wait. We watch children’s health, and take extra care with the elderly because historically we know those populations are vulnerable. We use whatever medications we have reason to believe will work. And we wait. Just wait. As we learn more -- like the fact that children are not susceptible -- we act on the new information without any political concerns.

In my fantasy I picture us as Americans, and therefore more resilient and inventive than the average bear, going about our business, taking some extra care, but bravely resisting hysteria and carrying on. Now, my fantasy includes a media that just keeps us posted, but doesn’t work at scaring us. In my scenario everyone still has his job, schools stay open, and we only quarantine those who are actually ill. ............To Read More.......