These are unprecedented days. Nothing like this has come before in my memory. The science fiction writers have imagined stories of circumstances that massively threatened the survival of humanity, stories of microbes. Remember War of the Worlds by Orson Wells? As a kid I remember sneaking an illicit reading of the story from a…
I shared my thoughts about the inspiring scale, the dispassionate ineluctable “thusness” of Nature as observed/felt in the mighty advance of a river over a dam as it flows to the sea, and the life-form of a virus. Upon reading the post a friend inquired if I could put my point in a more…
The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole, men are more good than bad; that, however, isn’t the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is this that we call…
Tuesday. The weather grows a few degrees warmer by the day. What if I ride the bicycle north, on the path alongside the river toward Geneva? The drive to Geneva takes about 10 minutes, so that will be an easy bike ride. I’ve used the Schwinn bike more since the imposed seclusion to the…
Sunday, Sunday, so good to me… Ok, I know those are not the lyrics of the song by the Mamas and the Papas. It is supposed to be Monday, Monday, etc. I exercised license to substitute Sunday for the purposes of my reflection, my need to look back in order to compose a narrative…
Life goes on, life is, must be lived, on the cusp of catastrophe, in the midst of chaos, and also, in the aftermath of the storm. There is always work to be done, and moments of joy to be savored. I spent the better part of my day yesterday out of doors. A substantial…
Saturday breaks sunny, cool and not unusual for March. The number of deaths due to covid-19 begin to increase dramatically. The Mayor of New York made a public appeal for medical supplies, stating that the hospitals would run out of needed supplies in early April. As usual the promises of test-kits, just ordered, to…
How long is this going to last? Here in Illinois we continue to practice the advisory social distancing. There is no order to remain at home as is the case in San Francisco, or the deployment of the National Guard as in New Rochelle, New York. We Americans are quite slow to recognize that…
Perhaps I ought to select a unique title for what will be or has been written today. Though, the order of the day, and for many days ahead will be “social distancing.” The days ahead will entail a large helping of boredom. That means avoiding contact, as close of 6 feet with others. Remaining…
When a war breaks out, people say: “It’s too stupid; it can’t last long.” But though a war may well be “too stupid,” that doesn’t prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves. In this respect…
