You would think that the longer this crisis goes on, the more authoritarian many governments will become. They will use the pandemic as a convenient excuse to apply an iron grip on their populations. If fundamental aspects of the global economy break down or become obsolete, there will be a massive shift in how societies structure themselves and what people do with their lives.
I started feeling gastrointestinal discomfort about 36 hours ago, which is one of the common early symptoms, but typically accompanying respiratory issues, of which I don't have any (even though I've had 2 bouts with pneumonia in the past). So, I'm not going to worry right now.
When I did my shopping on Tuesday I think I reflexively grabbed something that I associate with happy times, a whole turkey! So tonight I'm eating turkey with roasted veggies and gravy. Knocking back some Portuguese red blend.
This is my first real break in over 7 months so I've been sleeping 11 hours a day!
This will be a great time to do a few things like drink less and read more.
Maybe find a good computer game to play or even do some writing.
When I was a kid, a Muslim family from Trinidad lived next door. The kids were roughly my age. They had a swimming pool in their back yard. One summer, their aunt was staying with them. On one day that summer, my father heard screaming coming from their yard. He went over there and found the aunt floating downwards in the pool, dead.
As people settle in to what looks like several weeks of quarantine, remember to check in on the people in your life with mental health challenges. I have a neighbor who lives alone who has PTSD, a 33 year old guy. Already socially isolated. But I have his name on Steam and can contact him that way because all he does is play computer games.
I keep seeing the same people in my dreams, all people from my youth. Why do our early life settings and people dominate our dreams over more recent settings and people?
I've been thinking that this has the look of a (potential) global reconfiguring, and it will likely mean a more diminished UK and US, both having recently cut ourselves loose of Europe.
Germany will be ascendent again and they will begin to flex military power. A Germany-Russia conflict could happen in the next 30 years. If the world hasn't burned down by then.
Italian doctors are letting old people die so they can save younger people. This is what we are in for in the UK and US.
Let's all do our best to look after our elders.