#145.20 - Sunday #66: Excuses, excuses

One of my favorite motivational posters of all time

I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that my house is once again in some state of collapse. Today MA and I were talking about the migrant worker dorms and she said you know they are men, and you what men are like, they don't care about keeping things clean. Tell me about it, I said. (I also said that Muslims tend to also be cleaner then she said look they are so tired when they finish their work and they can't be bothered to clean their own quarters...) It is very complicated and full of stereotypes, I know...) However, this leads me to my house.

If I do not do the laundry, hoover the place, clean the toilet, tell people to pick up after themselves, it never gets done and this week I was in a state of complete despair over the new Geology Main Lesson and also had slightly given up on life. I shouldn't complain I said to Emma yesterday. I should be enjoying the lockdown and just wanting to stay in forever - so you know what, instead of rattling the bars of my invisible cage made by stupidity and ignorance and a misapplication of science, I am going to just fucking ENJOY it from here on in.

Yesterday I heard the most infuriating interview with a spokesperson from the Leeds Council saying that teachers don't want to go back unless the government can guarantee that there is no risk to them catching Covid. SERIOUSLY. Their words not mine. No risk of catching Covid? No one can guarantee that. And what about other diseases and illnesses? What if you caught something else? What then? And then saying if the government delayed the start of school for two weeks from the start of June, i.e. 1 June, then they would cut the risk by half. By 50%. And the interviewer did not question them about this. Did you know that 1% is half of 2% and 0.1% is half of 0.2%? What is this half percent? And do we only come out when the percent is 0% and then do we go back it when it goes to 0.5%? I know I exaggerate, but this is what I mean by poor interviewing.

From now on illness is going to have a very different face. And the worst thing is that good illness is not going to be distinguished from chronic illness. So something like the common cold and the flu which you are supposed to get better from and then feel better and perhaps go through a transformation with, you are going to now be seen as a liability, a deadly health hazard. I am only assuming because I cannot understand where the thoughts of these people are really.

Then illnesses like cancer, like chronic poisoning from polluted places, lung and respiratory diseases instead of being seen as the clear and present danger in our lives, they are going to be seen as the treatable diseases.

All of these illness can be helped by one thing: good basal health which consists of a good immune system, a robust and strong mental and physical body. Good spiritual and community support. All of these can be addressed by a society which enables people to live their best lives so that when it comes our time to go, we can leave in peace so that we feel fulfilled. I mean these are broadstrokes, but you know what I mean. Also all these good things require us to be touch with each other, to be out there engaging with our fellow human beings and forming loving bonds, not regarding each other as sources of potential infection.

This is where the obsession with 'germs' and health and safety have lead us. It has become a complete farce. Something which was meant to protect us is now imprisoning us. For a long time health and safety I found was an excuse to not do anything. Oh my god, you can't do that HEALTH AND SAFETY.  I totally understand, yes health and safety. Yes wear the seat belt, but maybe health and safety also extends to not having particulates in the air which will end up choking you to death. Everything in life is a bit of a risk, that's why we have insurance because we understand that life is full of risk.

I understand i now stand alone. I stand on my own. The brothers and sisters on the Left have deserted me - they have gone oh we are science - when the science is mostly all over the place and the Right are we have had enough of experts when it is specialists who have built much of what we have in the world.

I am here going, I think that the risks are not worse than the ordinary flu season - except for the very old and people who have comorbidities. So those people, please stay home. Give THEM the money. Everyone else start rebuilding something good.

I also wonder about schools - perhaps their refusal to go back has nothing to do with the virus. I know now that when people make up bizarre excuses it is hiding the real reason. Is the real reason that if you are a teacher in a mainstream school system it is a form of education which is so impoverished and pointless and you don't want to go back to be a part of that... is that the real reason? So the whole thing right now is - oh we don't want to go back, but really what they are saying is, we have no faith in the system and we don't see the point. Anyway, it is the last month of school and the children are more or less switched off because they don't have to prep for exams anymore? Is that it?

So we make up stupid excuses to not do these things?

I fully believe in Waldorf education because it gives children something which the world outside should give them, but does not. So cooking, and the outdoors, drawing and the beauty of literature and science. I know what they are missing and it breaks my heart. Perhaps teachers in main stream schools know what their students are missing and they are 'meh'.

I am writing these things down and processing them as best I can.

I know that much of what I say may be considered hurtful, but well, it is what it is. How are we to have a discussion about real things if we do not say what can be hurtful? I am so sick and tired of people pussyfooting around each other not saying what they mean and all the time the problem becoming larger and larger. Ugh. No wonder I have few friends.

Right, now I am going to try and do the write up for the goddess and then spend three hours cleaning and getting the house in order before I head off for a walk with Gabriel.