If anything intelligent is left to look back on our time, they will certainly wonder why we spent so much effort to prolong life a few months more in those cases. It will look as strange and silly as driving around in a circle in high performance vehicles.Haha good description.
Seems to me the virus wouldn’t be such a goddam problem if we are not afraid to die. This is a good time for honest self-reflection. Is being an atheist a good idea?Being atheist is probably a negative thing most ways, but if being religious makes a person indifferent to death, then that is bad any way you look at it.
Imagine the misery of being stuck in isolation with CC.
Says the cartoon character.
(even if find myself agreeing with you occasionally)
Yeah Lausten, not sure why thesis is necessary. I was simply pointing out I don’t have the knee jerk revulsion at the thought of suicide.
I am as sure as sure as I can be that at death, there is not passing through anything like I once thought, there is simply a deep, deep, sleep, oblivion.
Thus, taking one’s own life or having it taken from me makes no difference to “me” - suicide like all death impacts the living much more than the dead.
Oh and you that special guy, I gotta wonder what is it about your type that gets a kick out of trying to intentionally hurt people?
Does it make you feel better, bigger, to know that perhaps you’ve been able belittle another person. Weird is as weird does. 
But, than that attitude has sort of been inbred into folks, I’d say especially Right Wingers, but lordie I can’t figure out the Left either . . .
suicide like all death impacts the (emotional balance of) the living much more than the one who has died.
Yeah Lausten, not sure why thesis is necessary.Oh, I don't know, given the level of knowledge in the average human being, part of me thinks anyone who knows anything should be constantly repeating themselves. Maybe some if it will sink into some empty mind somewhere. But, there's that whole thing about how much information anyone can absorb in any given time, so I check myself.
Well we understand each other there, don’t we.
I appreciate you taking the time to do it.
It was just convenient words - to my bigger point. 
But, I think you appreciate all that, also.
Back to the calm before the storm,
I’m irritated by the guys’ of this country, such self-satisfied smugness - nothing has soaked in yet.
But it will.
Each our lives will be upended like none of us can imagine. Sometime I want to get through my fight with COVID-1, other times, I could easily see myself say - I am soo exhausted okay, good night, I’ve achieved things I wanted, had wonderful kids and memories, got through tough time, but lots more good time. And n the past couple years I’ve had the going away trifecta. Giving deep support to my sweet mom during her last days, a beautiful memorial. Then the amazingly beautiful, nice, peaceful, glorious, joyful wedding of my daughter to an excellent young man I have much respect for. Then to once again care for an infant, feel that intimacy, trust, love, peacefulness - the finest sweetest exemplar of humanity.
On my morning walk, the realization struck me that our all along plan A of getting my wife back home into this cabin and riding out come what may together - might not happen. That last All American road trip might get cancelled by circumstances - melt down. She may not come home, it may be just be me in this cabin. (I have a small community of close friends neighbors, landlord is stuck on an oil rig in Alaska, so I’m actually sort of needed around here, and there’s Maddy). But, not holding my dear wife - that’s the shit that rattles one down to the core. Melt down.
Dump some tears absorb some pain - get the fuck up and keep moving - see what happens next. Flip side of that, you don’t know what you got til it’s gone, or you touch the real possibility that it could be gone. I knew I love her, appreciated her sweetness and peaceful love and joy she brought back into my life after a couple rough decades. Oh but sitting here after my walk, I know I appreciate her twice as much as I ever did before. Yes it hurt like a mother fucker, but when hasn’t life hurt. I would so, so, so miss her company, even her snoring - but then you get up and take the dog for a walk and meditate some more.
But that’s just me, It’s going to touch pretty much all of. Now is calm before the storm, talk about the Wiley Coyote syndrome. But then how else can it be. Inertia carries us forward.
PS. Lausten the irony about Guy is that from reading his comments, I have the feeling where we next to each other on a job, both intent on getting 'er done, I’d bet we’d get along fairly well. But, than some of my best friends and bosses have been genuine assholes, so in person I give lots more latitude that in the virtual world.
You know, fortunately all of us has many facets - it all depends on circumstances which facet reflects the most.
Then I check texting and get a picture of the little guy and realize she’s with her son and grandson and better off than she probably would be back here. And I’m just a man, she’s a mom and that’s her blood over there. So that will give me comfort. I am needed here, so abandoning our landlord with two kids of her own wouldn’t very cool either. That was good to happen - she needs to be close to her family, i can find lots of comfort in that.
You know all those different layers of the situation and the various webs of our lives that will get forever rearranged, Folds within folds . . .
Then the storm passes, and we continue doing what we are doing.
Time for some music:
Chronic pessimism is dangerous in difficult times because it promotes instability and gets in the way of cooperation. Plus, it’s just annoying. When you’re stuck with others in a potential life and death situation, optimism is powerful tool.
Guess you are correct there. This is sort of a discussion forum where we can let our hair down, perhaps help us process some shit for ourselves, before getting back out there. I’m empathetic and passionate, and have been watch our downward spiral too long, so excuse me for taking it more serious than most. We will survive, possible even a little wiser and saner - but right now we have a bunch of self serving moron with absolutely no conception running our government. Pessimism isn’t exactly being irrational either.
Incidentally, don’t judge me too harsh, It’s not like I’m not trying to do my little part;
Speaking of shit that needs processing - how about the latest news?
It underscores my prediction Trump was going to be more harmful to our country than we were capable of imagining, we still are, it’ll take a few years for the true extent of the horror to truly soak in. An quite an number of us won’t be around for post-event debriefing. Hope it will have rattled a little sense into people. WE NEED EACH OTHER IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR SELVES HONEST!!!
Important debates should demand honesty, both in representing our own information but representing what others have learned.
It should be made clear that constructive learning is the only way to deal with a future world that is going to do nothing but get more hostile towards us.
Liberals/progressive/atheists need to find soul and learn how to stand proud and tall again! Yeah as a matter of fact I do have some long considered recommendations, but first a little review:
Obama officials walked Trump aides through global pandemic exercise in 2017: report BY ZACK BUDRYK - 03/17/20thehill _ com/policy/healthcare/488069-obama-officials-walked-trump-aides-through-global-pandemic-exercise-in-2017
The Obama administration walked incoming Trump administration officials through a hypothetical scenario in which a pandemic worse than the 1918 Spanish flu shut down cities like Seoul and London in early 2017, Politico reported.
During the briefing, Trump administration officials were told such a pandemic would likely lead to circumstances such as shortages of ventilators and that a coordinated national response would be “paramount,” according to documents obtained by the publication.
Of the Trump administration officials present during the meeting, about 66 percent no longer serve in the White House, according to Politico. …
… “Bottom line: when Trump says “we were all surprised” by #COVID19, he shouldn’t have been,” Lu continued.
“The Obama team warned Trump’s staff about a possible pandemic. Whether it was lack of preparation or staff turnover, the necessary work wasn’t done to get in front of this.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-intelligence-reports-from-january-and-february-warned-about-a-likely-pandemic/2020/03/20/299d8cda-6ad5-11ea-b5f1-a5a804158597_story.htmlNational Security
U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemicBy Shane Harris,
Greg Miller,
Josh Dawsey and
Ellen Nakashima
March 20, 2020 at 6:10 p.m. MDTU.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting.
The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak. …
Where to find some soul if you appreciate God doesn’t exist?
That is the question.
We could start with acknowledging that we are the product of a greater over arching CREATOR, namely our Mother Earth and Evolution.
We are a product of her Evolution, we were born out of Earth and will meld back into her when we die and take our Gods into our graves with us. All the while Earth continues on her course.
Truly appreciating deep-time and the fantastical process of Evolution instills an inner security, peace and solidity that clinging to books and listening to pick-pocket preachers can’t get close to touching.
Hell look at all the Christian anger and rage at everyone else, that’s sure sign of people who are actually unmoored from psychological stability, and lost in a vast universe that terrifies them.
Only through truly appreciating our evolution do we have a hope of true inner peace in the face of life and death.
Oh and what’s wrong with an eternal deep sleep? You were blessed to be made a human on the most incredible spot in the entire Universe, why isn’t the living day you were gifted enough??? - no but that’s never been enough for you silly humans, you gotta lust for eternity. As though any human would know what to do with eternity, if you had it.
Bringing it back to Earth Centrism
Considering a Fundamental Cosmic Truth
confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot _ com/2020/02/accepting-fundamental-cosmic-truth _ html
Earth Centrism ~ Geocentrism. Seriously ?
confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot _ com/2020/03/earth-centrism-vs-geocentrism-seriously _ html
Introduction to Cc’s Pageant of Evolution project.
confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot _com/2019/12/introduction-pageant-evolution-project _ html
Pageant of Earth’s Evolution (in 24hr) part one
Pageant of Earth’s Evolution (in 24hr) part two
https://confrontingsciencecontrarians.blogspot_com/2018/12/our-dysfunctional-public-dialogue _ html
Chronic pessimism is dangerous in difficult times because it promotes instability and gets in the way of cooperation.Yo mr. silly guy, what chronic pessimism? Thinking about one's mortality, thinking about one's life and times? Taking the roller coast ride that an imminent death prognosis carried with it. Sure I may survive, but I may not. I do know the society we knew and the comforts we became so accustomed to will not survive. You are going to wake up the morning after to a profoundly changed Earth, humanity will still go on, economy will cobble together new networks and new realities will be accepted. But ahead is only increasing challenges and hardships. Our good times party is over, and you know, I'm mourning that also. I was never a rich boy, but I was pretty and sharp enough and good worker, to be put to work for plenty, so I've been able to observe first hand. Familiarity took the glitter out of it for me, so trivial, so empty, I was busy living getting to know people being engaged good memories bad memories plenty of self inflicted wounds, but the something in my blood that was stirring way back, when I was still crawling on rugs, I've been true to and it's rewarded me a thousand fold and yes I want to celebrate that. That driving human need, I was here!
Why not.
Yes unstable people will be in big trouble as this thing continues ratcheting up, but I have my own issues to deal with and will, besides I actually believe I have a little something to offer those who aren’t unstable - and I must recognize there’s a chance I won’t get through this. Although that doesn’t stop me from keeping up the website I’m entrusted with, and another we’re building.
Although now I’m here, when I should be working on that. { Be good but not too good. }
Ironically a couple months back, when walking with Maddy, we were standing around and I was ready to get going so I did a quick forward hop then cut left hard (it fun to get her running), but silly me wasn’t paying attention to the smooth sheet of ice under the light layer of fresh snow. My feet shot out from under me, and I experienced the speed of gravity with me and my head smashing into the ground. Not quite stars since I had a wool cap on, with fresh snow over hard snow. One of those you just lay still for a while assessing the damage and allowing your body to reboot, moments. As lay there going through what had happen, my reflexes impress me again, apparently I’d pulled in my left should to take the initial contact, which also slowed the impact on my forehead. (I long ago developed a sort of dualistic self-image, my body as something slightly other than the thinking/watching me. )
Then I open my eyes and about six inches from my head is this fist sized rock staring me in the face. Had I been a lousy six inches to the left I would have impacted that rock and it would have killed me as hard as I hit the ground. In a flash. I can’t but help savor those moments. Same with driving, I think about the weird close calls that come up every once in a while. We dance our lives across the sharp edge of blade, any moment, fini. Savoring that passion play is my game Helps me appreciate the healthy moments, and makes me more careful.
Back to your masses of unstable unprepared people, it’s tragic, heart wrenching. Still, physical reality is what it is. And no man or folly can stop the tides from coming in and going out.
Tough Love Time.
Time for coddling is over.
We could start with acknowledging that we are the product of a greater over arching CREATOR, namely our Mother Earth and Evolution. -- CCSometimes the poets at Dark Mountain are just rambling on about organic food, but sometimes they really hit the mark.
Oh, well it is not pessimistic of you to say so, paleo. It is just consistent with our reality.
But let’s be optimistic for a bit. Perhaps we will suddenly discover that rain water cures COVID-19. We will be able to wipe it out in a few months. We will be able to open the economy up maybe in less time than that. By then, the $2 trillion they added to our debt will have kept the underlying economy on life support and we can allow businesses and everything to open back up. The stock market will rebound back to record highs, as the entire world breathes a sigh of relief as the gears of production go back into overdrive. And in an extraordinary and moderately ironic twist, Donald J T rump, will have happened to be the last fatality of COVID-19, thus the USA is averted from becoming the next Venezuela… USA! USA! USA!
Unfortunately, it’s already changing the economy, and in a negative fashion. Customers are reluctant to place new orders, or expand work plans, etc., and the employers are already laying off some of their workers. This is not like anything we experienced during any other natural disaster such as a flood or hurricane.You think?
And you were expecting . . .
We need to do everything we can to stop this downward spiral in confidence.We could start by restoring TRUTH and HONESTY into the business of doing business and politics.
Then allowing experts to be experts and forcing dilettantes out of important decision making.
Now that would go a long way to offering something not to be pessimistic about.
We have given our government over to a gang of clueless imbeciles - and you fuck’n want to tell America not to be pessimistic about the future?
What a joke.
With leaders like this,
U.S. intelligence reports from January and February warned about a likely pandemicWashingtonPost _ com/national-security/us-intelligence-reports-from-january-and-february-warned-about-a-likely-pandemic/2020/03/20/299d8cda-6ad5-11ea-b5f1-a5a804158597_story _ html
By Shane Harris,
Greg Miller,
Josh Dawsey and
Ellen Nakashima
March 20, 2020 at 6:10 p.m. MDT = Washington PostU.S. intelligence agencies were issuing ominous, classified warnings in January and February about the global danger posed by the coronavirus while President Trump and lawmakers played down the threat and failed to take action that might have slowed the spread of the pathogen, according to U.S. officials familiar with spy agency reporting.
The intelligence reports didn’t predict when the virus might land on U.S. shores or recommend particular steps that public health officials should take, issues outside the purview of the intelligence agencies. But they did track the spread of the virus in China, and later in other countries, and warned that Chinese officials appeared to be minimizing the severity of the outbreak.
Taken together, the reports and warnings painted an early picture of a virus that showed the characteristics of a globe-encircling pandemic that could require governments to take swift actions to contain it. But despite that constant flow of reporting, Trump continued publicly and privately to play down the threat the virus posed to Americans. Lawmakers, too, did not grapple with the virus in earnest until this month, as officials scrambled to keep citizens in their homes and hospitals braced for a surge in patients suffering from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. …
And everyone of the supposed grown-ups stood by with their thumbs up their asses and did nothing while the baby-prez fiddled away.
Why not feel pessimistic? Please what do you have to offer? Would like to hear the Good News.
There will be a future - but what I’m trying to point out is that you ought t0 get real and appreciate, it’s going to be one tough bitch and the tender coddled innocents aren’t going to handle it very well. Some would say tough, that’s what we all get for being so damned complacent and disinterested, but it still hurts big time, even if we deserve it. Don’t get me wrong I’m not giving up and rolling over, we still need to live our days to the best we can, but fuk the rose colored glasses already. Oh and yes I am mad, yes I am emotional, and no I don’t feel like being politically correct for the GREED blinded Republican crowd who screwed all of us, with their ruthless peddling of utter disconnected self-serving fantasy…
We just need to wash our hands like we just shook hands with a Democrat.I usually like to get to know someone before I start insulting them.
The nightmare continues. NOW our retarded leadership who brought on this T rump recession, by not reacting speedily and competently at the beginning of the world viral outbreak… Now they want FOUR Trillion Dollars.
They couldn’t spend a few billion and test everybody who had a notion that they might have the disease. South Korea did it right. And they have not had to shut down their entire economy. But their leadership is apparently not retarded like ours. South Korea and the USA both had their 1st identified case of COVID-19 ON THE SAME DAY. They tested out the kazoo. We EVEN NOW cannot even test everyone who is dying from it. AFTER MONTHS. Testing is rationed even from health care providers. We had perhaps the greatest economic engine of all times, but we could not get adequate testing, while our DOTUS continues to declare over and over and over that no one without symptoms should get tested. And even so, he gets a test without having symptoms. The VP gets a test without having symptoms. Rand Paul gets a test without having symptoms. So our DOTUS continues his lies in the midst of his incompetence.
It is clear to me, that our DOTUS has a prime objective and everything he does or says or has his administration carry out, is to GET RE-ELECTED. In order to do that now, after gutting our economy, by shutting it down due to not managing the disease properly, he needs $4 Trillion, which he hopes will keep the economy up enough to win the next election. But Jeebus, $4 TRILLION !!!, that is just the kind of cash that can secure the dictatorship for our DOTUS. T rump can become the Autocratic Kleptocrat that even Putin will envy.
Bernie would have to explain how he is going to pay back the $TRILLIONS. But we are being bum-rushed into just giving it to the greatest flim-flam man of our time.
BTW, a recent study showed that Dems have been washing their hands much more than Trumpublicans. Some Trumpublicans still think that the whole COVID-19 thing is a hoax - perpetrated by the “Fake Media”.
Normally, denial of obvious facts, and the presentation of “alternate facts”, works great for the non-science based public. But typically, events and the facts they bring, do not occur in the relatively limited time frame of a pandemic.
Now the deniers don’t have the luxury of declaring their contrary view without facts showing up in a timely fashion to show they are full of shit. e.g., One can claim that the oceans will not rise more than a few inches over the next century. They can keep saying that until enough years pass that the few inches are reached. Now, the numbers come in every day. But the deniers still deny, and crazy as it seems, some people still buy the denial.