C’est la vie

I don’t like living with fear. I don’t like living with uncertainty. I loathe living with threats. I know we can’t get rid of all uncertainty and risk. I’m “of an age” now where the majority of my life is behind me and sooner or later something will hit and that will be the end of me. It’s inevitable. As the French say, “C’est la vie.” That’s life.

But I don’t take needless risks. I get regular medical and dental check ups, I watch my diet, and try to get regular exercise. I don’t tailgate. And other things. Many religious practices were originally intended to minimize or eliminate risk. Simple astronomy was first practiced by tribal religious leaders to determine the proper time to plant to insure a good harvest. “Do these other things,” they said, “and the gods will likely smile on you. Do those other things, or stray from the recommended practices, and the gods will likely whack you. What’s worse, they could affect the entire tribe.”

Pure and simple, it’s basic science: fact-based information that helps us live better and safer lives – and remove uncertainty and fear. Science works. It’s tried and proven, again and again, whether it’s simple “when to plant,” or quantum mechanics that allow you to pick up your cell phone and call somebody. And it’s the chemistry, metallurgy, physics, and other sciences that allow you to start up your car – or motorcycle – and travel long distances. So how am I to react when people come down the street at me unmasked, maybe close together, and breath in my direction, when science has shown that a mask can protect those around you in case you don’t know you’ve already got COVID-19? And what am I supposed to think when 250,000 or so people climb on their motorcycles, converge on a small town in South Dakota, and say “Nobody’s gonna tell me what I can and can’t do, and I sure ain’t gonna wear a mask! To heck with science!” And what am I supposed to think when the governor of South Dakota turns a blind eye to the event, and instead turns and tells businesses elsewhere, “Come to our state! We won’t let regulations stand in your way!” And what am I supposed to think when small countries like Vietnam and Thailand, both densely populated and nowhere near as wealthy and powerful as the US, have already gotten a major handle on the virus in their populations and deaths from the bug are few, while here in the US our case numbers continue to climb and deaths number over 160,000?

Keep in mind: the population of Columbia, S.C. in 2019 was estimated at slightly over 131,000. In other words, COVID-19 has already wiped out the equivalent of South Carolina’s capitol city, and then some. Toss in the population of Newberry (estimated at 10,199 in 2019) and a couple of other towns, and you’re getting close to what the virus has killed in the US.

So go ahead, deny the science. Plant your tomatoes in December, outside, if you want. I can’t stop you. Think what you want. You may be able to get away without a mask and gather in numbers in secret, too, although elsewhere in the world you’d face fines and maybe even jail time if you tried. But remember, you’ll reap what you sow, and it could affect a good portion of your tribe.

Yep! C’est la vie.