Get Calm - then carry on

Where on Earth do I start?

What can I write that is not being written by others more informed, better read? The finest minds on the planet are now engaged in a battle against an invisible enemy that threatens everyone. The flaws in nationalist, populist and insular policies shown. The flaws in globalism are also revealed. The rise in loss of bio-diversity and increases in climate change which, experts have been patiently explaining for years, is giving rise to super viruses crossing species and pandemics like Covid19 is a clamouring alarm call to us all.

Those of us in the ‘first world’ have been consuming ourselves to death for over fifty years. The fruits of that consumption have fallen from the tree and lie rotting. It will be the poorest and most vulnerable (as always) who will foot the bill with their lives and their health. A couple of months of social distancing, hand washing and self-isolation for the rest of us seems little enough to contribute whilst the experts engage in saving lives, developing vaccines, and discussing policies to change the way we live.

Ireland is a small country. We’re a close people. Most families will be touched, in some way, by worry and  grief over the coming months. Countries with poor public health systems – like the richest country in the world – are going to suffer most. I turned off all radio and social media earlier this week as people bleated about economies tanking. It’s only money lads. Most of it isn’t even real – just marks on a page, ridiculous numbers that mean nothing to most of us. Economies can be rebuilt. We cannot bring people back from the dead.

People, and our relationship with the ecosystem we live in is the only thing that matters now. We MUST change the way we live or - like dinosaurs, face extinction.

I’ll blog something cheerier later. I feel much better with that off my chest!

Get calm – then carry on    

Every day's a school-day...........

D'ye know somethin'? This world never ceases to amaze me. You think you've seen it all and then someone tickles you from a distance and causes you to marvel at Man's ingenuity in manipulating his environment to speed things up, help life along, make it easier and more efficient.

I'm speaking of the ability of a young man in our office block who was able to access my computer remotely today and check something out.

'Ah Evelyn! ' I hear you exclaim - 'sure that's old hat at this stage.' Ok, Ok, - but he (once I granted him access) moved my little cursor and he not within an asses roar of my screen!. In fact he gave out to me for moving my mouse as he manipulated the pointer - I thought something had gone wrong! I swear to God I alternated between shock and then delight to witness him maneuvering his way around my PC as he checked whatever technical thing he had to check. And I chatted away to him on the phone as he did so. Actually I think he thought I was a bit mad because I would burst out 'Will y'look at that! How is he doing that! That's mad!' every so often. I actually looked over my shoulder and up at the wall behind me to make sure there wasn't some little camera trained on me ala Candid Camera. What'll they think of next!

Is there any problem now that cannot be solved with technology? I'm fifty and not particularly technically minded and all I want a machine to do is deliver me what I need when I need it. I don't want frills, apps, add-ons, plug-ins etcetera etcetera. I'm convinced everyone under the age of thirty has been born knowing how to mind read and they are pre-empting all our requests by being a step ahead of us all the time.

Now all the world has to do is to sort out climate change, world hunger, organised religion and of course what happens to the black left-foot sock when it disappears in the wash cycle. Lovely Jubbley.