THE END IS NIGH 
Well, here we are again, the world in a panic over the Corona virus, and all sorts of grim warnings going around the globe.
Every few years we have some sort of virus that comes along to knock the medical world into a tizzy, usually by the time some vaccine is invented to counter the problem, the disease is already wearing itself out and, slowly, we all stop worrying about catching it.
The daily numbers seem very alarming as reports from home and away are broadcast on our daily news, however, when taken in perspective, they are not really too many. If the deaths of people whose demise was caused by pneumonia or a similar kind of ‘flu, were reported, the numbers would most likely not be too different.
How many people die of cancer, heart disease or COPD every day? Probably a great many more than those with COVID 19. However, these deaths are not reported so are not alarming. The people who are very sick with the new virus were probably already in a weakened condition from some other health problem, so were susceptible to catching any bugs going round, at the time.
What is alarming is that people really do not do enough to prevent these diseases in the first place, until there is a big problem. How many people do really not pay enough attention to spreading disease? Watch someone in a public restroom, usually they do a cursory quick dip under the tap and then dry their hands. This doesn’t do anything to combat the spread of disease.
We were once on a cruise ship when there was an outbreak of the Norwalk virus. Immediately the crew went into action. Everywhere were posted warning notices about hand washing, members of staff were posted at the top and bottom of each stairwell, offering hand sanitizer and buffets were no longer self-serve. Instead a staff member would take a plate for you and put the items you chose, on the plate, no chance of people touching the dishes of food or breathing over them, a bit of a pain but necessary.
During that time I used a public washroom on the ship and was washing my hands when a woman came out of a stall and headed for the door. I was rather appalled and asked her if she had forgotten to wash her hands. She was really nasty and asked what business it was of mine. My reply that it was everyone’s business to be especially careful about hygiene. She snorted and left, still with dry hands.
I cannot imagine being marooned on a cruise ship while this virus goes round the passengers. The luxury of a cruise ship is not to be found in a cabin, no matter how “upgraded” you happen to be. We have always taken a cabin with a veranda, to enjoy the view and the weather while travelling, even so, the space is rather limited and I should imagine, feels like a shoe box if confined to it for any length of time. What it feels like in an interior cabin, without even a window, must be awfully claustrophobic.
Better to cancel the vacation altogether than risk being confined to quarters with meals delivered to your room, kind of similar to being in hospital, but never being allowed visitors. Eventually the disease will be controlled and we will all get back to normal, so best just to forget about travel, unless it is really necessary.
Our world has always taken care of itself, nature has a way of controlling the population and every now and again, some disease will go worldwide to cut down the weakest amongst us. It may sound harsh but it has really always been about the survival of the fittest. The weaker animals in a pack are those caught by predators and the weakest humans, in our pack, are cut down by viruses.
The world population is out of control, growing enough food to satisfy us is becoming almost impossible and while half the world doesn’t get enough to eat, the other half wastes it’s ample supplies.
We pollute the air around us and ruin our seas with garbage because we have an “enjoy it now, ignore the future mentality. If this attitude doesn’t change, our future is not promising. Instead of looking after our own environment, we are looking to travel to other planets where we can start over. I guess we are all born with a strong sense of survival and want the best for ourselves and our families, this is natural but not forward thinking. To combat this, nature sometimes takes over and reminds us that we are not in charge of the planet, just a small part of it.
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