April 27, 2003
SARS
Much to my mother's chagrin, I don't take much notice of the SARs virus. In case you've been living in a hole, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a virus that has killed a bunch of people in China; it's kind of like the flu. You get a high fever and can die.
In any case, I find it highly amusing that people are limiting their travel plans because of SARS. The WHO (World Health Organization) officially lists about 5000 infected with 318 people dead. Now, as much as the media portrayed this as an "epidemic," it really isn't. It's just the first punch from a new unknown type of virus that can kill us.
I personally do not worry too much about SARS and I would not make any personal changes to my travel plans (if my plans to travel to China had gone through ... sigh). Too many people nowadays expect an absolute victory. SARS is clearly a virus that will stay around for a while; we may even have to live with it, much like AIDS and HIV.
I'm not at all saying that SARS is not deadly. The fact that it can kill people besides the young and the elderly attest to its seriousness. But jeez, don't get into a big paranoid frenzy about where you're going to travel because of SARS.
It's a scary thought, but the world is changing. Outbreaks like the SARS virus are ont going to be uncommon - as the world markets become more integrated, stuff like this is going to happen a lot. There is nothing you can do to prevent stuff like this from happening.
So just live.
On a somewhat related note, I've come to the realization that I'm somewhat a fatalist. Perhaps it's the the most logical transition that arose from my abrupt "departure" from the church three years ago. I'm not sure what it is, but I know I act in a very fatalistic manner. I was telling Yush, "You know, I wouldn't worry about the SARS virus if I was travelling to China. If I'm fated to die in China from the SARS virus, then so be it."
Guess it's just a really relaxing thought. Perhaps Christians view God as the ultimate comfort; I view fate as the ultimate comfort. It helps me sleep at night.
In any case, I find it highly amusing that people are limiting their travel plans because of SARS. The WHO (World Health Organization) officially lists about 5000 infected with 318 people dead. Now, as much as the media portrayed this as an "epidemic," it really isn't. It's just the first punch from a new unknown type of virus that can kill us.
I personally do not worry too much about SARS and I would not make any personal changes to my travel plans (if my plans to travel to China had gone through ... sigh). Too many people nowadays expect an absolute victory. SARS is clearly a virus that will stay around for a while; we may even have to live with it, much like AIDS and HIV.
I'm not at all saying that SARS is not deadly. The fact that it can kill people besides the young and the elderly attest to its seriousness. But jeez, don't get into a big paranoid frenzy about where you're going to travel because of SARS.
It's a scary thought, but the world is changing. Outbreaks like the SARS virus are ont going to be uncommon - as the world markets become more integrated, stuff like this is going to happen a lot. There is nothing you can do to prevent stuff like this from happening.
So just live.
On a somewhat related note, I've come to the realization that I'm somewhat a fatalist. Perhaps it's the the most logical transition that arose from my abrupt "departure" from the church three years ago. I'm not sure what it is, but I know I act in a very fatalistic manner. I was telling Yush, "You know, I wouldn't worry about the SARS virus if I was travelling to China. If I'm fated to die in China from the SARS virus, then so be it."
Guess it's just a really relaxing thought. Perhaps Christians view God as the ultimate comfort; I view fate as the ultimate comfort. It helps me sleep at night.
Posted by roy on April 27, 2003 at 11:44 PM | 1 Comments
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