So, it's Friday night. We made it another week in this madness.

I'm usually the type to assume I have it better than others. When I experience hardship I am usually downplaying the severity to those who express concern.

I don't know everyone's situation, but I know mine. /

As of today I am doing OK. But I know some others may not be. I know that perhaps for some today is technically fine but unless a miracle happens things will get difficult very quickly.

And I know some have experienced some of the worst trials this situation has dealt so far. /

Humans as a species have been tested like this routinely throughout history, and will probably make it through this as a species and the least of this episode will be the death toll caused by the virus.

To give us some credit, scientifically and medically we've done an /

amazing job.

In a matter of weeks we can start to see progress towards vaccines and other possible ways of medically minimizing the impact of this virus. A few generations ago that miracle could only come out of the mercy of god.

But what we've made up /

for in medical marvels and lives saved was paid for by what looks like a long road of economic rebuilding, with a lot of potential landmines in the ground to worry about stepping on as we clean up the debris and look at the blueprints for rebuilding.

As we go forward /

taking precautions to continue to keep this virus from overwhelming our health systems, we will still be at risk of losing loved ones. We will still be at risk of having those we care about lose family members. And we will all be at risk of losing our current jobs if we haven't /

already.

To call this situation confusing and stressful is an understatement for the record-books, but it is in times of great confusion and stress that opportunists hope to capitalize on.

Propagandists and agitators will be swarming. You will be bombarded with news designed /

to sway you towards opinions and to take actions by people whose ultimate goals you do not share.

Resist the influences that seek to turn you against your neighbor, physical or virtual. Resist the influences that seek to provide you an unbroken narrative that inevitably /

leads you predetermined conclusions.

Embrace influences that ask you to help when you can, offer to help you when you can't, and make no demands.

Seek to be the best version of yourself you can muster, realizing that you will fall short of anything that resembles perfect. /

Many of the world's systems could collapse in the not too distant future. Perhaps if we're lucky they will be delayed. But the path forward may not be clear or without detours down unlit and unpaved roads.

Whatever damage we have managed to mitigate may not be total, and those/

damages may propagate through the system like very big, slow, falling dominoes.

But as of today, I am doing OK. And I hope you are too.

Let's get some rest, take care of some things that need addressed tomorrow if you don't have work, and recharge for another week.