Quick pontification on COVID (yeah, it’s still happening):

We took our son for his annual physical today, all is well. His pediatrician, a man we’ve known and trusted for 11 years now, was just exhausted about COVID. No, not the pandemic itself, but how America is responding.

To make a long story short, he was exhausted at how many ADULTS continue to think this is no big deal. How if someone in your family is told to quarantine, YOU TOO have to quarantine because... you know... you live under the same roof. Common sense, huh?

Yet many adults don’t like hearing that, so they’re stunned to hear the doctor say they can’t visit with a child or their parent who is supposed to be under quarantine. Quarantine is too inconvenient, boring, and how dare you tell ME what to do with MY life!

The doctor expressed his frustration that people “are not getting educated” on what’s going on & how long this will take to fully play out (realistically at least 6-12 months with vaccines coming on board). There was one thing the doctor didn’t mention, but I immediately thought:

People are getting “educated”, but they’re choosing rather poor choices of education. I think we all know those choices— dubious internet sources, COVID-deniers, Fox News and the like. One could say these people in fact aren’t getting “educated”, rather “woefully misinformed”.

Then again, “woefully misinformed” is one of those euphemisms the late George Carlin would have ragged on. It’s kind of like “food insecurity”. Stop it— people are starving. If we tell the world people are starving and not “food insecure”, maybe we’d actually feed these people.

But back to COVID and misinformation... some people are choosing, yes choosing, to get their education on this pandemic by sources that are misleading and lying to the audience. That has consequences, much like misleading and lying showed it’s consequences in the

realm of politics this past Wednesday in our nation’s capital. I think we will soon see a much deeper, darker picture as to how all that came to be once it’s fully investigated.

But with COVID, one of the consequences is a local pediatrician who is normally very happy and open

being absolutely burned out by how adults— parents, business leaders, politicians (hello Governor DeSantis!)— are refusing to look at reality and listen to experts who know how to slow this and eventually end this as soon as possible. Yes, it might even inconvenience you.

So please get your education, not misinformation or lies, from legitimate trusted sources such as doctors, epidemiologists, and the health field to not only do the best you can to protect your family, but to give a primary assist to the medical community.

This is not all about YOU, it is about US. The vaccines will help tremendously, but WE all have to do OUR part to get there as quickly and safely as possible.

And hopefully in a year when we visit for the next physical, we can joyfully talk about fun things like why the Rays

pulled Blake Snell so early in game 6, rather than nod our heads in agreement with the local pediatrician who is tired of this.

No, not tired of COVID, tired of another awful sickness: willful ignorance.

Sorry, it wasn’t quick, but it had to be shared. That’s my TED Talk today.