Daily Inspiration: “There are two types of people in the world right now: those who have to make complex decisions about the pandemic, & armchair scientists!”

“There are two types of people in the world right now: those who have to make complex decisions about the pandemic, & armchair scientists. (I’m happy to be neither!)” – Futurist Jim Carroll

Here in Ontario, Canada where I live, we have entered into another ‘stay-at-home’ order. Nothing much changes for me in my reality though – my world has become very small!

Our challenge has been lack of vaccine supply – we have learned a thing or two about globalization and our friends; the stunning exponentiation of variants; and the common attitudes of neglect and complacency that are to be found in every country. The positive news is that our vaccination efforts are finally accelerating, and this should be our last significant bump in the road.

I try not to immerse myself in all the twists and turns of our voyage, but am mostly unsuccessful – and so the other day was watching the press conference where our government was making this latest announcement.

And the same thought ran through my mind, as it has for all those political leaders who actually seem to have some sanity – I would not want to be one of them them.

The process of trying to make decisions in the context of what has gone on during the last year is a thankless task.

(The others? We will know forever they have the stain of shame of blood on their hands.)

And yet, predictably, within hours, along came the naysayers, the armchairs scientist who know better; those who seem to have more expertise than the experts. Individuals who, in the last year, despite a previous history in driving a truck or installing kitchen cabinets,  have sudden newfound expertise in epidemiology, mRNA genomic science, contact tracing, and big data system management! I wish we could bottle up the knowledge factory that has made them such experts so fast! It is awesome!

And I am happy to be neither.

I do not envy many politicians for their jobs. I might not have a lot of respect for some of the decisions they have made – particularly as of late in my home province – but I cannot imagine it to be easy. I am happy to not be one. It is a complex and thankless task.

And on the other hand, I am, oh so tired, of all the cranks, the whiners, folks who know better. I am happy I have avoided becoming a pitiful, sad little human, screaming at my TV, cursing my outrage through Twitter. I cannot imagine the darkness that has invaded the soul of these people as they fuel their outrage into some ill-founded belief that they could do better.

Our future can’t come soon enough.