Virus in Perspective

[CharlesF]

When I get something like is which originated in the US, I usually ignore them as hot air. However this stood out and I thought others might find it interesting, intriguing or just annoying!

Here goes:

For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birthday with 22 million people killed. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.

When you're 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy.

When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet. When you're 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birthday, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million.

At 50, the Korean War starts and five million perish. At 55 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for 20 years. Four million people die in that conflict.

Approaching your 62nd birthday you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, could well have ended. Great leaders prevented that from happening.

As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85 year old grandparent understood how hard school was. YET YOUR GRANDPARENTS (now great grandparents) SURVIVED THRU EVERYTHING listed above.

Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try and keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and with a little time we will get through all of this as well. (author unknown)

 

[Alex H]

YET YOUR GRANDPARENTS (now great grandparents) SURVIVED THRU EVERYTHING listed above.

Nothing like all of them though

 

[matticus]

Reminds me of that Japanese guy who survived *both* WWII atom bomb strikes. I wonder what his perspective is on "challenging" events!

 

[sleuthey]

People used to winge at Tony Blair along the lines of 1000 troops have died in 10 years in Afghanistan. In the battle of the some 1000 troops died in 10 minutes

 

[postman]

Funny i sat down at around 9-30 last night after putting the bedroom back together after painting it over the past week. Due to my bad workmanship,i can see brush strokes ,it seems according to YT i did not keep the ends wet enough,hence the brush strokes.Anyway i ramble on. Complaining about a few brush strokes and some blobs on the walls,is a load of crap compared to the work everybody is doing with this virus,people are dying,the whole world is in a mess,and i am moaning about a paint job.Get yer head sorted Postman.

 

[Beebo]

. Later in the year, a Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million.

Most of the narrative is irrelevant. But the bit above is important.
The current covid 19 virus has the same potential, it’s just we have modified the way we deal with it.

 

[Drago]

Unfortunately, keeping things in perspective isn't helpful.

This thing is more virulent and, left to its own devices, has a far higher mortality rate than Spanish flu. The difference today is medical understanding, medicine, healthcare, communication, and a willingness and ability by governments to act. The caution and a century of scientific progress are all that's keeping us from being in the same situation.

As for the rest of it, plenty of us have been in the green machine and served in conflict zones. It never goes away, and I'm sure one day it will come back writ large. Like ice ages, mass death by war waxes and wanes, but never leaves entirely - we merely enjoy the brief hiatus in between.

If anything, sitting back and worrying about perspective is a shocking attitude. We should be doing the opposite - we've just had a ringside seat while a virus, combined with rapid mass travel, brings the entire world to its knees ina couple of weeks. The only other thing that could do tpso much damage to the entire world society in so little time is thermonuclear war. We really need to be learning from that, and making massive fundamental changes to the way society is run. Just sighing and trying put it in perspective is going to get us all killed.

 

[newfhouse]

Let’s try and keep things in perspective.

Taking the long view, we’re all going to die. That doesn’t help much with the here and now.

I hate to agree with @Drago ...

 

[ozboz]

For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900.

if that was myself , I’d say to get through all that in my lifetime , I’d be one hell of a lucky Ba””””””d !

 

[biggs682]

Life is hard for sure

 

[MichaelW2]

I was going to pack my bugout bag and head for the hills but now the hills are full of murder hornets. When I was a nipper, all we had to worry about was mutually assured destruction.

 

[mustang1]

This reminds me of when I have a problem with my computer and someone tells me "ha that's just first world problems, put it into perspective!"

I'm gonna quote @Drago to them.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

People used to winge at Tony Blair along the lines of 1000 troops have died in 10 years in Afghanistan. In the battle of the some 1000 troops died in 10 minutes

Whinge, seriously, that is so disrespectful to our Armed Services & you should be ashamed of yourself! He sent 1000 troops to their death because he hadn't the balls to stand up in Parliament & say that he got it wrong & lied to save his own skin, that is NOT a whinge,

 

[Jody]

People used to winge at Tony Blair along the lines of 1000 troops have died in 10 years in Afghanistan. In the battle of the some 1000 troops died in 10 minutes

Shame one of those "wars" was falsified and not necessary. Nearly half a million civilian lives lost. A country dismantled by "shock and awe" so we can then go and win "hearts and minds" of the people we f*cked over.

I would call it a justified opposition after being mis-led to support an illegal war rather than whinge.

 

[sleuthey]

Whinge, seriously, that is so disrespectful to our Armed Services & you should be ashamed of yourself! He sent 1000 troops to their death because he hadn't the balls to stand up in Parliament & say that he got it wrong & lied to save his own skin, that is NOT a whinge,

I’m not sure whether your serious or not but having devoted my career to supporting the armed forces I have a duty to respect them by clarifying.

Whinge means to complain. people including myself complained at Blair for the reason you outlined in your second sentence. Someone who applauded him would be disrespectful to the armed services but I can’t understand how I am by saying people complained.

The nature of the OP was about putting things in perspective with one another. My point was that whilst Blair was a nobber he was better than Hitler.