Large Fierce Mammal

The title of today’s piece comes from the pilot episode of the excellent, and now both late and lamented, television series Life. Specifically, it’s part of a greater conversation between lead character Detective Charlie Crews (played by Damian Lewis) and his partner, Detective Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi):

Dani Reese: “I don’t exactly understand you.”

Charlie Crews: “You don’t have to understand here to be here.”

Dani Reese: “That’s what I don’t understand.”

I bring this up because at this moment in time, few words ever uttered in the interests of art imitating life have been more appropriately descriptive of the situation people all over the world now find themselves in.

A little over seven years ago, I wrote:

“In truth, most people really don’t understand the burden of responsibility they carry for their own safety and survival, and the commonalities that link every threat to life and limb. In truth, most people have accepted the idea that no matter what happens, all you need do is call ‘Them’ and ‘They’ll’ take care of it. If it’s bad, ‘They’ will figure out what to do about it. News flash – YOU are ‘THEM’, because when the shit hits the fan, and you are standing at ground zero, running away may not be an option. The time to get tuned in is NOW.

“Reality remains Reality no matter how angry that makes you, and one doesn’t need to look far for evidence that much of the population prefers to live as though things are actually the way they simply wish them to be. The assumption is that publicly funded agencies and organizations exist for the betterment and protection of individuals, which could not be further from the truth. The list of people to whom you actually matter is very short indeed, and if you’re, ‘… doin’ it right ….’, you know them all by name.” ~ Four Pillars and a Double Standard

I was speaking then to individual people and the general tendency to view all levels of government on a scale from a benevolent, almost parental, role at one end, and a regime hell bent on ruining all the fun you can have on the other. This is something that’s easy to do when conditions of “business as usual” prevail.

Since my last communiqué in the matter of the current unpleasantness, I have had time to observe the situation here in Canada as it has so far played out locally and nationally, both with an eye to the official actions and communications of government, and how those have affected the behaviour of the population. It was with great interest that I read the article published by CBC News yesterday afternoon under the title, Failing to self-isolate could put civil liberties in ‘jeopardy,’ Hajdu warns.

“Hajdu” is pronounced “HI-doo”, and refers to Canada’s Health Minister, Patty Hajdu:

“Health Minister Patty Hajdu gave a stern warning to Canadians defying self-isolation orders Saturday, saying that a failure to follow public health guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 could ‘put our civil liberties in jeopardy.’

“‘It makes governments have to look at more and more stringent measures to actually contain people in their own homes,’ Hajdu said during a news conference attended by other cabinet ministers. ‘Our freedoms around the measures that we’re taking right now depend on people taking them seriously.'” ~ Failing to self-isolate could put civil liberties in ‘jeopardy,’ Hajdu warns

For many people, for whatever reason, the definition of “social distancing” is vague and amorphous to the point of throwing up those unwashed hands in a spray of fear and confusion. Not unlike people who refuse to consider writing a will and organizing their end of life arrangements out of fear that to speak of it is to invite it, there is a part of that non-compliant group being referred to who view taking any action to even read the official definition of the term as far too frightening to tolerate. Unfortunately, for those who actually do read and understand the official definition, some of its advice will be impossible to implement for certain situations and demographics, and the ability to interface with government agencies as required by the guidelines will vary widely from province to province to the point of impossibility in some.

As I sat in my LFM observation post yesterday, observing the traffic on both the east and west sides of the LaHave River leading in and out of the Town of Bridgewater, the volume was heavy beyond belief given the circumstances. Taking note of the types of vehicles represented, the majority were late model SUV’s and full size pickup trucks, interspersed with a smattering of service vehicles marked as belonging to those kinds of contractors who must be on the go to keep society moving. Discounting the latter, it can be reasonably assumed that some of the people driving or riding in those trucks and SUV’s were out to buy groceries, fill prescriptions, and otherwise do all the things they could be expected to be doing of a Saturday morning, and which fall within the current guidelines. After all, against the day you actually get infected or knowingly exposed, and end up quarantined for two weeks, it’s best not to have already eaten into whatever supplies you have on hand when the hammer falls.

And then there’s the rest that, experience tells me, are there out of a sense of self-entitled rebelliousness and/or fall into the category of hoople I have long referred to as Disaster Tourists, usually shortened to “The DT’s” for convenience and brevity. The type who are out driving around in the wake of hurricanes while crews are busy trying to open roads, stabilize toppled trees leaning over thoroughfares, and repair downed, still live, power lines; getting in the way, putting themselves at risk, and taxing already stretched resources in quest of that perfect selfie.

Another phenomenon I noticed was one often manifested by people who are lost in the woods, and that I call “the hurry ups”. This happens when a person who is already fearful of getting lost somehow strays off their comfortable path and realizes they no longer know where they are. And so they start to walk faster as their mind fills with all manner of worries, none of which really apply to the present moment, if at all to any, begging the question — if you don’t know where you are, where in hell are you going in such a hurry? Such things rarely end well, with people becoming injured, more lost and far away from where rescue teams might expect to find them. Most of all, they find their genesis in the actions of people who lacked the mindset, equipment, training, and possible physical stamina and fitness, to even be where they were in the first place.

Think about that the next time you feel a case of The DT’s or the hurry ups coming on. Also, do some actual research to confirm if what you’ve heard or read spread through social media is actually even about the current situation, let alone true. Don’t take your understanding of the contents of an article or news item exclusively from its title, and never forget that when words are no better than silence, it’s better to be silent.

Lastly, if you won’t control yourself, you’ll be controlled. Don’t give anyone that excuse.

Until next time.