I have had the experience of firing a fully-automatic M-16 assault rifle on a military rifle range. It was fun, and not a bit scary. I have also had an M-16 pointed directly at my stomach at point-blank range, by a combat soldier with full intent to pull the trigger. It was NOT fun, and I pissed my pants. In both cases, the weapon was armed and ready to fire. The difference in my reaction was due entirely to which end of the weapon I was on.
A member of my family who had a very light case of Covid-19 has urged me not to be afraid of the disease, saying it’s no worse than a mild case of the flu. I’m quite sure he’s telling the truth--for him. A long-time friend of my wife sent her husband to the hospital for elective surgery, where he caught Covid-19 and died. She urges great caution for the disease. The fear factor, as with assault rifles, depends entirely on which end you are on.
President Trump caught the Corona Virus, received (and is still receiving) the best and most expensive treatment in the world, and is feeling fine. “Don’t be afraid of the virus,” he says. But for people like me, without access to Walter Reed Army Hospital and the White House Medical Unit, and with pre-existing conditions like high blood pressure and vein problems, fear is the only rational response to the pandemic. Like an assault rifle, it depends entirely on whether it’s pointed at you.
No comments:
Post a Comment