Witt's End

Nothing in my life has been more draining than COVID-19. I mean that in a literal and figurative sense.  I'm back on a COVID-19 surge unit again. Currently we have more COVID positive patients than negative. And the worst off are unvaccinated and the median age is decreasing.  I'm not saying this to be a doomsayer. I'm saying this because we have tools to live our life. And I want to live my life. I'm sick of living a half life because I give a damn about my occupation.  I don't know if other people are "done" too. I'm just ready to move on. But we can't yet. I just really wish we could. 

We all have confirmation bias. Let’s just get that out of the way. We also have experience. And we have expertise. That means we all have a limited scope of the world in one way or another. Let’s get that out of the way. Our limited scope and confirmation bias leave us open to to unavoidable natural distortions of the media. The normalization of the novelty, and everything being fair and equal. If we aren’t aware of these and don’t look at things critically we can get lost in information and our own desired outcomes.  So let’s examine novelty and fairness and how they can be distorted.  Few things spread as quickly as a novel news story. It’s what sells. Its what is most sensational. But ironically what can be known widespread may not be a commonplace occurrence. News stories are typically what's abnormal or sensational. They are not what's typical. What's typical wouldn't be news. It's that simple.  I think it' s fairly easy to see how the news constantly repor

 How are we ever going to be able to unite on solving problems if we can’t agree on sources to use? Several times in the past few years I’ve been asked to share my opinion on topics I’ve researched. This has ranged from healthcare, to mental health prevalence, to racial disparity, and now COVID. I’m willing to put in the time and read a lot of source material to form an opinion. I don’t really go with my gut. I chase information and roll it over and over until I have a new opinion. Because I’ve put in that effort I’m often asked about my opinion, often by people who haven’t taken the same amount of time. I try to preface any discussion of this nature by disclosing it’s my interpretation of data I’ve studied, and this is my conclusion. I’ve discovered a troubling trend when I’ve done this. If the conclusion doesn’t fit the questioner’s paradigm, then all of the data used to form the conclusion becomes suspect. That we can’t trust the collectors of data, or there are ulterior motives and

When we talk about challenges we usually focus on the one facing it. This is especially true of challenges that involve physical or mental challenges and disabilities. We rightfully talk about struggles, progress, and effort. We look at accommodations and aid. In all this I worry that we don't talk about those around them enough.  Spouses, partners, children, siblings, parents, friends. Those who love us who struggle. They pay a pretty price. They truly give so much to help us. To survive at times along us. To keep their own heads above water. I often underestimated the personal sacrifices people around me made.  Change is hard and progress is hard. And it can be even harder not for the person changing but for those most involved in their lives. I know we often talk about how hard it can be to see changes in ourselves but it can be even more difficult for those who care for us to see them. If the daily needs and support haven't yet changed then it can be hard to see any of the