Mythos & Marginalia

life notes; flaws and all

j.g. lewis

original content and images ©j.g. lewis

a daily breath...

A thought du jour, my daily breath includes collected and conceived observations, questions of life, fortune cookie philosophies, reminders, messages of peace and simplicity, unsolicited advice, inspirations, quotes and words that got me thinking. They may get you thinking too . . .

this journey

How do we choose to travel?
What is reliable in the rain?
What is our ultimate destination,
for this time, this journey, or
this day?
We move at the speed of life.
Depending on traffic, others
may chose to follow your path,
but not your direction.

© 2021 j.g. lewis

this season

A little cold, little wet,

a little tired and yet

I am here. Still,

full of wonder.

The morning chill leaves

little to the imagination

and much less

to hope for.

Expected, perhaps, as it

always is, this time, this

season is only what

we ask of it.

11/21/2024                                                                                                                    j.g.l.

Mondays are just young Fridays

The answers are far less certain

than even last week, to all those

perennial questions or solutions

you might seek.

 

What do you believe, or 

what do you believe in?

 

Come Monday, you have fewer 

questions than you had last week.

For a while there are less doubts

in what you believe. 

 

Whom do you believe in,

and who believes in you?

 

11/18/2024                                                                                                          j.g.l.

I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.

j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.

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Incomprehensible

Posted on March 13, 2020 by j.g.lewis Leave a comment

I read yesterday — in a Facebook post from someone I respect for the fresh and solidifying presence she brings to my news feed — comments likening the current COVID-19 coronavirus to AIDS.

Fear was the thread running through her opinion piece, and the need compassion was her premise, but in passing on her thoughts she was contributing to the misinformation that perpetuates the spread of unreasonable and incomprehensible actions.

The writer correctly identified that each of us is at risk for coronavirus COVID-19, and further that many of us are scared. But her assumption that we are as scared as those who live (or lived) with HIV or AIDS is as damaging as it is disrespectful.

HIV/AIDS is nothing like COVID-19. The human immunodeficiency virus which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is blood borne while COVID-19 is airborne.

HIV is an infection caused by contact with blood, pre-ejaculate semen and vaginal fluids. Coronavirus spreads in a manner similar to influenza; by respiratory droplets from coughing settling on skin, office building doorknobs and subway straps.

You can get the coronavirus from a handshake. It can take a more intimate (and perhaps careless) encounter to become infected with HIV.

Of course my explanation is an over-simplification, but the reality is there. In the 80s this woman refers to in her Facebook post, HIV was surely a death sentence. Coronavirus, in 2020, is not even close. Yes, the global death rate increases daily, but COVID-19 is a virus you can recover from. In fact, many of the original cases of the coronavirus we currently fear have since recovered from the infection.

Yes we need compassion, as this woman clearly states, but we also need sound minds to prevail. We need to wash our hands. We need to isolate ourselves if we are feeling poorly. We need to keep our distance from people, and we need to follow sound advice from medical professionals

What we don’t need is loose talk, which will further confuse an already concerned population. Misinformation breeds fear, and there is already too much of that going around; both fear and misinformation.

03/13/2020                                           j.g.l.

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