Seeking the right metaphor
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,499
    I just heard a politician call his state's efforts against the coronavirus a war.

    I think that's the wrong metaphor. In a war you try to devastate the enemy.

    Siege maybe? We're trying to starve the enemy by cutting of its food and water, i.e. human bodies?

    Or maybe firestorm. We're vacating the places where it can spread.

    In a firestorm, we wouldn't stay in the church where it was probably going to spread. If we were at Mass, and unauthorized smoke came drifting from the tapestries, we would temporarily go outside, I think.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Kathy,

    Is collaboration or surrender or treason an option? I'm here in California, in the most heavily infected county, under a Shelter in Place order, except that practically everyone except a tiny group of us is actually allowed to do whatever is desired.

    Catching the news on the radio this morning (because it's part of m alarm clock routine) I hear that Mr. Schumer plans a massive government expansion --- following the rule: never let a good crisis go to waste.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,499
    Right, some people are going to exploit things no matter what.

    But the fact is, avoiding crowds is key to slowing the spread of this virus.

    Thanked by 2CharlesW CHGiffen
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Kathy,

    Sticking with your quest for the right metaphor, is indiscriminate execution such as the French Revolutionaries undertook or the Roman army, when it decimated its ranks appropriate?
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 684
    Actually, we are facing an enemy we cannot see, although we can see the effects. The enemy is thought in some camps to be a living organism or in other circles a nonliving group of chemicals spread among the populous by air, contact with infected, or sadly, carelessness. The enemy is ruthless, it has no sense of morality, mercy or compassion and it doesn't care even in the slightest who you are. Scientist can see the virus using their instruments but for the general population we only see the effects.

    The world as a whole has "armed" itself and is attacking the enemy-virus with "weapons" to combat the effects on many different fronts. In a general sense, a declaration of "we are at war" is accurate from a certain point of view. Casualties so far are around ten-thousand world wide, not an insignificant number, but far less than if we had done nothing. We are gaining the upper hand as the number of survivors continues to grow. This is in large part due to the quick thinking of our leaders. Pray for a quick end to the "war" and the eradication of the enemy.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    A thought

    I have heard similar references.

    Could it be that this is a weapon that has been used against us? Is THAT what politicians are referring to? If so, could this be WWIII in its beginning stages?

    Is this the warning of OLOF coming to pass?
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Don,

    That's a fascinating idea you propose. Could the enemy's weapon be subterfuge -- i.e., causing us to work against each other instead of the real threat? If that's correct, then the correct image is COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE. Remove the spy/saboteur, and we win.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,933
    I was just waiting for those conspiracy theories to resurface.
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Charles,

    I'm not engaging in a conspiracy theory. I'm pointing out that our response to this virus has been to separate us from each other, to consider each and every person a potential transmitter. I'm sticking within the idea of a proper metaphor for our response to the wretched nuisance and, seeing the result, working backward to what our operational strategy ought to be: refuse to be divided, refuse to be suspicious of each other, and find the agent provocateur so he can be prevented from completing his mission.
  • a_f_hawkins
    Posts: 3,369
    I don't see that the personification of a virus is helpful, would we do that with a plague of locusts? But intelligence/knowledge would help, starting with testing, and more testing, and proceding to intelligent/rational plans based on that knowledge. And that includes intelligent actions to bolster spiritual health.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,157
    Please, users, when you start a discussion on a non-music topic, select the appropriate topic category. In this case, since it's about a general social topic, "Opinions" seems most fitting.

    My patience with the comments originating from a gnostic mentality is about over.
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 986
    My patience with the comments originating from a gnostic mentality is about over.


    Curious for you to elaborate on this point of gnosticism, if you would be willing to. I was just talking about latter-day Gnosticism with a friend -- interested to know whether we have the same ideas.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,499

    Sorry, I saw General Discussion and thought that was generic enough!
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    Yes please elaborate on the gnostic aspect... not getting that inference
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