Week 37.
Electile dysfunction. I don’t want to discuss it. Really.
Even in the allegedly less civilized time of the Roman Empire, though his reign was characterized by rampant corruption, profligacy and terror, when the Emperor Diocletian’s time came, he retired to a simple life of farming and raising cabbages.
Would that we could expect such behaviour these past two weeks. Instead, we are witness to the groundless, incoherent raving of a petulant child in man’s clothing. About cheating and unfairness. Who won’t just take his ball and go home. Who won’t admit it is time for the cabbages.
Worse still however, is the shock and surprise many Americans profess that he would behave this way. The nerve. To be shocked and surprised, when Trump explicitly and repeatedly told everyone he would behave in just this way, you would have to have been blind and deaf since 2016. Which, in hindsight, may have been a godsend. What would be “shocking and surprising” is if we found out, now, that Trump can play the cello.
Regardless, it is time. Time to get on to the next phase of this ridiculous soap opera: concession, followed by criminal proceedings, which - if the U.S. District Attorney for New York gets his way - will be followed by Trump, for the first time in his life, completing a sentence.
The new provincial lockdown announced yesterday. I don’t want to discuss that either. Really.
It’s depressing that we are further imperilling the economic and cultural life of Toronto instead of focussing over the past weeks on: (1) aggressive protection of the vulnerable in old age and retirement homes, hospitals and shelters; and (2) aggressive enforcement in those areas known to be the centres of COVID misconduct. In Toronto, that’s the extreme northeast and northwest of the City. Publicly-announced charges, major fines, jail sentences and long-term closure of hosting venues should have been the approach. Should have. Could have.
The present is thoroughly dispiriting.
Looking past it, to something I do want to discuss, there is much urging from commentators and politicians at all levels that we look optimistically to the future. To the redesign of our homes, cities and economies. Presumably with the aid of our money. Which, inconveniently, they have forgotten they have already spent. Elder Advice does not advise that we ignore this urging entirely, after all, we will never again have this much time on our hands to reflect and plan. But we need to think locally. About projects that matter to those closest to us, both in terms of relationships and geography. Changes that help relatives and friends, neighbours and local communities. Changes that involve volunteers, and little or no public cost. That can be overseen by local government, neighbourhoods, community groups and churches. Thousands upon thousands of small, valuable, local projects. Added benefit – we may finally become familiar enough with our near neighbours to be able to pick them out of a police line-up. Because a famously disturbing British survey found that a third of us cannot.
Looking ahead myself, I purchased a new iPhone last week. Because 2021, my calendar advises, is a year when I will need to have another colonoscopy.
Stay with me.
My expectation is that, with COVID’s acceleration of technology-enabled remote diagnostics, by 2021 there will be an app for that. Meaning we will be able to perform a colonoscopy ourselves, simply by downloading the app and then inserting the phone directly into our …
I declined the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which is the size of a paperback. I chose instead the iPhone ES, with the small screen. And, equally important, the smooth, rounded corners.
Because, as you would expect from a wise elder who dispenses sound advice, I am always looking ahead … and also behind.