Man as Machine
I had thoughts of “The Matrix” running through my mind much of the day. Covid-19 cases are surging in my region. We are at levels again that are the same as when the shutdown occurred with levels expected to continue upward. But, the “powers-that-be” at the U and in the K-12community and in the community are turning a blind eye to this reality and chugging onward and forward. We, in my neck of the woods need to shut back down.
If we shut back down, as far as my work... I would still be a cyborg.... but it would be easier to be a cyborg..... I would not have to do ~1/2 of my load face-to-face..... AND still provide for the quarantined students an “alternative”. I could instead devote all my time to making the best on-line stuff I could.
The 1/2 I do have that is fully on-line is running predictably.... students who are quarantined and students who are not, receive the same educational effort.... and it is only one effort. It is hard, it is damn hard..... but a lot less damn hard than providing DOUBLE the lessons of “face-to-face” and online simultaneously.
If I get Covid-19.... my age puts me at risk. If I gave up my beloved pipes.... for 32 months now..... to die of Covid-19.... what an utter waste of my time this was.
PipeTobacco
8 Comments:
Smoke 'em if you got 'em I say! Just kidding. Your age may be a risk, but with all that running you do, your lungs and the rest of your body is strong!
It is a huge demand on you at this moment. I can't imagine.
Kind sir, if the purpose of giving up your pipes is merely to avoid other problems, I submit that the problems you have GAINED from abstaining are greater than the problems you have solved. Maybe (or maybe not, ask Tony Benn who lived to 88 or Bertrand Russell who lived to 97) your abstaining will give you an extra month or two of life, but is that month or two worth all the grief you have experienced? If so, then soldier on, as you seem to have the will and resolve to do so. But, if not, don't be upset at yourself if at some point you decide that abandoning your past (life-long association with pipe smokers and smoking) is a worthwhile trade for an uncertain future.
As a Roman Catholic, how much value do you place on each added day of mortal life, vs. the quality of each day in preparing you for eternity? If you were an atheist materialist, I could imagine making all sorts of sacrifices to gain one more day before oblivion. But as a Roman Catholic, doesn't the quality of each day also factor into your decisions? If you can honestly say that the quality of each pipe-free day exceeds the quality of your earlier pipeful times, then that realization should give you more strength to continue abstaining. But if your decision has mostly brought sufferings of various sorts, then either offer up those sufferings as part of your spiritual growth, or light up a pipe and enjoy the communion with your father and others before you.
Meanwhile, if you are feeling like a machine, consider that some creative folks have built pipe smoking machines, like this one.
Anything you can do (or not do) to keep yourself healthy is worth it.
Pat:
Your points are well taken. I am thinking about them deeply as I ruminate on a potential return to the pipe smoking fold.
The pipe smoking machine however.... while it made me laugh.... if I had one myself, I would only feel jealousy towards the machine, I believe. :)
I do indeed hope so, but better yet I hope to avoid the damnable Covid-19 until I am vaccinated.
I am “ok” with doing work to make things better.... but the Achilles heel is that most of my time is spent fussing around with the damn mouse doing IT crap and not really making content..... the IT stuff is what is exhausting to the extreme.
I am TRYING as best as I can figure out how to do.... the right things.
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