The common cold finally defeated...

Well another Christmas and this one was different to any other previous Christmas... in some ways, and yet in others not so much.

The first thing was that two weeks prior I caught some bug, a raised temperature a bit of a dull headache (and I don't get headaches) and a general feeling of tiredness. I was actually sick once as well (sorry to the Emetophobians" amongst you, fortunately no pictures though). Now... I've had this sort of thing before as I'm sure many of us have, and after a couple of days of not feeling that hungry either, the old immune system seemed to have done the trick and I was back on form. 

Now... roll the clock forward and we're approaching Xmas... an invitation to a "gathering" on Xmas eve required some kind of LFT (Lateral flow test) to attend... so that wasn't going to happen... and also a decision about Xmas day needed to be taken as vaccination status came up. Now I believe everyone must take responsibility for their own choices, but I personally was more than happy to stay away from the family dinner if it caused people to be uncomfortable and anxious... 

This however is not the main thrust of this post, just some incidental items that build up the overall atmosphere of where we are at... 

Now... other people around me were also going down sick... whether I was the cause or not, who knows but you know at this time of the year (1) winter (2) people are celebrating and getting together during December (3) people spend more time indoors in the warm where it is easy for bugs to prolificate.

Now in my opinion, this year is no different to any other. Bugs flying around, and people taking a couple of days out to get over the worst, and then take a box of Kleenex (other paper tissue brands are available) and carry on... 

I used to smile at my father who used to ridicule us kids when we interchanged the word "flu" for a "cold" ... he said... you've got a nasty cold... it'll be gone in a week... take something for the headache, drink plenty and be on your way... the difference can be quickly summed up he continued... if you have flu and I tell you there is a £50 note (he said £20 as there were no £50 notes at the time... I've upgraded the value thanks to inflation and excessive money printing ... another issue for another time) outside in the street, and you had flu, you would just lay there and do nothing as you are very ill... if you had a cold, then you'd be outside like a shot. Confirmed by my sister who unlike myself actually got flu and was out of action for 3 weeks!!

When I was working in an office in London... my bosses would be horrified if I took time off for a simple cold... especially if working on a big project... sometimes they would drop work off to complete at home, if necessary, but taking time out was frowned upon and the term "work shy" was bandied around. Now my mum used to say by the time the cold comes out you would have already passed it on for sure. The virus would have been building and consequently highly probable that others would go down with it a few days after you... by the time the bodies immune system kicks in, runny nose, blocked nose, sore throat, headache, possible temperature, the body is tackling the task in hand and may even be winning the battle... so from this point simple hygiene precautions, disposing of paper tissues properly, not breathing over people (or coughing wildly) etc. etc... are common sense and part of how we re-enter community without passing things on to others... 

Sorry for going on about my father, but he also used to say... that no two colds are the same, even the same cold passed on to another may be different as the next person may have a different response to it. For some unfortunate people with potentially underlying conditions a cold might turn into bronchitis or worse still elevate to pneumonia and that gets serious... hospitalisation and death real possibilities, but fortunately compared to the number of cases of the "common cold" these are few and very rare.

He also said (my father) that anyone who could come up with a cure for the common cold would be minted (very wealthy) ... the reason it hasn't happened is... it's a virus a pathogen, not a living germ, and consequently it has an effect by merging with our own cells (if it can get in), replicating and then causing the symptoms we experience. My immunity system will deal with this differently to yours. Fortunately our body's have been here before and over the evolvement of the human being our immune system has become a very capable thing!

1. Anyone with cold / flue symptoms is immediately "covid" (the common cold has been relabelled covid)
2. Testing is ubiquitous because of the boogieman "covid" (any coronavirus has been relabelled covid)
3. Fear is rife, pandemic proportions
4. The common cold is part of the coronavirus family (and they are always mutating)
5. The Vaccines and boosters clearly don't work if everyone is still getting covid (common cold)

My dad was right anyone who could cure the "common cold" would be minted... the word he got wrong in this sentence was "cure" which needs to be replaced with "relabel"... 

Tests (of absolute dubious efficacy for anything) are now almost mandatory (LFT and PCR) ... and ... constant vaccines and boosters have been sold to us to mitigate the severity of covid... and we've bought into this as well... you couldn't make it up!!  ... we have nothing to be frightened of!!

Get this... anyone testing positive needs to isolate for 10 or maybe 7 days... imagine back in the day when I was working in London... I get cold symptoms, take a test, now I'm sent home (and possibly anyone else coming into contact with me goes home too) so I'm off for a week... now there are a lot of people who will be constantly taking tests. Lockdown got us used to being at home for large periods, if I can work from home then all well and good, but if not? ... my point is that running a business is already difficult but with this volatility going on, almost impossible... which is why the success stories are big companies, with huge infrastructure and who can do business without people leaving their homes... Supermarkets, Amazon, Delivery companies... etc.. 

Final Words...

You can draw your own conclusions from this diatribe... but it doesn't look like it ends well until we start to realise what is going on... on an individual level it looks like it is just swapping one thing for another, get stuff delivered, stay at home, become more dependent on the government (and money printing), live in fear and the constant stress of the unseen enemy "covid the latest invisible boogeyman", watch as huge companies drive our local businesses into the dust and we destroy community through division...  

I must admit there is huge respect for those that have engineered this travesty, personally I would never have believed such a massive shift could be achieved in such a short time span... pitting everyone against their fellow man (often inside families) and removing our personal rights often with our willing consent (and support)... 

How we emerge through to the other side, in a future world that works for the majority not just a tiny minority who have orchestrated this (whether willingly or by passive coercion) I do not know... but one thing is for sure... it will be the work of the biggest mosaic of community spirited people (and organisations) to deliver it... no time to waste...