Still have my smallpox scar. That dates me.
Last I looked there were no remaining wild sources for smallpox. Which means what is being protected against is either a massive screw up with one of the few remaining samples or a deliberate use of smallpox.
Humanity spent thousands of years be decimated by smallpox. It took that long to develop the medical science and understanding to fight smallpox. And then it took a concerted effort by millions of people over many years to corral and end the threat of smallpox. It was one of the first, and may still be the best, example of international cooperation and unity.
But here we are talking about smallpox vaccines again.
Which means that there must be a significant chance that this scourge, which we had beat back to only a tiny existence in a few isolated laboratory vials, could get out and all the good work could be undone.
There is something very wrong with humanity when we can defeat a disease that has killed millions but it remains a threat because our appetite for destruction exceeds our humanity. To think that hate and the desire to harm others could be so strong that anyone would let this chained monster out of its confinement thinking they are somehow making the world a better place.
Are we that inherently short-sighted and self-destructive that anyone would risk their own children and their children's children in an attempt to harm someone else. Are we that screwed up as a species?
Evidently someone thinks so. Or there would be no vaccine to talk about.
If we are so bent that this is a realistic enough risk to manufacture a vaccine exactly what is the point of survival? Hurts my head the think about it. Perhaps by rights we deserve to die. Another in a long list of evolutionary dead-ends. The old joke is after man is gone the bacteria washes ashore and thinks: 'This time no brains'.
We used to be happy-go-lucky apes living on the edge of existence. Every day a gift. But we have become vicious, self-destructive, arrogant creatures so in love with our abstractions that we are perfectly willing to visit death, destruction, even possible extinction on ourselves on the off chance we might advance our favored ideology and tribal group. We are so smart but so very stupid.
Used to be I would have a stiff drink and get laid after contemplating such revolting turns. The turtle brain has wisdom the upper brain lacks. After a time it would all make sense again. Makes me regret giving up drinking and chasing skirts. Perhaps some sleep will have me right again. Couldn't hurt I guess. Have to fill the time until the asteroid gets here anyway ...
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