Michael Varga's Blog: Michael's Blog
October 9, 2014
It's Not The Disease, It's the Stigma....
October 5, 2014
It’s Not the Disease, It’s the Stigma….
Some people are reacting with extreme opinions about what Ebola means for the United States. Some are saying we should ban all travelers from Africa. Others are advocating quarantine for anyone suspected of carrying the virus.
Our global village can no longer stop residents from moving from one corner to another. The Great Wall of China is a remnant of old-world thinking. Travel happens, and little will impede the flow of persons across borders, over time zones, into nations who believe they can keep the metaphorical finger in the dike.
As with HIV and AIDS, it’s not the disease so much but the stigma that prevents people from getting the kind of care that could limit the expansion of the infected area. When we teach people that they will be deprived of freedoms, should they become infected, it creates the disincentive for seeking care. When no one wants to reveal that they may be infected, that secrecy inflames the potential for the infection to spread exponentially, widely, beyond any borders, beyond any limits. What is locked in secrecy has the power to kill.
The best thing we can do is show empathy for those who may be infected, help them to receive the care currently available, and keep encouraging scientists and researchers to continue working on finding cures and treatments. The compassionate way is to fight the growing stigma that arises when low-information individuals proclaim “it’s us versus them.”
It’s Not the Disease, It’s the Stigma….
Some people are reacting with extreme opinions about what Ebola means for the United States. Some are saying we should ban all travelers from Africa. Others are advocating quarantine for anyone suspected of carrying the virus.
Our global village can no longer stop residents from moving from one corner to another. The Great Wall of China is a remnant of old-world thinking. Travel happens, and little will impede the flow of persons across borders, over time zones, into nations who believe they can keep the metaphorical finger in the dike.
As with HIV and AIDS, it’s not the disease so much but the stigma that prevents people from getting the kind of care that could limit the expansion of the infected area. When we teach people that they will be deprived of freedoms, should they become infected, it creates the disincentive for seeking care. When no one wants to reveal that they may be infected, that secrecy inflames the potential for the infection to spread exponentially, widely, beyond any borders, beyond any limits. What is locked in secrecy has the power to kill.
The best thing we can do is show empathy for those who may be infected, help them to receive the care currently available, and keep encouraging scientists and researchers to continue working on finding cures and treatments. The compassionate way is to fight the growing stigma that arises when low-information individuals proclaim “it’s us versus them.”
September 2, 2014
Saint Joseph, The Home Seller
August 28, 2014
Saint Joseph, The Home seller
In the 1700s in Europe, communities of nuns appealed to Saint Joseph to help them find land for a convent. They did this because in the New Testament, Joseph—the carpenter father of Jesus and husband of Mary—had to move multiple times to protect his divine son. Joseph knew something about moving, and especially moving under pressure.
Thus, the nuns felt Saint Joseph was a good saint to pray to in securing their next home. They would bury a Saint Joseph medal in the ground and ask for God’s blessing. Over time, the tradition changed to burying a statue instead of a medal. Thus sprang a belief—common among some Catholics even today—that when you are selling a home, one way to secure God’s blessing and make it happen quickly is to bury a Saint Joseph
statue on the property. (One of the oddities about this belief is that you’re supposed to bury the Saint Joseph statue upside down!)
Of course, many people doubt that such actions have anything to do with reality. But faith is built on belief. And belief often has little connection to what may be deemed rational. I can attest that my sister—who recently put her house up for sale—was able to
secure a contract quickly after she buried Saint Joseph right under the “For Sale” sign. Cause and effect? It’s all about what you believe is true. Next time you’re thinking about moving, maybe you’ll want Saint Joseph’s help.
________________________________________________________________
August 18, 2014
Following The Bourbon Trail in Kentucky
An old friend from high school had on his bucket list to do “The Bourbon Trail” in Kentucky. Although I have enjoyed bourbon for much of my life, I had never heard of “doing” The Bourbon Trail and was intrigued by what it might mean. Here’s what the Kentucky Distillers’ Association says about it:
“In 1999, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association formed the Kentucky Bourbon
Trail® tour to give visitors a firsthand look at the art and science of crafting
Bourbon, and to educate them about the rich history and proud tradition of the
state’s signature spirit.
It began in the 1700s with the first settlers of Kentucky. Like most farmers and frontiersmen, they found that getting crops to market over narrow trails and steep mountains was a daunting task.
They soon learned that converting corn and other grains to whiskey made them
easily transportable, prevented the excess grain from simply rotting, and gave them some welcome diversion from the rough life of the frontier.”
My friend and I were issued bourbon passports at the first distillery we visited, and then at each distillery (of 7 in total) our passports were stamped, showing that we had “traveled” to each location. After the final distillery, we presented our passports at an
office and were given t-shirts noting our accomplishment. The t-shirts proclaim “Kentucky’s Mash Appeal.”
It was fun touring Kentucky, a state I hadn’t known much about. And being able to sample bourbon along the way made it that much more of a relaxed journey. If you have an interest in bourbon, or enjoy drinking bourbon, I encourage you to think about doing The Bourbon Trail. You’ll learn why bourbon is called bourbon, and other useless facts.
Which could prove important if you’re ever a contestant on Jeopardy….
________________________________________________________________
August 12, 2014
Robin Williams Saw The Ordinary in Life and Made It Extraordinary
Although he starred in many movies, for me Robin Williams was never better than as the teacher, Mr. John Keating, in Dead Poets Society. It was a role that allowed him to play off all of those eccentricities that he brought to any performance, but which was striking
in matching the parallel message of a film that said, “Beware the pressures of
conforming. They’ll stifle the life right out of you.”
In every appearance, Robin Williams seemed to sense where an audience was expecting him to go, and he would deliberately land in an entirely different location. And the audience generally loved where he took them. In life he seemed very much like Mr. Keating from that movie: just as he told the boys in Dead Poets Society to stand on the teacher’s desk to get that enhanced perspective on the ordinary in life, he seemed to coax all of us to see something else, to see what others may have missed.
There is always sadness at the passing of another. But when we lose someone like Williams who seemed to have a keen ear for how language could be twisted to make us hear something fresh, who could scrunch his face into an almost unrecognizable bowl of Jello, we know that we have lost someone with that rare gift of helping us see life through
a different prism. He didn’t believe in conformity. He lived a life that was singular. Going forward without him, if we recognize that each day that passes when we don’t step out of what is ordinary and do something else—carpe diem—we have missed an opportunity to
shine.
________________________________________________________________
August 3, 2014
The Convergence of the Twain: Africa and the rest of us
The sight of an American, stricken with the Ebola virus, transported back to the U.S. for care has reminded many Americans that Africa is part of our world, much as many of us might choose to ignore it. The decision by the Peace Corps to evacuate Peace Corps
Volunteers from some of the affected nations reminded even more American families that their sons and daughters abroad are at some risk in venturing to Africa to help with development projects.
It is an odd confluence of events this week, when President Obama will host African heads of state in a summit meeting to discuss improving trade ties and enhancing development on the African continent. Of course, there are the lame brains like Donald Trump who tweet out fear and hysteria over treating the Ebola victims in the United States. If Trump spent any time at the village level in any African country, he would know that those patients are best served by placing them in an environment where they can receive the best care the latest technology can provide. That’s not the case in much of Africa.
The Centers for Disease Control has committed to sending an additional 50 experts to the region to assist in trying to stem the spread of the Ebola virus. One of the saddest results of the outbreak is that many doctors—in a region starved for doctors—have been
the first to succumb to the virus. When there is a shortage of trained medical personnel, some Africans resort to medicine men and sorcerers (and other nontraditional means) to challenge illness. Although I saw firsthand in Chad spells work miraculously, Ebola will demand a more coordinated, integrated, science-based approach for Africa—and for us—to win this battle.
Saint Joseph, The Home seller
In the 1700s in Europe, communities of nuns appealed to Saint Joseph to help them find land for a convent. They did this because in the New Testament, Joseph—the carpenter father of Jesus and husband of Mary—had to move multiple times to protect his divine son. Joseph knew something about moving, and especially moving under pressure.
Thus, the nuns felt Saint Joseph was a good saint to pray to in securing their next home. They would bury a Saint Joseph medal in the ground and ask for God’s blessing. Over time, the tradition changed to burying a statue instead of a medal. Thus sprang a belief—common among some Catholics even today—that when you are selling a home, one way to secure God’s blessing and make it happen quickly is to bury a Saint Joseph
statue on the property. (One of the oddities about this belief is that you’re supposed to bury the Saint Joseph statue upside down!)
Of course, many people doubt that such actions have anything to do with reality. But faith is built on belief. And belief often has little connection to what may be deemed rational. I can attest that my sister—who recently put her house up for sale—was able to
secure a contract quickly after she buried Saint Joseph right under the “For Sale” sign. Cause and effect? It’s all about what you believe is true. Next time you’re thinking about moving, maybe you’ll want Saint Joseph’s help.
________________________________________________________________
August 18, 2014
Following The Bourbon Trail in Kentucky
An old friend from high school had on his bucket list to do “The Bourbon Trail” in Kentucky. Although I have enjoyed bourbon for much of my life, I had never heard of “doing” The Bourbon Trail and was intrigued by what it might mean. Here’s what the Kentucky Distillers’ Association says about it:
“In 1999, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association formed the Kentucky Bourbon
Trail® tour to give visitors a firsthand look at the art and science of crafting
Bourbon, and to educate them about the rich history and proud tradition of the
state’s signature spirit.
It began in the 1700s with the first settlers of Kentucky. Like most farmers and frontiersmen, they found that getting crops to market over narrow trails and steep mountains was a daunting task.
They soon learned that converting corn and other grains to whiskey made them
easily transportable, prevented the excess grain from simply rotting, and gave them some welcome diversion from the rough life of the frontier.”
My friend and I were issued bourbon passports at the first distillery we visited, and then at each distillery (of 7 in total) our passports were stamped, showing that we had “traveled” to each location. After the final distillery, we presented our passports at an
office and were given t-shirts noting our accomplishment. The t-shirts proclaim “Kentucky’s Mash Appeal.”
It was fun touring Kentucky, a state I hadn’t known much about. And being able to sample bourbon along the way made it that much more of a relaxed journey. If you have an interest in bourbon, or enjoy drinking bourbon, I encourage you to think about doing The Bourbon Trail. You’ll learn why bourbon is called bourbon, and other useless facts.
Which could prove important if you’re ever a contestant on Jeopardy….
________________________________________________________________
August 12, 2014
Robin Williams Saw The Ordinary in Life and Made It Extraordinary
Although he starred in many movies, for me Robin Williams was never better than as the teacher, Mr. John Keating, in Dead Poets Society. It was a role that allowed him to play off all of those eccentricities that he brought to any performance, but which was striking
in matching the parallel message of a film that said, “Beware the pressures of
conforming. They’ll stifle the life right out of you.”
In every appearance, Robin Williams seemed to sense where an audience was expecting him to go, and he would deliberately land in an entirely different location. And the audience generally loved where he took them. In life he seemed very much like Mr. Keating from that movie: just as he told the boys in Dead Poets Society to stand on the teacher’s desk to get that enhanced perspective on the ordinary in life, he seemed to coax all of us to see something else, to see what others may have missed.
There is always sadness at the passing of another. But when we lose someone like Williams who seemed to have a keen ear for how language could be twisted to make us hear something fresh, who could scrunch his face into an almost unrecognizable bowl of Jello, we know that we have lost someone with that rare gift of helping us see life through
a different prism. He didn’t believe in conformity. He lived a life that was singular. Going forward without him, if we recognize that each day that passes when we don’t step out of what is ordinary and do something else—carpe diem—we have missed an opportunity to
shine.
________________________________________________________________
August 3, 2014
The Convergence of the Twain: Africa and the rest of us
The sight of an American, stricken with the Ebola virus, transported back to the U.S. for care has reminded many Americans that Africa is part of our world, much as many of us might choose to ignore it. The decision by the Peace Corps to evacuate Peace Corps
Volunteers from some of the affected nations reminded even more American families that their sons and daughters abroad are at some risk in venturing to Africa to help with development projects.
It is an odd confluence of events this week, when President Obama will host African heads of state in a summit meeting to discuss improving trade ties and enhancing development on the African continent. Of course, there are the lame brains like Donald Trump who tweet out fear and hysteria over treating the Ebola victims in the United States. If Trump spent any time at the village level in any African country, he would know that those patients are best served by placing them in an environment where they can receive the best care the latest technology can provide. That’s not the case in much of Africa.
The Centers for Disease Control has committed to sending an additional 50 experts to the region to assist in trying to stem the spread of the Ebola virus. One of the saddest results of the outbreak is that many doctors—in a region starved for doctors—have been
the first to succumb to the virus. When there is a shortage of trained medical personnel, some Africans resort to medicine men and sorcerers (and other nontraditional means) to challenge illness. Although I saw firsthand in Chad spells work miraculously, Ebola will demand a more coordinated, integrated, science-based approach for Africa—and for us—to win this battle.
