Quarantine, masks, & testing aren’t a sustainable solution because viruses are constantly evolving.
Books like The Selfish Gene and the Red Queen illustrate how the battle between large organisms and infectious microorganisms is a never-ending arms race that forces evolution of our immune system.
When covid-19 returns, or the next virus with a (debatably) high mortality rate, if we run and hide it only delays the fight. We have to face and fight with one of our greatest tools: our immune system.
The 1968 Hong Kong flu, which was more deadly (100k US deaths) than covid, elicited a response from our government that was essentially: "hey guys, be careful".
If we really insist on a massive government intervention for every new outbreak, there are other options besides quarantines and masks. Here are a few actions the government could take for the specific purpose of bolstering our immune systems during the next outbreak:
Subsidies for healthy habits:
Fruits and vegetables
Outdoor activity (visits to national parks)
Health club memberships & fitness classes
Mental health treatment, in-person or digital like AiME
Encourage reduction of unhealthy behaviors by increasing taxes on:
Tobacco products & alcohol
Fast food & junk food
A hard cap on work-hours per week for workers: 45
We can take steps to get our nation healthy enough to fight pandemics at the ground level without devastating our way of life.
The “Textpert Teaser” series of blog posts is designed to give quick insights, opinions and advice related to A.I., tech, mental health and productivity (~125 words)