The recent movie War of the Worlds ends when the aliens end up dying off to some bug or virus we have floating around here on earth. Voice over at the end by Morgan Freeman, who explains that humans have earned the right to the earth by living through the viruses and bugs. I loved that ending.
All the germophobes of the world should be made to watch that scene. Germs make you strong and tough. Anybody with a child is familiar with the endless cycle of illnesses that your kids bring home when they start school or day care. They get colds, flus, pink eye, ear infections and every other bug imaginable. Then gradually they build up their immunities and are fine.
Now they've got some new fangled chicken pox vaccine. Not only do I think that it's the sissy way out, I think that you're messing with the natural order of things. I get a funny feeling like something is going to backfire with us trying to avoid a common childhood illness.
But back to germophobes. What got me thinking about this is public restrooms. I believe the majority of women are squatters or liners. Squatters hover above the toilet and liners place toilet paper along the seat. I have no issues with that. If you really are worried about the germs on the seat, whatever. Here's my issue with most squatters and liners. They generally leave a mess for the next person. They pee all over the seat and don't wipe it up or they leave their paper dangling over the side of the seat, half in and half out of the toilet. They really don't care that the person using the stall after them has to clean up after them in order to use the toilet.
Years back I was discussing this with my sister and received a shock when I learned that not only is she a squatter (no surprise) but there is this whole other breed out there that flushes the toilet with their foot. WHAT??? You take your foot that has been walking around on the bathroom floor and use it on a handle? Handles are meant for hands. Thanks a lot. For years I have been flushing toilets with my hand after you paranoid footflushers have gunked it all up. Thank goodness I go straight to the sink and wash my hands.... but then I negate that by not opening the door with a paper towel, according to my sister.
So I will continue to take my chances. Eat a piece of candy that has fallen on the floor, sit on toilet seats and a myriad of other dangerous behaviours. Maybe it explains why I rarely catch any of the bugs that are floating around. My immune system is tried and true.
I'll take my chances right along with you Thinker.
ReplyDeleteParents that all but enclose their children in bubble wrap think they are being superior care-givers,when in fact all they're doing is raising little weaklings that are going to curl up and die the first time they're exposed to the usual viruses and such.
We thrived for thousands of years before Lysol was invented..
An engineer friend and I came up with the idea of a "Kid Ball". Think of a gerbil ball only kid sized. Huge market we thought. And remember when kids actually hung out in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteThe world was our oyster back then wasn't it..
ReplyDeleteAs long as we were home by suppertime,mom didn't have to bother all that much with where we were,as long as we weren't trackin' mud through the house.
Gone after lunch - be back when the streetlights come on. Heaven.
ReplyDeleteTwo more bathroom concerns to tease me about. I refuse to use bar soap. YUCK! Also, toilet paper rolls not on a holder. Even more YUCK! I would avoid public restrooms all together if it were an option.
ReplyDeleteAs far as other germs, bring 'em on. My immune system is impenetrable after teaching little kids for 15 years. It's just the bathroom ones that get to me.
Soap is soap for God's sake. It's clean by definition.
ReplyDeleteI am in good company...I know my family history way back on all sides to the 1840's...not one person ever died from measles, chickenpox, mumps and the ordinary diseases we all had as kids. Mine were never vaccinated against the above...but many of their friends were...many of the vaccinations contain heavy doses of mercury...and live virisus...
ReplyDeleteI have a younger sister who had a love of playing in the chookyard..and eating their pellets next to them...healthy as a horse. A week after a vaccination she was hospitalised ith excema so bad she had to have her little hands gloved and tied...and a week after this came the first asthma attack...now a lifetime thing...if the clean freaks only knew what shit was in the fancy toys and prefab foods they give these kids, or if they cared to know...and did something about it, let them get dirty all of that we would have a stronger lot coming up behind. Its a crime against our kids and grand kids that this is being forced upon them...one of my pet hates...i have a few...must be becomming a grumpy old woman
MC - I tend to believe that nature has the best plan in the end and the more we mess around with the complex and grand scheme that is life, the more likely we are to muck the whole thing up.
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