Lockdown Stress

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Kim OHara
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by Kim OHara »

Sam Vara wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 4:14 pm ... One current advantage of being a dog owner is that I always have a stash of doggie poo bags which I can use as a makeshift glove to push buttons and operate door handles etc. No risk to me, or to anyone else.

OK, it's a single-use plastic bag, but don't tell them on DWE...
:guns:

:rofl:

Seriously - use it on the door handle, turn it inside out as you put it away when you've done that, then use it for doggie doo as usual. It will magically have become a dual-use plastic bag - still not great environmentally, but no worse than single-use.

:coffee:
Kim
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Sam Vara
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by Sam Vara »

Kim OHara wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 10:19 pm
Sam Vara wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 4:14 pm ... One current advantage of being a dog owner is that I always have a stash of doggie poo bags which I can use as a makeshift glove to push buttons and operate door handles etc. No risk to me, or to anyone else.

OK, it's a single-use plastic bag, but don't tell them on DWE...
:guns:

:rofl:

Seriously - use it on the door handle, turn it inside out as you put it away when you've done that, then use it for doggie doo as usual. It will magically have become a dual-use plastic bag - still not great environmentally, but no worse than single-use.

:coffee:
Kim
Turning it inside out would mean putting my hand into the potentially Corona-infected inside of the bag in order to deal with the canine aspect of the process. Luckily, we get the biodegradable bags, so single use is probably justified here.

I'm working on a super-smart solution, which is to get the dog to open the door with her nose. Dogs are immune from the virus, and she licks her nose a lot so wouldn't pass it on to humans. :twothumbsup:
SarathW
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by SarathW »

I did shopping the other day.
Assuming the good are contaminated I tried to unpack and store them avoiding the virus.
I found it is an impossible task.
Even if I use a rubber glove won't help.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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No_Mind
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Location: India

Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by No_Mind »

Bundokji wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 1:13 pm Interestingly, usually the best antidote to OCD is to encounter what you are afraid of. For example, gramophobes can be treated by getting them to deal with something they perceive as "dirty". When OCD becomes a public policy, it does not only cause stress to individuals who suffer from OCD, but to individuals who perceive the nature of OCD as self-fulfilling and find no virtues in being obsessed.
I have investigated the cause of my stress. My OCD is more about a disorderly home than anything else like germs etc. It is present but it is not disabling.

What I think is OCD is something else - everywhere in the world the administration has no grip and this a situation in complete flux. The chaos is manifesting itself as OCD-like feelings.

I know that control is an illusion, I am not at all afraid of falling ill or dying, but I am unable to come to terms with every government being frozen (every) and imposing something like lockdown which has no successful precedence, no case study.

It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.

It has not come to that. But it could turn to that in less than six weeks. 95 million live in my province of West Bengal. Only 9 have died (between 5 and 9). That is less than 1 death per million. But at least 4 million are going to starve due to unemployment soon.

In fact no government or task force is being able to define - why lockdown? Why can't compulsory masks + social distancing + request to people to not leave home except on essential business work? How can we be sure that after a eight week lockdown there won't be a resurgence.

I know that at slightest sign of rioting every country would put 100,000 troops on the ground and save innocent people but that does not mean society would survive intact.

Here 140 million jobs are projected to be lost in next two months. It is truly unprecedented. I know humans deserved it. But ..

:namaste:
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
MettaDevPrac
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by MettaDevPrac »

My friend pokes elevator buttons with keys; uses his shoe'd foot to push open doors; avoids touching door knobs and handles except with a tissue, paper towel, bag, or glove. Now, this behavior is fashionable, noted as clever and thoughtful.

I haven't eaten a salad or raw vegetable in months. I recognize some craving; but maybe that will go away once I start taking the multi-vitamins I was given.

COVID-19 humor https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/ ... e-weekend/
My favorite: the New Siracha Hand Sanitizer
- MettaDevPrac
Bundokji
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by Bundokji »

No_Mind wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:01 pm I have investigated the cause of my stress. My OCD is more about a disorderly home than anything else like germs etc. It is present but it is not disabling.

What I think is OCD is something else - everywhere in the world the administration has no grip and that it is a situation in complete flux. And this chaos is manifesting itself as OCD-like feelings.

I know that control is an illusion, I am not at all afraid of falling ill or dying, but I am unable to come to terms with every government being frozen (every) and imposing something like lockdown which has no successful precedence, no case study.

It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.

It has not come to that. But it could turn to that in less than six weeks. 95 million live in my province of West Bengal. Only 9 have died (between 5 and 9). That is less than 1 death per million. But at least 4 million are going to starve due to unemployment soon.

In fact no government or task force is being able to define - why lockdown? Why can't compulsory masks + social distancing + request to people to not leave home except on essential business work? How can we be sure that after a eight week lockdown there won't be a resurgence.

I know that at slightest sign of rioting every country would put 100,000 troops on the ground and save innocent people but that does not mean society would survive intact.

Here 140 million jobs are projected to be lost in next two months. It is truly unprecedented. I know humans deserved it. But ..

:namaste:
The unemployment rate in my country before the current crisis was 19% and only Buddha knows how high it will reach under the current measures. We do have strong family values where people lean on their relatives when help is needed, but even this might not work when the majority become jobless.

What saddens me is that when collective fear is on the rise, government officials become idolized by the majority of people. The health minister where i live currently have the status of a hero, the savior of the masses, and i ve heard that women on social media began to fall in love with him, describing how handsome he is (you have to see how he looks!) in a sad show of public masochism considering how this begets more sadism. Civil law is currently suspended under the name of "defense orders" hinting that we are heading towards a martial law.

The current measures helped keep confirmed cases relatively low for the time being (less than 400 nationwide) but when this romantic period begins to subside and when people get back to work and infection rates begin to skyrocket, the damage on both the economy and health will be difficult to mitigate and social unrest becomes a very likely possibility.

In the ordinary case of an OCD, the individual is taught to recognize it as a private mental state and not to generalize it by virtue of giving it an unappealing name! Nowadays, the public are encouraged to be anxious, describing this state of affairs as sane and necessary.

We are taught at a very young age to hide aspects of ourselves from the public eye, beginning with teaching us how to defecate in the privacy of toilets. This veil of civility gives rise to the public perception of purity and attractiveness, but when public life itself becomes a public toilet, the defining line of what is a personal choice and public health hazard becomes increasingly unclear.

What remains unchanged in my view is that what we consider as "the gift of knowledge" has always been a poisoned gift. Our worldly knowledge always presents itself as a solution to a problem until itself becomes a problem, such as in the case of COVID-19. In my culture, people believe that God's wisdom of not letting us know how we are going to die is a gift, until the God's of our new age (the so-called scientists) believe otherwise.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
binocular
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by binocular »

SarathW wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 11:10 pmI did shopping the other day.
Assuming the good are contaminated I tried to unpack and store them avoiding the virus.
I found it is an impossible task.
Even if I use a rubber glove won't help.
I created a makeshift quarantene for groceries (and my clothes) in the attick. I've assigned several big cardboard boxes for the new groceries, in which I let the groceries sit for preferrably a week. Items that can be washed (such as canned goods), I wash when I bring them home. Items that can be exposed to the sun, I put on the balcony where the sun shines on them for several hours.

- - -
MettaDevPrac wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:32 pmMy friend pokes elevator buttons with keys; uses his shoe'd foot to push open doors; avoids touching door knobs and handles except with a tissue, paper towel, bag, or glove.
I've always done that anyway. Also, I've been using my own shopping bag for years, long before it became fashionable, so that I don't have to touch shopping baskets and carts in the store.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
binocular
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by binocular »

Bundokji wrote: Wed Apr 08, 2020 8:13 pmTrue. And yet, negotiating what is reasonable in certain contexts is the measure of worldly sanity.
For as long as I can remember, in hospitals, health clinics, bathrooms in shopping malls, schools, and factories, there have been posters instructing people on the standards of hygiene they are supposed to keep. For decades, medical professionals have been advising the standards of hygiene that they advise now. What makes those standards seem so extreme now is that they are now mandated by government decree.

It's not like the world was a safe place before this corona situation. One can always get hepatitis, viral or bacterial diarrhea, tuberculosis, internal parasites, etc. due to poor hygiene in public spaces. Some of those "ordinary, regular" threats are actually more dangerous than corona.
Last edited by binocular on Fri Apr 10, 2020 9:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
binocular
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by binocular »

Bundokji wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 1:01 pmThe unemployment rate in my country before the current crisis was 19% and only Buddha knows how high it will reach under the current measures. We do have strong family values where people lean on their relatives when help is needed, but even this might not work when the majority become jobless.
What I find most worrisome is that the economies of so many countries are so weak that a 14 or 30 day hiatus in business could do serious damage to them or even collapse them. This indicates that they have been operating on the margins of economical viability and have grossly insufficient reserves. And this is the actual problem, not corona, or the panic around it, or the lockdowns.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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mikenz66
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi No Mind,
No_Mind wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:01 pm It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.
We get little news about India here, but what we do get is very distressing. I hope it is not as bad as you fear.
:anjali:
Mike
SarathW
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by SarathW »

mikenz66 wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2020 12:31 am Hi No Mind,
No_Mind wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:01 pm It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.
We get little news about India here, but what we do get is very distressing. I hope it is not as bad as you fear.
:anjali:
Mike
Places like India and Pakistan people live on day today.
It is petty that America is trying to protect democracy but did not help the largest democracy in the world India.
These countries like Sri Lanka are now turning towards China as they were exploited but neglected for such a long time.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
sentinel
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by sentinel »

About countries lacking of reserves,
not that this is something new . Of course lacking of reserves was always due to mismanagement of the country and continuous corruptions . Look at Singapore reserves , i dont think that they are worrying on their reserves or economic development but rather the sustainable development . The economical sustainability are at risk at present time .
Last edited by sentinel on Sun Apr 12, 2020 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
You always gain by giving
MettaDevPrac
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by MettaDevPrac »

SarathW wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:45 am
mikenz66 wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2020 12:31 am Hi No Mind,
No_Mind wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:01 pm It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.
We get little news about India here, but what we do get is very distressing. I hope it is not as bad as you fear.
:anjali:
Mike
Places like India and Pakistan people live on day today.
It is petty that America is trying to protect democracy but did not help the largest democracy in the world India.
These countries like Sri Lanka are now turning towards China as they were exploited but neglected for such a long time.
The current US president does not seem to be a fan of democracy, seems xenophobic, and has seemed to deliberately damage all US foreign relations except with Russia. He is long known as an outspoken isolationist. And his administration has done something unprecedented in American politics: fired experienced professionals who have served multiple administrations under both parties, not filled vacancies, and ended or ignored commitments of the US to other countries or agencies. He is even using political favoritism and his own aversion to meddle in transfars of needed covid-19 medical equipment to states and cities.

This too shall pass.
- MettaDevPrac
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mikenz66
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Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi Sarath
SarathW wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2020 1:45 am
mikenz66 wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2020 12:31 am Hi No Mind,
No_Mind wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:01 pm It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.
We get little news about India here, but what we do get is very distressing. I hope it is not as bad as you fear.
:anjali:
Mike
Places like India and Pakistan people live on day today.
It is petty that America is trying to protect democracy but did not help the largest democracy in the world India.
These countries like Sri Lanka are now turning towards China as they were exploited but neglected for such a long time.
I hope you are going OK too!

:heart:
Mike
binocular
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Joined: Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:13 pm

Re: Lockdown Stress

Post by binocular »

mikenz66 wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2020 12:31 am
No_Mind wrote: Thu Apr 09, 2020 12:01 pm It is the chaos that is so disorienting. I might not die due to Covid-19. I might be dead because I have three kilos of rice in my home and a kilo of potato.
We get little news about India here, but what we do get is very distressing. I hope it is not as bad as you fear.
For comparison:
Mormons believe that one should have financial and other reserves for at least 2 years. For 2 years!
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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