Out of Proportion

C.J. Taylor
May 21, 2009
Filed under Archives

Let’s face it. We all blow things out of proportion every now and then, but there are some things that just need to not be seen as something they aren’t. A prime example of this is swine flu. Swine flu is a disease that infects the lungs and has been infecting humans as far back as 1918 (news.bbc.co.uk).

Many people assume that swine flu is some new genetic virus that has just recently come on the scene, but a look back at history suggests that the first case of swine flu was way back in 1918, and again in Asia in 1957 (news.bbc.co.uk). Since then it has supposedly resurfaced in Mexico, and when a few people died from it and the regular flu vaccine didn’t protect against it, swine flu was labeled the world’s new pandemic. This has been blown up so much that schools are closing for many days and even weeks (news.bbc.co.uk).

But in actuality the swine flu is no different than the regular flu, and the regular flu has killed more people than swine flu. The symptoms are different though. It’s not really the disease that has people scared; it’s the fact that the flu vaccine doesn’t cure it. People now rely so much on shots and drugs to cure every affliction they have and no one ever wants to go back to the old days where mom brought you some chicken soup and a sandwich and you had to drink lots of fluids. What happened to those days? But as we all know we live in such a fast-paced “get it done yesterday society” that no one wants to just have the slow cure that worked for everyone back in the day. They slowed down took it easy, and let nature run its course.  They were able to rest and let their bodies naturally defeat the illnesses. This is not to say that you shouldn’t go to the doctor to get checked out, but that you should at least take it easy for a while and relax. At this point the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that at the time it is difficult to predict how serious this outbreak will be, and that there are drugs for swine flu (CDC.gov).

Just like being a kid again the same cures that worked a while ago still work today if you just slow down, put down the PDA, laptop, and cell phone and just take it easy. Remember swine flu is as big of a deal as you make it, and if you don’t dwell on it, it will go away, but, if you let it run your life it will………… right into the ground.