Those Who Cannot Remember

Meaning you and I…

 

10 years ago PBS produced an episode of their series, American Experience, entitled “Influenza 1918.”

 

 

George Santayana is credited with the quote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

When you watch this program about the flu that decimated America and the world just over 100 years ago, you’ll be struck by the similarities with our current life.

From outright denial, to blaming other nations, to face masks and daily death counts, it’s impossible not to recognize ourselves in these stories of loss and fear that affected every family in America.

If we fail again to learn from what we’re experiencing now, shame on us!

We’ve known another pandemic was inevitable and yet we were unprepared because we didn’t want to pay for scientists and researchers, for protective, necessary equipment, for the creation and maintenance of the best public healthcare system in the world that would have saved thousands of lives.

We didn’t want to support our own manufacturing capacity to create our own medicines and drugs and gear and clothing and the testing material we would need, preferring to out-source it to China so everything would be cheaper.

We’re about 3 trillion dollars in to this virus right now, so you tell me: Was that failure to pay a few billion then worth it now?

Read THIS and understand that Bill Gates was warning us about what we’re now experiencing years ago.

We need to demand more of those who govern us.

We need to be willing to pay now for what our children and grandchildren will need 50 and 100 years from now.

We need to be less selfish and more prepared for the inevitable, because it will certainly happen again.

 

 

If you’re already a member of your local PBS station, you can watch the film HERE. If you’re not already a member, you may want to join now and you can do that HERE.

PBS has most of the best programming on television, including: Frontline, Masterpiece Theater, NOVA, Nature, Independent Lens, and American Experience. I see programs I absolutely love every week, and you can join for as little as $5 a month. It’s the best deal in TV.