Strange Times, Mental Challenges, and Staying Fit

 Another uncharacteristic philosophical post...

I don't really know how to go about writing this.  It's a little awkward blogging about current events and my own feelings about them, but here goes anyway.  

We are living through some strange and discomforting times - certainly like nothing I've ever experienced.  A new virus that apparently escaped from a laboratory is stalking and killing the elderly and immune-compromised, and randomly killing even healthy people.  Other people have decided that somehow it's now OK to throw Molotov cocktails at police.  An acrimonious presidential election is about to take place, with no way to ensure that ballots are honestly counted.  Whomever is declared the winner, the outcome will no doubt be bitterly contested - legally and in the streets.  It's entirely possible that armed skirmishes will take place either before or following the election. 

Navigating through a dark time

James Stockdale, on his 7 years as a POW of North Vietnam, in the "Hanoi Hilton".

Q: "Who didn't make it out?"

A: "Oh, that's easy.  The optimists"

Q: "The optimists?  I don't understand."

 A: "The optimists.  Oh, they were the ones who said, "We're going to be out by Christmas."  And Christmas would come and Christmas would go.  Then they'd say "We're going to be out by Easter." And Easter would come and Easter would go.  And then Thanksgiving and then it would be Christmas again.  And they died of a broken heart"