The TV series "Alone" isn't really something I would have found on my own; in fact, other than news, sports and SNL, I've barely seen any TV shows or series for many years. But my children are fascinated by the reality TV program that follows people left alone in remote locations with a video camera to record their attempts to survive in the wild.
And thanks to them, I've gotten to see it too.
The show has its appeal, and I can see how it is especially appropriate for the generations that may indeed find themselves needing to exercise survivalist skills in the near future, due to climate change. Although I desperately hope it does not come to that.
Some of the people on "Alone" are truly creative in the way they build shelters, gather edible greens, track game and build fish traps. As near as I can tell, those with enough bush-whacking skills and an informed understanding of their bodily needs can adapt, as long as they also possess a mental makeup to help them cope.
Those who miss their loved ones too much, or let their fears of being eaten by a random predator whose droppings are nearby get the best of them, tend to "tap out" early. The winners adapt to the new routines, learn from mistakes, and don't try to push the hostile environment they've been set into to give them more than it is willing to give.
Since the show is presented as a competition, most viewers identify with a favorite survivor and root for him or her to prevail. Oddly, this doesn't appeal to me at all; I just feel sorry for everybody involved, and hope they all can find a way to perdure or at least handle the impacts of losing. But the winner does get a $500,000 prize, which goes a long way to helping all of them stick it out as long as they can.
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I've written many times about coming back from serious illness and what it has taught me, but I simply haven't gotten the story right yet. The reality is I am still working it all out. In the process, I feel a connection with everyone else who has survived a close call.
In my case, I wouldn't have made it but for the love and support of my children pure and simple. They've gone to extremes to pull me out of the self-destructive spiral I'd fallen into, moving from hospital to skilled nursing facility to ICU over and over until we all were so exhausted by the cycle, they must have felt like giving up on me.
But they didn't, and I'm here, and I'm still trying to figure out what it all means. Thank you to every reader who indulges me on this journey. If I were a contestant on "Alone," (a preposterous idea) I know I would stay until the bitter end in the hope I could win that money and give it to the people who call me Dad.
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The news...
* What Is Death? -- How the pandemic is changing our understanding of mortality. (BJ Miller/NYT)
* The virus isn’t transforming us. It’s speeding up the changes already underway. (WashPo)
* Trump Weighed Naming Election Conspiracy Theorist as Special Counsel -- In a meeting at the White House on Friday, President Trump weighed appointing Sidney Powell, who promoted conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines, to investigate voter fraud. (NYT)
* "In the conspiratorial conservative base of supporting Trump, there are calls for using the Insurrection Act to declare martial law," said Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary of Homeland Security under President Trump and adviser at Defending Democracy Together, on CNN's "Reliable Sources." (CNN)
* Biden Climate Team Says Protecting Planet Will Create Jobs -- President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced members of his climate change team Saturday, and said his administration would focus on rebuilding the economy through efforts to reduce emissions. (Reuters)
* Republicans, Democrats reach agreement clearing way for virus relief vote (WSJ)
* Details emerge on stimulus checks as Congress rushes to finalize deal -- Consensus has settled on $600 stimulus checks, which would begin to be reduced at $75,000 a year income level. Congress would also extend unemployment benefits. (WashPo)
* Trump Contradicts Pompeo Over Russia’s Role in Hack -- Hours after the secretary of state said that Moscow was behind the vast cybersecurity breach, the president suggested it might have been China and downplayed the severity of the attack. (NYT)
* There is no question that Russia is behind the recent hacking campaign against the United States, the head of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence panel said on Sunday, warning that President Donald Trump’s effort to play down Moscow’s role and point to China was a threat to U.S. national security. (Reuters)
* Banks are lending less to small businesses today than they did before the financial crisis. Meanwhile, loans to big businesses have surged. (WSJ)
* One by one, several European Union nations banned flights from the U.K. on Sunday and others were considering similar action in a bid to block a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England from establishing a strong foothold on the continent. (AP)
* ‘Latinx’ hasn’t even caught on among Latinos. It never will. (WashPo)
* Thailand reports surge in coronavirus cases (NHK)
* Will Ghost Sharks Vanish Before Scientists Can Study Them? -- Much remains to be learned about the cartilaginous, little understood fishes that inhabit the deep-sea. (NYT)
* A car bomb blast that rocked Afghanistan’s capital Sunday morning killed at least nine people, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry. (AP)
* In Last Rush, Trump Grants Mining and Energy Firms Access to Public Lands -- The outgoing administration is pushing through approval of corporate projects over the opposition of environmental groups and tribal communities. (NYT)
* In the Georgia Senate runoff races, the Republican candidates hold slight leads. (538)
* There are flickers of hope for local journalism. It’s not nearly enough. (WashPo)
***
This one goes out to the one I've left behind
A simple prop to occupy my time
This one goes out to the one I love
Fire
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