I remember the day well. This is the anniversary — this September 29, 1982. I was at college, watching the evening news on our little TV, which sat, balanced on top of our squatty refrigerator, in our dorm room. I was thankful that we had both of these items, which were furnished by my roommate Lisa. She was the best college roommate anyone could’ve ever asked for, by the way. A true heart of gold, to this very day.
Anyway, back to the 5 o’clock news, before we left for the cafeteria for dinner. There it was, all over the place. Cyanide laced Tylenol capsules killed seven people in Chicago. No reason, no note, no nothing. But seven were dead.
Immediately, as you might suspect, the FDA, or the powers that be, ordered ALL Tylenol to be removed from store shelves until the person responsible was found. That’s right. No more Tylenol until we, the United States, found a solution.
I remember this so well because I was a Tylenol taker. It worked best for me back then and still does today. I was always working out in those days, lifting, running, sprinting, like a crazy woman, in preparation for softball season. And every day, I was pretty sore. Hence the Tylenol. Or lack thereof.
I can’t remember the end of this, the whodunnit. But no matter. When the threat hit, and seven were dead, a widespread action took place to ensure that no more lives were lost. The mass murder led to new tamper-proof medicine containers.
Imagine that. A time when something had the potential of harming others, of taking lives, and a safety net was put in place to ensure that it didn’t happen. I suppose some people scoffed, perhaps. But the precaution stayed in place until a solution could be found.
I jump ahead to today, and this world we live in.
We are in the midst of a pandemic. In the United States, as of today, we have lost 205,000 citizens. Worldwide, there have been one MILLION deaths.
And people here revolt against wearing a mask, which is a proven preventative measure, to stop the spread of COVID-19. If we had a president who was capable of leading, he or she would have made “wearing a mask” a mandatory action nationwide.
Switching gears a moment. Also, on this date, in 1975, that old singer, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis, was shooting at some glass soda bottles. So there he is, shooting away. And however it happened, ol’ Jerry Lee hits his bass player Norman Owens twice in the chest.
Now either Norman was standing behind the bottles, or Jerry Lee was a terrible shot. Either way, it could have been completely avoided by little precaution. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
And I am sure, once again, you can see my point.
My Dad used to say, a LOT: “Safety is no accident.”
This can be applied to an incredibly large amount of situations. In this case, if people clamor together during a pandemic, in bars, and during motorcycle parties, or at any gathering, really, that virus will spread.
The same could be applied with all the guns that people carry around these days. If guns are removed from any location, no one will get shot there. I guarantee it.
And finally, if people quit saying hateful things and thinking hateful thoughts — if they start replacing that hate with common decency — the hate will fade away.
We are born into this world as beings of goodness. Some of us have nurtured that part of ourselves, and some of us have not. Today, I will try to touch that goodness in my heart, and offer it in all things.
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“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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“The only thing a cat worries about is what’s happening right now. As we tell the kittens, you can only wash one paw at a time.”
― Lloyd Alexander, Time Cat
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“The most important thing in life is knowing the most important things in life.”
― David F. Jakielo
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