Albert Camus' The Plague

Before the board went down MeDotOrg had mentioned trying to track down a copy of Camus' The Plague. I had forgotten that book until he mentioned it, recalled liking it when I read it sometime around 2000 or so, but other than the final paragraph didn't recall else by way of details. But his bringing it up touched some latent idea it had left behind that it was a perfect fictional truth for the times we are living in. So I dusted off the old paperback copy I had kept for 20 years against the advice of many decluttering experts, and got reacquainted with it. It was and is a good read, and better visiting it now with 20 odd years of additional life experience behind me. I also have to say, the change from being a believing LDS member to not so much anything made a big difference, but it wasn't the most important difference.

Anyway, I ended up needing to finish it using an audiobook due to reasons and found a free copy on YouTube.ni thought I'd share in case anyone else benefits from the find.

Edit: can't share it due to being a new member. Ha! I guess later or you can Google it.

And if you are curious about it but don't want to just read or give it a listen, here's a good article on it from our coronavirus hardened worldview:

ETA broke the link so I could post this since it's not easy to reference otherwise.

nytimes.com/2020/03/19/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-camus-plague.amp.

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Enjoy. And someday, perhaps the seeds from this reading too will send the rats of memory up into the streets of ones mind during a future global tragedy to rise in relevance in another twenty years. But let's hope not, for our kids sakes.

Good to see you, honor_entheos. I wrote to Shades, with the observation that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Just at the time when everyone is socially isolating, the board goes down! It really made me recognize how attached I've become to the board and the people who make it worthwhile.

This is truly an amazing time, because we don't know what the country or the world will look like in 6 months or a year. There's a truism that a crisis doesn't build character, it reveals it, and we will find out a lot about ourselves in the coming weeks and months.

Started re-reading The Plague. Fits, right in doesn't it?

MeDotBored wrote: I wrote to Shades, with the observation that you don't know what you've got till it's gone. Just at the time when everyone is socially isolating, the board goes down! It really made me recognize how attached I've become to the board and the people who make it worthwhile.

That's why we have this back up board stockpiled in the MDB warehouse.

Hi Me, it's nice to see you made the migration and see you around. Last you posted I recall you had been laid off and were deciding how to update your routine. How has that journey progressed for you?

Here on our end, so far the only major adjustment has been to sorting through options to land on the best technological options for doing work tasks from home while discouraging our dogs from needing to be up in our laps while at the computer through the day. On the whole life has been kind to our family and friends circle so far, knock on wood and bowing to whatever gods or imps might have heard that and wondered if they need to pay more attention this direction. To quote Paul Simon, I have my books and poetry to protect me. It's been almost calming to see routines that are more about the immediate around us take hold, to be honest. I like that aspect of it even while worrying about family, friends, people I know who are struggling both to find peace of mind as well as how their work situation might evolve over the coming months.

I guess enough people cursed one another with that old curse that their enemies might live through interesting times, so this was bound to happen.

Anyway, I hope things are well and loom forward to your posting. They are much appreciated.

Coda: From an article on CNN this morning,

"We will need to find our purpose in the minor things, I tell my daughter. The moments. Moment by moment. We will need to become more like dogs, giddily hopping into the car when we have no idea where it's heading. And in those long, vacant hours, free of clutter and busyness and traditional validation, we will have to learn how to sit with ourselves and discover the glory and meaning in that stillness. Or, at the very least, accept that tomorrow was never promised. In some ways it's no different than it always was, I explain, we just have fewer distractions to hide behind."

Be well, all.

https://youtu.be/XKnCnY5wbxU

Thought I'd come back and share the link I couldn't share before.

I hope all are well and healthy.