I was all set to publish Part 7 of my Do We Know Why We Know? series when I saw a news headline pop up on my phone, “Dr. Bonnie Henry says ‘new game’ with Omicron variant could signal end of COVID-19 pandemic.” I reluctantly slid aside what I had planned—which by the way I’m quite excited about—and decided it was New Year’s Eve and what a great time to express hope, especially as we put an end to this tumultuous year of 2021.
I quickly read the interview that CBC News had conducted with Dr. Henry where she said the latest variant was spreading so quickly that “the virus will eventually become endemic.” Yes, I had to look up the word though it’s not the first time I’d read it. Essentially, it means that the pandemic will not end with the virus disappearing but that enough people will become immune to the virus either from vaccination or natural infection that there will be less transmission and much less COVID-19-related hospitalization and death, as the virus continues to circulate.
I include Dr. Henry because, as most of you know who read my blog, my wife and I moved out to British Columbia from Ontario at the beginning of the pandemic. Since honeymooning in Vancouver at Expo 86, we’d dreamed of living on the west coast. Many rolled their eyes when we told them of our plans, “you two are crazy,” but arrive we did in July of 2020. Since that time, we’ve heard often from Dr. Henry, the Provincial Health Officer of BC. Most strange to me has been the respect held for “Bonnie” by the people of the province who refer to her like she is a friend. Living in Ontario for all of my life, respect for a political office, especially one that has been so prominent and exposed as a health officer during the pandemic, was simply unheard of. But through it all, Dr. Bonnie Henry has remained consistent, making tough, and not necessarily popular, decisions when necessary while remaining a pillar of sensibility within the provincial government and of the BC community at large.
But 2021 has been nothing short of disaster for many here in BC. In the early part of the year, pandemic restrictions such as the mask requirements and the opening and closing of restaurants, theatres, gyms, and churches, played havoc on our human condition. In June, Vancouver and the lower mainland (like Abbotsford where we live), felt the highest recorded temperatures in the area’s history. An unprecedented 800 people died due to the extreme heat. The summer was hot, sunny and dry, the kind of weather we did expect though drought like conditions were imminent.
When September hit, however, it was payback time. Yes, we knew it rained here. It rains a lot as a matter of fact. Double what we were used to in Ontario. That’s the territory; but when it doesn’t stop and it’s heavy (think: monsoon and ark) that’s what late October and early November looked like. By November 14th the Sumas Prairie area of Abbotsford had many families abandoning their homes as the Nooksack River in Washington State overflowed its banks and flowed northeast into Abbotsford. Breaches in the Sumas Dike had the floodwaters overtake the Sumas Prairie farmland devastating some 1,100 families.
And now as I write this unanticipated wrap up to 2021 here in Abbotsford, we’re in the midst of an extreme freeze for this area that started with a substantial snowfall on Christmas Day—and the snow stayed. I've not seen a snow plow. The temperature dropped to -16°C on December 27th and hasn’t been above zero since. An indication of how extreme this is, locals in the area don’t even know how to refer to such low temperatures properly, calling them “negative 16.” Mill Lake, where we often walk and run, froze on December 28th. Ducks and Canada geese have WTF expressions on their frozen beaks. Last year, snow fell on December 14th, stayed for a couple of days and didn’t snow again or at least not enough to stay for any time. The lowest temperature we saw was -11°C and that for only part of a day. Mill Lake did not freeze over.
Putting pandemic and extreme weather aside, economic trends that drive the economy seem askew. The price of housing has gone berserk. Housing prices continue to skyrocket far exceeding their value—well not everyone’s, somebody’s buying. There seems to be no real precedent for price exceeding value perhaps because value is like beauty—“in the eye of the beholder.” Will this continue? That seems to be anyone’s guess. There are no experts here.
And then there’s the COVID effect on birthrates that’s changing the mathematics of demographics. In 2020, half the states in the U.S. had death rates exceeding birthrates. Deaths are exceeding births throughout much of Europe too. The theories of our planet becoming overpopulated are losing steam. COVID has encouraged us to “stay apart stay safe.” Has it made us afraid to be together? Declining birthrates seem like an obvious result don’t they? What will 2021’s numbers look like?
With such a year is there any doubt we’re glad to see 2021 end?
That’s why when I saw the CBC News report on Dr. Henry’s comments, I found them refreshing. Bonnie’s message is hopeful; good news that the end of the pandemic was in sight just as a new year begins.
Now before I end, my post wouldn’t be complete without a tidbit of history.
The earliest recorded festivities for a New Year’s arrival go back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. The Babylonians not only celebrated the coming New Year but the victory of their god Marduk (or Bel for those Old Testament readers) over Tiamat, the goddess of chaos and nature and her evil son, king of the monsters, Kingu. (You can read more about this in my Part 5 of my Do We Know Why We Know series.) The Babylonians called the New Year festivities Atiku that followed the vernal equinox—the date in late March when the day and night are of equal length. Part of the festivities was a ritual known as the royal negative confession. The ritual would have the high priest stand before the statue of Marduk and recite Enuma Elish (the Babylonian creation epic) to the king of Babylon to emphasize Marduk’s superiority over other gods. The priest would take the royal insignia from the king, slap his face and force him to kneel before the statue. The king (Nebuchadnezzar, for instance) would then confirm that he had not misused the power given him by Marduk nor violated the welfare of Babylon or Marduk. The priest would again slap the king, forcing him to cry, to show contrition that would then restore his authority. This ancient ritual seems like an appropriate self-evaluation for a leader; maybe one we should re-introduce.
I wonder how Dr. Bonnie Henry would fair under such a protocol.
I think she would fair very well (she’s endured several metaphorical face slaps already).
With that, Happy New Year and here’s hoping 2022 is the best year yet!
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Looking for some new reading in the New Year?
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