In Greek mythology, there is an unfortunate Trojan woman named Cassandra. She was given the gift of prophesy by Apollo, but also cursed by him. His curse was that she would always be able to tell people their future, but never be believed. She warned her brother, Paris, that abducting Helen would cause a war. She warned her neighbors and city leaders that they would lose the war and their city. She even warned about the Greeks being hidden within the Trojan horse. No one listened to her. Then she told Odysseus that the short scenic cruise he was hoping to take home would take a decade to complete and result in many deaths. I think if Cassandra had been at the dock warning people about taking cruise ships during the spring of 2020, she would have the same trouble. We don’t like to receive bad new or interrupt our plans.

   So, the coronavirus should teach us two things:

1st – Develop trusted sources for your information. Our days of listening to the loudest talkers are over. The time has come to listen to scientists, doctors, historians, and social planners.

2nd – Notice your own bias as something that could put you in physical danger and/or lengthen the wilderness time of your transition from today’s trauma to another life. Bias can come in the form of unrealistic optimism, cynical pessimism, and confirmation bias. Confirmation Bias is the tendency we have to stick with our first opinion or the choices we already have made, in spite of the fact that more recent information contradicts them.