As we are going through this Coronavirus COVID19 situation there have been many comments made about the stories on what we should be doing and how long will this crisis las. Many people have gotten upset with people saying people presenting the information should do better.

In this crisis we need to realize we are listening to two different groups (or types) of people and they have different ways they know to present information. Basically, in this case it breaks down to the people we hear are either politicians or are medical/science people. These people have two totally different ways and what they are presenting.

The politicians are always expected to present a rosy side to things. People do not like their government leaders to not look to a happy future. Jimmy Carter learned this when he was president and we hit an oil crisis and economy downturn. He came on TV and told us that we were facing a malice and wore a sweater and set to lower heat temperature. He was looked down on and lost the election. We all hear about Winston Churchill and his leadership in WWII. He kept telling the people to carry on and not to let the Nazis destroy their life and he was popular, and we still see and hear his messages like Keep Calm and Carry On.

The medical and science people have always been taught do not present that things can be done quickly, instead to say if we can do but for them to realize everything that could go wrong getting there. Scientists I am quite sure told Kennedy he was crazy to think an American could walk on the moon before the 60s ended. They see that to create new things may take lots of tries. However, they keep at it when set the goal. The medical person when you encounter a bad illness will often put that life expectation is only 6 months for 80% and not mention for 9% life expectation is 10 years.

So today we listen daily to reports on battling the coronavirus from the Whitehouse, state capitals, WHO, CDC and pharmaceutical companies. They all say we should be able to bet either a cure or a vaccine (more likely a vaccine as normally not cures for viruses but there are treatments). The politician will tell you that it can be done in 12 months or less. They always see the bright side and glass is half full. The medical and science people are going we never done one that quick (we never had put a man on another object in space in 1963) and that it will take years to do. However, we have never seen public and private resources and people working together before on the level we are now.

As you listen to politicians (I do not care what party, country, left or right, young or old) realize a major part of them is to offer hope and that we will get there. As you hear the medical and science people remember their training is never over promise and that makes them often look pessimistic (glass is half empty) and that they want to make sure if they say we have a vaccine or will have available next month it will really be there by the first of next month and safe and effective.

Dwight