What A Virus Can Teach

A Polio virus is very small, yet it has a large impact.

In the mid twentieth century the disease wreaked all manner of havoc. Then, with effort, research, technology and most of all, concern, polio was nearly eradicated.

It still exists. And so long as it does, every child is theoretically at risk so long as any one child in Nigeria, or Afghanistan, is still susceptible.

Polio affected the world. Can you imagine an FDR, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, without polio?

In his time, FDR’s polio paralysis condition was politically incorrectly seen as something shameful, but today we are a bit better educated about such a “disability.”

It appears, though, that FDR stood upon his braces in public address to show not just his strength, but also his determination.

Many scholars believe that without the polio virus, the world would not have someone like FDR.

The man who told a nation that you have nothing to fear but fear itself, knew hardship, disability, humility, and strength.

FDR, along with seeing the nation through the Great Depression, established the Works Progress Administration, WPA, the National Youth Administration, NYA and the Civilian Conservation Corps, CCC. All of these touched upon education and training, at a time when schools were poorly regulated and segregated, as well.

Today, in a global pandemic, our need for equal education, online and green technology, innovation, collaboration, and infrastructure are being examined closely.

When we teach young people about virus and epidemiology, we should teach them too, about how a virus can affect a human being who can affect the world.

Eleanor Roosevelt is to also to be credited for noting the challenges of inequality of race and gender, and working for programs that addressed these things. She was instrumental in keeping her husband Franklin, productive and inspiring, to not just a nation through the Great Depression, but through onto World War II.

The Ken Burns series on the Roosevelts is very educational and worthwhile for all of those people — young and old — who really are benefitting very little from watching reality television that ultimately does not define reality.

Related posts:

I got scammed into bankruptcy 7 years ago. not the bike one. first was a rental being a student aswell. end so I though answers on bad credit you took out these and over again, they lower paid job I…