this.”
“There’s nothing to it,” said Elliot. “Here, I’ll start.” She heard her brother unzip his fly and whistle a few bright notes as she stared down at her boots sunk in the snow, its smooth surface pocked here and there where the freezing rain had penetrated the trees and slipped cleanly into its layers like ice-cold seeds planted at depth.
From a few feet away, Sarah could see the steam rise and the snow falling back. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.” There was a hint of teasing laughter in Elliot’s voice. “But either way, you have to start by letting go.” Then her brother turned serious. “And I’m here for you no matter what.”
After a moment, she repositioned herself and sighed, and there was the sound of her stuttering stream joining his, then the rain getting heavier. Sarah closed her eyes and let herself go, spreading herself out until all of winter melted away.
Program:
The Hugh Besnard Show
Date:
November 9, 2020
Time:
9:36 AM EST
Duration:
2 minutes 2 seconds
Interviewer:
Hugh Besnard
Interviewee:
Keelan Gibbs
BESNARD: Professor Gibbs, the writer Owen Grant has gone on record saying that disaster preparedness is a moral obligation for those who can afford it. Since that time, the United States has faced shortages of N95 face masks and generators, not to mention antivirals. Do you think Mr. Grant got it wrong?
GIBBS: Preparedness isn’t wrong in and of itself. But it’s also critical not to give in to fear. It’s fear that prompts people to hoard more resources than they need to survive—they’re nervous there won’t be enough for everyone.
BESNARD: What do you think is the biggest single ethical issue surrounding ARAMIS?
GIBBS: We’re already talking about it: fear and the way it can subvert reason and decision-making. In previous flu pandemics, healthy people starved in quarantine because others were too frightened to bring them food. But these days, we have plenty of information on how to safely interact with those in quarantine while avoiding infection.
I’m also concerned that we will see this type of anxiety play out on a nation-by-nation level, right at a time when global cooperation is most required. The government has a responsibility to protect its citizens, but it must also continue to join forces internationally in offering medical resources and staff, monetary relief, and assistance in kind. For instance, we cannot close our borders unilaterally.
BESNARD: What is your personal philosophy, Professor?
GIBBS: Human beings are flawed, just like our leaders. Sometimes we make the wrong decisions. That’s why it’s important to think carefully and consider the consequences of our actions—not just for their impact on others, but on our own psyches. This is especially true during times of crisis. If we want to continue to think of ourselves as good people, we need to ground that belief in everything we do.
Important Disclaimer
Although efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of this transcript, The Hugh Besnard Show and its associated companies accept no liability for what is said, for any discrepancy between the spoken and written word, nor for any errors or omissions. In matters of doubt, please refer to the original broadcast video.
ELLIOT
NOVEMBER 2020
His last days in New York City were the only time in his life Elliot remembered being afraid. He had picked up a call for a burglary in progress in the Bronx, but when he arrived at the squalid basement apartment, it turned out to be a standoff between a mother and her teenaged son. Piles of dirty dishes overflowed from the sink onto a counter littered with all manner of human detritus: knapsacks, makeup, shoelaces, cigarettes. A mattress in the corner was heaped with garbage bags and there were no shades on any of the lamps, perhaps to admit as much light as possible into the cramped space. The woman and her son stood in front of a dresser with every drawer yanked open. Both were clutching knives.
“He says I’m too old,” the mother said, appealing to Elliot and gesturing with the knife as though she were an actor breaking the fourth wall. She was wearing an oversized Metallica T-shirt over a pair of flowered leggings. “Says I’ll slow him down. Can you believe it?” she said. “I’m fifty-two years old and being junked by my own son.”
The word junked gave Elliot a quicksilver shudder of permeability, as though she somehow knew he had been thinking junkie. He felt outside