I am here to sing the praises of antibiotics.
I looooove antibiotics.
They are the Gift of the Gods. Truly.
Three days and nights of being a subhuman zombie. One Augmentin pill and suddenly I feel almost human again.
(Well, now it's two. Plus some Flonase. Plus some turbo-charged pseudoephedrine [spell that one three times fast!] and guaifenisin.)
Antibiotics. Indoor plumbing. Central heating. Glasses. LASIK surgery. Long-distance refrigerated delivery cars. The ability to eat fresh fruit in the middle of the winter. Connecting with total strangers across the world via Internet. Fifty kazillion books on every subject under the sun. Cataract surgery. Heart stents. Disney's Mulan.
Yum. All the good things of modern civilization.
Unfortunately, all of those good things come with bad things attached. Sigh. Plastics manufacturing run amok. Dependence upon fossil fuels. Overuse of antibiotics. The ability to ruin someone's life anonymously and from a distance. Heart stents that don't work. Disney's Mulan played over and over and over again.
So, just for funsies on a slow Saturday morning, leave a comment with one thing about modern civilization that just knocks your socks off, plus one thing about modern civilization that leaves you with an icky feeling in your mouth.
Technorati: antibiotics, modern living
7 Comments:
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At 9/09/2006 09:31:00 AM,
Renée said… -
At 9/09/2006 04:38:00 PM,
said…From my mother, I got the love of the hum/buzz/roar of any household appliance...especially when thinking about the amount of work it would take without them. I am not thrilled with leaf blowers. That is one that makes little sense except, perhaps, for those that really don't have the endurance for light raking. Also ritalin or other speed given to children who are NOT diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, but whose parents just want them to have an "academic edge". Ouch!
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At 9/09/2006 06:27:00 PM,
MomEtc. said…Anesthesia knocks my socks off! How in god's name did people endure surgery without it?!
Pollution is the one thing in modern society that really upsets and scares me. All the crap that we spew into the environment has got to be the cause of increases in cancer rates, asthma rates, loss of species and so on and so on. I think at this point the damage that will be done cannot even be fathomed. We are going to be sorry. -
At 9/09/2006 06:52:00 PM,
RichardQuerin said…One of the many things I love about modern civilization is how a free visit to the doctor and a 15min wait are the only things standing in the way of getting rid of my daughter's ear infections. The icky thing is knowing that millions of other kids have absolutely nothing. The guilt is not lost on me.
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At 9/09/2006 06:54:00 PM,
Carol Anne said…Cool: The ability to communicate with people around the world almost instantly -- and then become real friends with these people. That is just so cool.
Not so cool: Chemicals in foods used to "enhance" flavors or textures while cheapening the overall product. Since I am allergic to one of those chemicals and one of my daughters is also showing a sensitivity to the chemical, it had turned my meal preparation life upside down. -
At 9/09/2006 06:56:00 PM,
Space Mom said… -
At 9/11/2006 06:22:00 AM,
said…
Disposable diapers and baby wipes just knock my socks off! And then, the thought of all the plastic crap sandwiches I'm depositing back into the earth fills me with immeasurable guilt. I wish I wasn't so lazy.