A few years ago, an acquaintance of mine was diagnosed with heart trouble. There was a sense of urgency in dealing with the problem. The doctor told her that if the situation deteriorated it would cost my friend her life. Fortunately, there was a medical procedure available immediately that would improve her quality of life and possibly extend it as well. 

Recently, I was listening to a comedian who said in one of his sets, that a few years ago, ”Elmo” (a beloved character in children’s television) had asked a simple question on a social media platform.  The question was: “How are you all doing?”  Poor “Elmo” was unprepared for the onslaught of responses from across the country, responses that ran the gamut of every human emotion: rage, disgust, horror, confusion, sadness, disillusionment, revenge, you name it, it was there.  Elmo received 180 million responses.