Mark Twain said, “Write what you know,” meaning good writers
draw from experience. I have no experience with West Africa, military deployment
or Ebola. But I’ve read a good deal. Here’s what I believe I know: Ebola thrives
in that particular area of the world because many of the people there have no
access to clean running water, because their traditions put them in particular danger
of contracting the virus, because only one in three adults there can read, and
because even those who can distrust medical professionals. Ebola is most
virulent after its victim has died. In West Africa family members wash and
dress their dead. They touch or kiss their loved ones goodbye before burying
them near their homes, where their spirits can protect them from evil. I don’t
know what sending soldiers to West Africa can do to change any of that. If I’m
confused and concerned about all this, how must the West Africans feel?
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