Find alternatives: You can!

My boat is currently frozen. The sub-zero temperatures have meant that the boat is stuck. This also means that the water pipe for service water for showering and washing is frozen.

No reason to complain. I have enough drinking water and the heating works. And I'm looking for solutions to the other challenges.

• I wash myself with snow
• I melt snow and use it to wash the dishes
• I invite friends over to wash my hair
• I'll probably go to a launderette soon

In short: a solution can usually be found.

No alternative is just an opinion, not a fact

When I built my ship, many people told me: "That's not possible. You don't have enough money. Too little knowledge. Too little..."

But then it did work. I assumed: "Can't" is just a thought. Whether it's true or not will become clear in practice. "Whether you think it works or whether you think it doesn't - you will always be right" Henry Ford already said

No alternative is just an opinion, an assessment of the situation.

You can often come to different conclusions. During Covid 19, when many said there was no alternative to lockdowns, I could certainly see alternatives.

• Vitamin D: 96% of people in care homes have a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of contracting Covid 19 and dying from it many times over. This is where you could take practical action: Have vitamin D levels tested by a doctor and build them up if necessary. In the "normal population" "only" 50% of people have vitamin D deficiency in Feb / March...this could also be remedied. I have in a Blog post wrote about this in detail.
• Strengthen the immune system: A preventive medicine specialist told me that Amino acid deficiency weakens the immune system. She also said that there are preparations and even special infusions that massively strengthen the body's defences and make it less susceptible to infections. The preparations are not that expensive, the infusions cost more money (approx. 300 euros). Strengthening the immune system of vulnerable people would probably still be cheaper than further lockdowns.
• Better protection for nursing home residents: As the average age of people suffering from coronavirus is 84 and in many places 50% or more of the deceased live in care homes, effective measures could save the lives of many people. The so-called Tübingen model seems to be a possible approach.
• Vaccine: A laboratory doctor from Lübeck has developed a vaccine that appears to be effective and has been charged with a criminal offence because it's not allowed just like that. The courts can examine this, but it could make sense to test the vaccine officially now in order to have more vaccine available.
• Strengthen health authorities: The figure of 50 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants is not scientifically justified. The reason is: The health authorities can only trace chains of infection up to 50. The health authorities could be further strengthened in terms of technology and personnel.
• Standardise tests: Currently, each laboratory has its own standards for how PCR tests are carried out. According to my information No standardised rules so the values are not comparable.
• But it is not the case that we are helplessly at the mercy of the virus. There are things we can do. 
  Protection through distance: With AHA and distance, we try to prevent the virus from getting to us
• Protection through the immune system: a Strong immune system which includes vitamin D levels, helps to fight the virus effectively. 
  There is little talk in the press and politics about how to strengthen your immune system. That's why I'm presenting tips in this series that anyone and everyone can do. 
  Clearly: None of these tips alone will be able to fight the virus completely. But they could help you and your immune defences to become perhaps 1% or more stronger. These could be the crucial 1%s that decide whether or not a virus catches you and possibly others as a result. 
  When many of us improve their defences by 1% or 5% or 10%, this could lead to an improvement in the incidence of infection and an earlier end to the lockdown. That is my hope. 
  
  You can find a collection of tips for strengthening the immune system in my free e-bookStrengthen the immune system. 

My wish is for alternatives to be discussed more intensively in future pandemics and other crises and for alternatives that appear to make sense to be tested. If they work: Great.

If not, you can continue to look for alternatives. Or at some point actually say: with the options available, there really is no alternative. But don't say from the outset: "There is no alternative!"

For me, this means that your brain is stuck in the pack ice and you have resigned yourself to the situation.

Tips for you:

1. consider: What in your life do you think has no alternative right now?

2. consider: What 3 - 10 alternatives can you think of - in theory?

3. try: Try one of the alternatives and then another...

I would be pleased if you could also write me tips on the current situation. What alternatives do you see?

As I was writing this, a cargo ship was stuck in the ice... instead of getting stuck, it went backwards and forwards several times... and eventually it came free. You can do it!