Social Awareness - Being "Fit for Gaming"

As I mentioned in my previous post, last week had me laid out with the flu, resulting in very little hobby progress being made. What I didn't mention is that the entire experience could have perhaps been avoided entirely had additional thought been applied to the situation by other parties.

Anyone who has seen any sort of zombie / pandemic type movie will be able to accurately tell you that infection is spread through contact between diseased and non-diseased elements. For example - Zombie bites healthy norm, norm dies and turns into zombie and zombie apocalypse ensues. Applying this to a real-world situation then, if I was suffering from any sort of infectious disease like the flu, typhoid or perhaps mono, really, it is my ethical responsibility as a human being to ensure I minimise exposure to healthy individuals and there-by reduce the potential of infecting others. It is concerning though, that there are many individuals found within our society that don't share the same sense of duty and constantly feel that it's OK to become the very embodiment of Nurgle, gleefully spreading pestilence and disease to all and sundry, with not even friends and family safe from their corrupting touch.  It should be stated plainly and simply here that THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!

At work, we have in place a "Fit for Work" policy, whereby it states that if you are in an 'impaired stare' as a result of illness etc, you present a serious risk to the health and safety of others and are subsequently prohibited from reporting for work. By applying a logical line of reasoning to the same situation, if you're current state of health creates a serious health and safety issue at work, then it stands to reason that you would present the same level of risk to those you interact with socially as well.  Put another way, the question could be asked - IF YOU ARE TOO SICK TO BE AT WORK, HOW ARE YOU WELL ENOUGH TO HANG OUT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!?!?!?!?  Had such a policy been applied to my own situation, then perhaps many people in my local gaming group (including myself) would have avoided the unpleasant experience of being sick.  Thinking about it, it's a little insulting really - are your gaming friends not as important as your work colleagues??  Do they not deserve to be shielded from the horrors of disease just as much as your co-workers?

Next time you're sick, stop and think for a second, a minute or even a full 30 mins if you feel it's necessary - are you really well enough to be considered "Fit for Gaming"??

Catch you all later

Trev