Davey agrees. “We need to decide now what are acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI,” he says. “And we need to be careful about letting it control so much of our infrastructure. If we're arming police with facial recognition and the federal government is collecting all of our data, that's a bad start.” Even though you may not have experienced or fully understand the situation, let the person know that you will listen. Gilbert said the new variant contained mutations already known to increase transmissibility of the virus and that antibodies induced by vaccination or previous infections might be less effective at preventing infection with Omicron. But she also said reduced protection against infection “does not necessarily mean reduced protection against severe disease and death”. Gilbert added: “Until we know more, we should be cautious, and take steps to slow down the spread of this new variant.” My daughter was resistant to pulling this book on the shelf, possibly because of the sketchy drawings, elderly featured character and muted color palette, but she changed her mind. She laughed harder and louder as the grandfather’s adventures grew progressively more outlandish. I loved seeing her giggle.

Life is often full of turmoil, and there’s a chance that several of your loved ones may be going through difficult times right now. While some of their “tragedies” may seem less than tragic to you, it is polite to offer your sympathy.

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What you think is important to the person might not actually be- try not to make assumptions. Instead, find out what the person would like to achieve or do regarding their illness/disability. Sometimes it’s not worth the argument – smile and nod when someone says something insensitive and go on with life. When Have You Welcomed Advice? You may also want to be careful when sharing this statement with a friend. If he or she recently had a cancer diagnosis or went through a divorce, you don’t know that things will be OK for your friend but there may be a moment where things may feel a bit more manageable. 16. “I’m here for you.” Some friends simply say, “I’m here for you,” and others really mean it. If you offer your support, you may consider following it up with a statement of what you are willing to do to help the situation. 17. “You’re not alone.”

If your friend recently lost a spouse or went through a divorce, they may be feeling alone. Your friend may struggle to make decisions independently and dread going home to a silent house. Remind your friend that they are not alone, as you and others are there to offer support and to provide comfort. 18. “I know you feel overwhelmed right now.” In totalitarian regimes of the past, [there was] so much paranoia and psychological suffering because you just have no idea if you're going to get killed for saying the wrong thing,” he continues. “And now imagine that there's not even a question, every single thing you say is being reported and being analysed.” In this case, is "could be worse" used kind of humorously or sarcastically? (and for the first definition is it a typical usage?) I always thought "it could be worse" meant "It's not as bad as it could be" and (I thought) it did not necessarily mean it was bound to get worse (though it could). If you have to find something positive to say after someone dies, you may consider commenting about the abundance of support the person has. Of course, only say this if it is true. 10. “Please accept my condolences on the loss of your mom.”

I mean… OF COURSE it could. It could ALWAYS be worse, couldn’t it? But it could also almost always be better, too: and I think it’s worth remembering that before we start playing Tragedy Olympics, and insisting that feelings can only be valid when there’s no one out there who can one-up them. There may be some instances when the phrase “it could be worse” could be appropriate. But if you are talking to someone who has recently experienced the loss of a loved one or another life-changing tragedy, perhaps it might not be. “It could be worse” in fact may not even apply to a situation where someone has experienced their imagined “worst.” Which in that case, you should find something else to say. Jump ahead to these sections: