Most of my new followers know me for my admiration of math—esp. simple, back-of-the-envelope math to illustrate a point. This thread, I want to talk about something equally pragmatic. I'm an engineer and biologist, but I’m also a human. Let’s talk about grief and compassion. 1/n

Rather than inciting panic or fear, I feel it’s healthy and emotionally fortifying to grapple with difficult situations & decisions *before* they materialize. The element of surprise that so often accompanies a tragic moment only exacerbates an already unimaginably hard time. 2/n