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Well actually, given that YouTube's covid disinformation convinced him that he needed to fast for like 6 weeks, maybe I shouldn't let the platform off the hook.

I can't tell if he was fine before his heart attack or this has been a thing for a while that everybody was in denial about? Maybe he also had a stroke? He was already vulnerable due to isolation, not just anti-covid measures but also he moved from Washington to Texas last year and all his social contacts were lost. He wanted to get away from mask mandates, he said, which had seemed like it must have meant to refer more broadly to lack of access to activities and socialisation. Maybe he was just radicalised by YouTube.

Anyway, I realised that my responsibility is to make sure he is comfortable and as happy as possible. I want him to have as much autonomy as he wants, but it should be in supportive structures and in a way that causes happiness. So he can decide what he wants for dinner, what to wear, if he wants to go out - things that are immediate, non-harmful, and quotidian expressions of self. But stuff thats stressful, too difficult to understand, or high stakes and informed by falsehood can be navigated around. So the disinformation that has obviously harmed him previously need not continue to hurt or limit him.

He is unable to use his laptop. He doesn't always need to be consulted or kept fully informed. He can be freed of some burdens, so of course we should.

My brother feels guilty about "lying." In the Torah, god lies to Abraham for the sake of family harmony and love. To the extent my dad asks questions, the answers can be light on detail or even misleading for the sake of his well-being.

This feels very very wrong, but its not the half truths that are the problem. We need to meet him where he is and give him as much happiness as possible.

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