COVIC vaccination, should one take it or not? This seems to be a topic of discussion for quite a few people these days.
I am no expert but here are some thoughts.
Those who oppose the vaccine, typically recruit either God or science to their aid. Many orthodox people claim there is no need to take it. For the believers, God will provide shelter. Others says that the vaccination had not been in use long enough to evaluate the long-term effects of this new treatment.
When it comes to God, an old joke comes to mind.
A guy who was a firm believer in God, found himself stuck on the roof of his house during a flood. Being who he was, he prayed to God for help.
Soon after, a man in a rowboat came by. Seeing the guy on the roof, the man in the boat called, “Jump over, I can take you with me to safety.”
The stranded guy calmly replied, “No, it’s okay. I’ve been praying to God and the Almighty is surely going to save me.”
So the man in rowboat rowed on.
The water continued to rise, and some time after, a couple in motorboat came by. Seeing the guy on the roof they called, “Jump in, we can save you.”
The stranded guy replied, “Thank you but no thank you. I’ve been praying to God. I have faith. God will surly save me.”
The couple in the motorboat wished him well and went on.
By then the water reached the knees of the guy on the roof.
A helicopter came by and the pilot called, “Here, grab this rope and I will lift you up to safety.”
The stranded guy again replied, “Thanks but no. I’ve praying to the good Lord. I am a believer and I know he will come to my aid.”
The helicopter flew away.
The water continue to rise and eventually the guy on the roof drowned.
Reaching Heaven, the drowned guy met God. “I had faith in you,” he complained, “but you abandoned me. Why didn’t save me and let me drown instead. I don’t comprehend, why?!”
“It is you I don’t understand,” came God’s answer. “I sent you a rowboat and then a motorboat, and I even sent a helicopter. What else did you expect?”
I can only imagine those orthodox people arriving in Heaven and voicing their grievance, and God replying, “I sent you a vaccine that was developed faster than any vaccine ever been offered. What else did you wish for?”
My other friends who oppose the vaccine, express fear of the unknown long-term side-effects. They suspect, and not without merit, a conspiracy of the government and the pharmaceutical companies. They believe that, with the help of the media, the government and pharmaceutical industry are bestowing fear on the public in order to sell more vaccinations, making some executives very wealthy. When it comes to trust in the government and the pharmaceutical companies, I tend to agree. Both provided us with plenty of opportunities to doubt their agenda. Yet, lets look at fear. It is my belief that the COVID virus is a manifestation of the global fear we have been experiencing over the past decade. I already did a blog post about this fear so I would not go into it again in great details. It is no surprise that COVID appeared and spread like wild fire at a time the administration in the USA, and elsewhere in the world, was promoting fear; fear of immigrants, fear of LGBT, fear of just about anything different. Fear brings about isolation. COVID allowed us to go into further isolation so that we can look at the fear and start to address it. And thus, while those who oppose taking the shot claim the government is scaring people into taking the vaccine, they themselves are subject to a fear of the unknown.
I Googled a phobia name for a fear of vaccinations. I found no such word expect for Trypanophobia which is a fear of needles. It is not the fear I am addressing here and I wonder when a new phobic word would be created to describe it. However, there is Xenophobia, which is a fear of the unknown. We all have some of it, yet we don’t let it stop us from getting up in the morning, believing we know how our day is going to go, yet feeling surprised when things don’t go as planned. It doesn’t prevent us from stepping into our cars and onto the road, a place where a million things can go wrong. Eating at restaurants, where we trust that those who prepare our food will keep hygiene and use safe products; and so on and so forth. Life is one big unknown.
The question is a matter of risk evaluation. What are the chances of one catching COVID and suffering the possible long-term effects of the disease, or even face death, versus taking a shot and risking its possible unknown futuristic effects. We each have our subjective opinion as no one really knows. Yet one may wish to ask themselves what sort of fear is controlling our decision. To claim that those who take the vaccination are acting out of fear is not to admit to one’s own fears. Whatever our decision, I suggest that we do not belittle others for what they believe is the right course of action for them.
Open Heart Energy 