The Vaccine and the Soul that Cannot be Lost

What the hell is going on in the world?

I got this little shot thing in my arm recently …. But I have a vaccine confession… I didn’t really want to.

Let me explain.

Not a Fan of Western Medicine

I’m not a fan of western medicine. It just seems to fail me at every turn. It seems to change its mind every few weeks. And, frankly, just putting some crap in my arm that by definition hasn’t been tested for all that long scares the hell out of me.

So why in the world would I do something like this?

Well, there are about three reasons:

1) The Vaccine Came QUICKLY

Fact is, I didn’t think this thing would be available to me for many months to come. That’s what we were told before its arrival. And I just figured the way Israel has been botching up things since day one, how in the world could they pull off the miracle of doing some insanely rapid vaccine rollout?

But they did. I thought I’d get to watch on the sidelines for months. Let the world be my guinea pig. And only after I was satisfied with what I saw, that’s when I would swoop in and get my shot. Meanwhile, the country figured out how to stick people like vaccine ninjas, and before I had a chance to think, it was readily available to a healthy dude in his 40s who works from home. And everyone was telling me that it was critical for all humanity to get this shot immediately, or we’d all die!

2) Overwhelming Social Pressure

And that’s when the overwhelming social and governmental pressure started kicking in. Widespread discrimination became the norm. People who displayed even mild concern or skepticism started being labeled as anti-vaxxers, even if they’ve received all other vaccines. Everyone was tossed in the same pot. Those who feared the vaccine because they were trying to conceive or they were uncertain of the vaccine’s long-term impacts were tossed together with the tinfoil crew who feared Bill Gates was injecting some 5G-related blah blah.

And so I caved. I didn’t want to be among the “crazies” or those holding up society’s only chance for a return to normalcy. And, of course, for the chance to get the coveted green passport that would allow me to look down upon those in the country who shun their civic duty… or aren’t medically cleared to receive a vaccine… or are too young to receive the vaccine… or have reasonable concerns…

3) Return to Gym Desperation

But more than anything, I just wanted to get back to my gym.

The gym has been my safe haven for many years now. It’s my giant escape from the ugly realities of the world. It’s where everyone gets along and strives for a greater purpose.

The physical benefits have been extreme for me. But they pale in comparison to the mental benefits. I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am now in life if it weren’t for good-quality workouts. It has been the most consistently remarkable part of my life.

Or at least it was, until a nasty disease, an uninformed and lazy society, and an inept government worked together to keep me out of there for huge chunks of this past year.

And I’m willing to do just about anything to get myself back there again. Even if it means compromising on a small piece of my value system.

The Right to be Skeptical

But one thing I am not willing to do is begrudge other people their God-given right to be skeptical. I’m not going to accept this notion that the same industry that has been creating drugs for generations riddled with side-effects and loaded with people who are recommended not to take them, suddenly created a miracle pinprick that has no adverse effects, long or short term, and is OK for 100% of the population.

I have fears of these vaccines. And I have enormous fears of this bastard of a virus.

But my social concerns outweigh them all.

Rational Vaccine Conversation

I fear a society that cannot have a rational discussion about the vaccine. One group says it’s garbage they don’t want to go anywhere near. The other says it’s a brilliant and infallible piece of modern medicine that will save us all.

And they’re both naive. They’re both behaving like children who are unwilling to speak to the other one rationally. If you are not receiving the vaccine and cannot see why others think it’s a really good idea, I have trouble believing you. How do you not want the world to get better? How do you not want to take the necessary steps to get back to relative normality?

But if you did receive your vaccine, or you’re pining to get the thing, and you think it’s perfect and there’s no chance we’ll ever see anything negative come out of it, I’m equally perplexed. And if you’re willing to disparage and criticize all others who look at things differently than you do, I’m frustrated and even somewhat disgusted with you.

Yesterday Israel just announced many new rules regarding those who have or haven’t been vaccinated. I was most intrigued by the unvaccinated not being allowed inside restaurants. I couldn’t help but think of racist laws from a time gone by. And yeah, comparing this to racism might be overkill. But I’m starting to feel it in the air. People willing to discriminate against millions of others because they are not vaccinated. People who think they’re inherently better than others.

And it’s only going to get worse.

Don’t Lose Your Soul

Listen, I get it. We all hate Corona. We all hate lockdowns and quarantines and masks and distance learning and businesses closing and on and on. But none of this is an excuse to treat others poorly or to act like you’re better than anyone else. And none of this is an excuse to shut off your mind.

This era will one day be behind us. We will have moved on and it will become fodder for history books. But how we behaved, how we treated the others around us, will become a part of who we are.

And that will never change.