The only guarantee in life is that eventually, you will die.
Recently I was told that someone I love very much was upset that I have not gotten the vaccine. My heart was broken to confirm that people who have known me my whole life, are afraid to be near me. It’s deeper than that, for my children are staying away as well. I know they are trying not to hurt my feelings and come out and say it. I can feel it. These past 16 months I have felt my pain and loneliness from isolation. I have felt the pain and isolation of those who have died alone in hospital beds. The emptiness of the elderly shut off from their families and grandparents unable to hug their grandchildren.
Those who are reading this and don’t know me may be formulating the assumption that I am a “Trumpster”, Anti-vaxxer”, “selfish” or countless other names that have been thrown out. I am none of these. I am following medical advice on what is best for MY health. People may not agree with it, but I am following the science that is best for me.
I have worked tirelessly, without extra pay or recognition, to keep the most vulnerable populations in the State safe.
I have been privy to information the general public is not. I know the numbers and I know the risks. So do not judge me based on your fears or media knowledge. Many nights I have spent weeping for the body count and those who have been forced to needlessly die alone. A generation that faced incredible obstacles, world wars, depression, to spend their final days locked away for their own “safety”. From a virus that does make one sick, I will not deny, that does kill, I will not deny but has a 2% fatality rate.
Imagine if our ancestors throughout time had been so afraid of a 2% chance of dying or getting sick, that they failed to live.
Many of us would not exist. When will people wake up to the fact that we are being divided? Families and friends are forced apart and turn on one another. Soon, society as we know it will cease to exist. Division: us/them, black/white, gay/straight, the list continues to grow. When will we learn that people can hold different opinions and live together even if they don’t agree?
Never have I turned my back on a friend or family member who thought differently than I. What sets humankind apart from the animal kingdom is our ability to exercise free will and unconditional love. Once we lose that, the human race will not exist.