Many readers have asked for my opinion on various aspects, in the virus scenario. It’s topical, of course, but not spiritual. That is, unless you’re prepared to simply be a buddhist-like beacon of love without any desire for a particular outcome. Then it’s a brilliant test!
I have experienced the disease known as Covid 19. So has my wife and so have a lot of people we know or know of. So we believe in it. I spell this out because some acquaintances of ours think we don’t – simply because we don’t agree with lock-downs. That’s an incorrect morph; we do believe in the virus. Its severity is about the same as the 1968 Hong Kong flu and the number dying is about the same. The characteristics are different in that the fever was worse in 1968 but recovery was quicker. This time regaining full strength, appetite and verve can take several months. (This applies to those who get it severely; but, as the gov’ / NHS states, for the majority it’s like a heavy cold or light flu or not noticed at all).
The percentage os sufferers surviving is the same as other flus. So lockdown, in my view, is a most inappropriate way to deal with the disease, trying impossibly to overcome it like King Canute pushing the tide back. There isn’t one scrap of evidence to prove lockdown has saved one life (send it to me, if you find a scrap). But there is plenty of evidence to prove it’s ruining millions of lives and incomes. The latest announcement is that 200 million children could die as a result of lockdown causing food shortages in Africa. So, what’s going on? I can’t see any balance here, comparing this with (possibly but not definitely) extending the lives by maybe months, of a few westerners who have reached beyond life expectancy. I’m in the old age group and would willingly give up a little life to save millions – and I speak for large numbers of my fellow wrinklies, if my mail bag is anything to go by.
Vaccines? Well I’m a bit biased on this one because I took a bad reaction to one – polio I am told – as a child. As a result, I never had another inoculation, ever. After the mishap, my Dad instilled in me the reasoning that our bodies are made to fight disease and will self-heal, given a slight over-supply of root veg, greens and daily exercise. So far, so good. He lived until age 85 without any vaccine himself, keeping up the food advice but not any exercise.
Personally, I’d prefer another bout of Covid to changing my track record. But everyone should make their own choice, I believe, weighing up all the pros and cons. One of my pros is my age. I’ve had my life (by average expectancy in UK, next year is my prognosis). All the veg (plus raw garlic & ginger, which deal with most invasive stuff) may of course give me a lap of honor, or a part-lap. Included in my cons is 1) no immunity or cessation of transmission, 2) no track record in humans, 3) from research available to everyone, could cause over active immune system and 4) the CDC (USA) says it’s experimental for at least 2 years, not approved by the FDA – but gov’ issuing it as an emergency. For me, this underscores the 100% success rate relying on the natural immune system. Nonetheless, I take corticosteroids for my breathing (lung fibrosis) so the jury is still out on whether I can agree to the experiment, even if I want to. There are risks whichever decision we make. To my mind, we live every day with risks at least as great as Covid 19. I’ll review the outcome of mRNAs in a couple of years if I’m still here. If something proves really worthwhile, I may yet take it.
My recommendation, philosophically speaking: don’t fear the virus. Fear weakens us, as some of my studies reveal. Love is the opposite to fear. (Revert to 1st paragraph).