Do you remember the book by Dr. Seuss about the crazy yellow upright creatures that sort of looked like Big Bird from Sesame Street? They were called Sneetches and they had a really good lesson to teach each one of us about inclusion, diversity, being OK with being different from others, and just plain ignorance of what we don't accept in others. I learned a great deal from that story. In the book Sneetches and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss, there is another story about the North Going Zax and the South Going Zax, two mop-haired creatures who again, we're there to train and teach the readers about being too set in our ways to budge. We learned early on through these and other stories that may have been read to us as children, that we are to include others in our daily lives. We are to work with others, be in a community with others, and we're not really supposed to judge someone by their skin color, their height, weight, shape, hair color, or anything we see about them. There is a good lesson in this, in that we are not to judge, but to be a part of the ever-changing community we exist in -- and that's not always so easy to do; is it?
The book really stands out for me this week, month, year, and will probably be something I refer to time and again as I am approached by those who have been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, who are bent out of shape as well as being bound and determined to force and bully me into getting vaccinated. There are so many reasons this is wrong - - and I'm not too shy to mention them here in this blog. I'm not trying to alienate anyone, but I have a medical reason not to be vaccinated, and my doctor agrees, but that is just not satisfactory for some to accept, and now my very life has been threatened by a more, shall we say, immature person, who simply isn't willing to be flexible - - she's sort of like those Zax I mentioned. She has one-way thinking, and it's been both annoying and now threatening. I'm not really all that nervous about her threats, as she tends to be pushing air through her mouth most of the time, but she could be crazy enough to actually harm me or someone else she feels is potentially harming her by not being vaccinated. Let me explain.
I live in a complex of people, we are all different, and we are all very unique in our own way. We are in a community, we share common space and common grounds and amenities. Because she is very liberal-minded and as we now say "Woke", she believes that everyone who is not vaccinated is somehow causing her to potentially become sick or be worse off if she catches the virus from one of us. Newsflash: the vaccine is NOT federally regulated and is not proven to help with either the virus or the future exposures to it. It's a "Band-Aid" on a gash at best, and in my humble opinion, less effective than taking Vitamin D and Zinc on a daily basis, which is what I am doing, and what my doctor recommended after I had the virus and it ran it's course very early on from November 2019 to February 2020. I was laid up for about 2 weeks with flu-type symptoms and then another 14 weeks of coughing my guts and lungs out. I did get over it, and I am left with scarring in my lungs due to it. My doctors strongly recommend that I do not get the vaccine unless and until it can be regulated and someone takes the blame for it if there are reactions. At this stage, there is NO recourse for anyone who takes the vaccine and has reactions to it. You sign a waiver saying you won't sue or seek legal action. This alone s should tell people it is NOT safe.
I'm not anti-vaccine and I am so very tired of being bullied, shamed, name-called, and worse, even terminated from work and shunned by people just because I disagree with them in this matter. I am anti-this-vaccine for me, but anyone who wants to get it, and feels that they need it, is perfectly OK with me. I would recommend that they wait, but it's not up to me to live their lives. I think it needs to be given the chance to be proven to be effective, but again, it is NOT my area of expertise; but it is as they say "My body, my choice", right? No, not according to all these "Woke" people who think that I am causing them to suffer because I have a medical condition that precludes me from being in their little club. I am 100% healthy, and probably more so than most of the people I know who have taken the vaccines. I am one of the countless people who can say I know others who have not fared well by taking the vaccine, and I know others who had no reactions whatsoever. Good. I hope NO ONE has a reaction. I hope it becomes FDA-approved. I hope it is the cure. I am NOT against it as a potential help, but I am against me taking it if it could cause me both discomfort and possibly harm. Why can't others understand that?
We simply don't know enough about the virus and the vaccine to make educated statements. We rely on those who do the studies, but the media in our country won't allow people who disagree with the left way of thinking, to even report their findings. Without double-blind and unbiased testing on these vaccines we are not going to be given the full truth by either side, and it is incredibly sad that there are even two sides to this one matter. It should be united, it should be the goal of every human to make sure the actual truth gets out and not their biased opinions which serve to fuel their collective or bi-partisan agenda. I am so very very tired of being caught in the middle of this problem. I am a Sneech without a star on my belly, but I'm feeling like I need to buy a fake COVID card to wave at anyone who has the audacity to think they are better than me just because I am not able to be vaccinated at this time.
It will come down to people making, purchasing, forging, and faking cards and IDs saying they've been vaccinated. This way they can move on about their business and not be terminated from jobs, or not interviewed in the first place. They'll be able to ride the buses, the rail, and fly without being hassled. They'll be able to go into restaurants, bars, churches, public houses, and courtrooms without being shamed - - why are people shaming? It's not founded. It's not proven. It's hype and it's a biased opinion, but we're all out there screaming at one another with our flags waving and our fists flying, and I'm just done! I'm not a racist, I'm not a bigot, I'm not a murderer, I'm not a hater, I am simply not convinced medically that this is the right choice for me and I think I should have that right to say so without being thrown to the wolves at every corner! Shouldn't I?
Well, the Sneeches finally did themselves a favor and they learned from their mistakes. They were ignorant and rude to others until it was brought to their full attention that really deep down we are the same and we do hurt and we do cry, we are normal, and it's really best if we just accept one another and give a bit of lee-way to those who may want to think things through or give things time before making decisions that will affect them for the rest of their lives. We need to remember the stories from when we were children -- we learned so much in our first five years that we seem to forget as we get older. Remember being told to be kind? We need to be kind. We need to love people for who and what they are and if we disagree with their lifestyle we can say so without being ugly about it, or hurtful. We can love the person even if we don't like what they do or say.
Let's give love a try.
Photo credit: Jake Bartell (Dr. Seuss book illustrator)
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