Covid: The Virus Isn't Going To Show Mercy Just Because....
Well, I didn't see that one coming. Yet, I'm not surprised either. On one hand, things should have never gotten to a point of a mandate. However, I can't really have sympathy for those potentially affected as they should have known better. After 37 million cases and over 650,000 deaths nationwide, one should have gotten the idea by now that Covid is a very real virus, and a dangerous one at that too! One would be surprised though.
At the start of the outbreak, one would have hoped for the best. One would have felt that people would made sacrifices for the good of there friends, family, and co-workers. One would have worn the mask as a sign of respect for the health of those around them, and then get vaccinated as the ultimate demonstration for one's commitment to their personal health and that of their loved ones. Idealism and expectations are one thing, and reality is another though.
Reality is that many saw the virus as a manufactured hoax designed to take away people's rights. Millions became slaves to outlandish conspiracy theories. The gullible put there lives in the hands of anti-vaxxers that had no concern about their health and well-being. Others turned the virus into yet another political issue even though it had nothing to do with politics. Due to sheer ignorance, we've become our own worst enemy, we only have ourselves to blame. Believing in lies does have its price. Ignorance becomes the engine that drives our demise. Those consumed by invisible boogeymen of their own making failed to see the real danger that was out and about. Many of thousands who embraced such nonsense are in their graves. Many more will still follow. They failed to realize that this virus is much bigger than any of us. At this point, does it really matter though?
However, their is a silver-lining though. Vaccination rates have skyrocketed since this latest outbreak. We've hit 70% vaccinated. We might be able to reach herd immunity. Too bad that it took a massive outbreak for many to realize how bad this Covid actually is. However, at this point, I guess its better late than never I suppose.
Covid and Faith
I've been meaning to do a update for a long time. However, things have been very busy with me. Many real-life commitments have kept me away from this blog. Also, I wasn't in the best of moods either. However, there are occasional burst of keyboard slamming that have to be dealt with. My main motivation for this article was something that I overheard on the radio. It was on the Christian radio station where the announcer did a quick update. In that update, he implored people to wear the mask while declaring that things had to be done without mandates.
That last part rubbed me the wrong way. Mandates wouldn't have been needed if people did there part. People like that announcer are the reason why things got as bad as they did. When the virus started, there was a massive opportunity for Christian leaders to take the lead and be at the forefront of good hygiene and practice. There was a opportunity for Christian leaders to implore the congregation to wear the mask as a sign of solidarity, support, and respect for the health of there congregation. There was a real opportunity to put "love thy neighbor" into practice. Once the vaccine had become available, their was a golden opportunity for these leaders to complete that love by encouraging the vaccine to demonstrate it.
This opportunity was squandered. Throughout the country, many church leaders openly entertained conspiracy theories about both the virus and the vaccine to there congregation. They brought into lies that have zero merit in them. These lies were paraded as the gospel truth by those reckless enough to share them. Rubbish like the vaccine having a microchip or that it has aborted baby fetuses in it became as real as 2+2=4 for those in the pews. Many of them openly kept churches open WITHOUT requiring there congregation members to wear the mask. The virus would spread out without restraint. Many Christians would needlessly die at the hands of those who were suppose to protect them.
Even if the church leaders personally thought that Covid was a load of crap, there was still a massive responsibility on there part to wear the mask as a sign of respect to the health and well-being of there congregation (at the very least). Yet, for many across the country, even this gesture was too much to ask.
I believe that God will protect those who put their trust and faith in them. However, this faith also requires action on our end. This means wearing the mask, getting the vaccine, and uphold the health of both yourself and that of others.
One quickly gets sick and tired of the "those who are protecting themselves lack faith" nonsense. For many, faith become that excuse by many to do anything to their hearts content without consequence, and then pass their actions as such. That isn't faith, but the abuse of it.
Many Christians will still die. However, they will die at the hands of their own sheer ignorance as they buy into lies that are designed to kill them. These lies will jeopardizing their own health among that of others as well. And what for? Anyone who refused to wear the mask because it was inconvenient and then invoked "faith" afterwards to justify their actions have made a mockery of their spirituality instead, just like that announcer. People who at the end of the day will abuse works of prophecy and use it as a tool to inject there social commentary. I don't have time for this crap.
When Liberty Is Dragged Through The Mud By Those Who Don't Understand It
Many of those who saw making sacrifices as inconveniences instead chose to scream "liberty" at the top of their lungs. Yet, in that misguided quest for unrestrained freedom while sticking it to the man, two very important detail became forgotten. The first detail is that Covid is a health issue, not a political one. Thousands upon thousands of people are in their graves now because they turned a health issue into a political one. The virus wasn't going to show restraint regardless of one's opinion.
The second detail forgotten is that in order for a democracy to function, the rights of others have to be upheld along with the rights of the individual as well. In a society, we have the obligation to protect others. Despite popular opinion, we're not our own island. By living together as an society, we've entered into in a social contract. While one is quick to scream "individual rights" by not wearing the mask, what about the rights of those who don't want to get sick from the virus? Do their rights matter?
For people who haven't worn the mask and hadn't get sick, it was only because of the effort of those who have respected their health by wearing the mask. The mask are meant to protect the lives of our loved ones. Those who saw the actions of refusing the mask as making a grand statement of defiance instead became selfish fools who showed contempt for their loved ones while playing Russian Roulette with their own health as well.
When the health regulations were mandated, it wasn't put in place because the state government officials were being a bunch of meanies. It's because a virus is going around killing scores of people. This idea is lost in that empty wasteland that is Facebook. One encounters empty memes that reflect this absurdity. The one that states (I'm paraphrasing) "They are requiring proof of vaccination for entrance. When will they do that with those with hepatitis, AIDS, cancer, heart disease, etc". The reason why businesses and organizations are requiring proof of vaccination is that Covid is a virus that can easily spread with casual contact. One cannot get AIDS or hepatitis through simple contact. Yes, heart disease and cancer still kills more Americans than Covid. However, one cannot get heart disease or cancer simply by being on one's presence either. You can catch Covid easily just by being around someone who has it. That what makes Covid so dangerous as a virus.
Freedom is not doing anything to your hearts content without restriction. If one's idea of liberty is such, then they have a very distorted vision of what freedom is. Lastly, why should my personal health be jeopardize because some idiot refuse to get the vaccine?
Misinformation and Anti-vaxxers
Misinformation brought out the worst in the gullible and naïve. Instead of seeking professional advice from those in the medical fields, many got advice from political commentators, politicians, click-bait articles, or random claims echoed from some random chump on the street. Instead of listening to the experts, many got bogus advice from Reddit and other internet forums.
The health of many became jeopardizes when they turned a health issue into a political one. This became yet another red vs. blue battleground even though this wasn't a partisan issue. One starts gambling with their life when embracing some baseless claim as the gospel truth. However, the virus isn't going to discriminate, and those who live behind those excuses will be at its mercy.
For the ill-informed, the vaccine became much more dangerous than the virus. While the J+J vaccine deaths are very unfortunate, one has to be reminded that while the total number of deaths from the vaccine could be counted using the fingers of two hands. Meanwhile, because of Covid, our country was being 9/11nd most days in January and February of 2021, and every other day through most of this year. At the time of this article, Covid has killed over 624,365 (August 19, 2021) in this country, and 54,819 (Same date) here in Texas. Their have been 37,296,398 cases of Covid here in the U.S. since the outbreak. Total deaths from the Covid vaccine has been less than 10 worldwide. Not ten thousand, but ten. In fact, deaths from the vaccine are so rare that it can't even be illustrated in a chart. Let that sink in for a second. Many forgot what the real danger is.
As such, remember those numbers before posting stupid memes on Facebook comparing mask mandates to Nazism. That is the rubbish that is shared by those who snoozed in social studies while in high school and then deciding to get their American history from Breitbart.
Anti-vaxxers have killed thousands upon thousands of people this year. Covid was just a willing accomplice to their madness. The minds of anti-vaxxers were made up long before the J+J deaths occurred. Their opinions were not formed from specifics in regard to the incident, but from general preconceived biases. They were going to dismiss ANY vaccine period, regardless of isolated incidents or not.
While distrust the government is justified based on past actions, the virus isn't going to show restraint simply because of one's opinion. Also, millions have been manipulated by anti-vaxxers who have commercial interest as well. It's not in their best interest for vaccination as they sell phony snakeoil.
However, as much as One can dwell in their mental caves all they want, but Covid isn't going away anytime soon. Many have rightly recognized the threats posed by the virus, but many others haven't. Are some so intent on get things moving again at any cost that they will dismiss the risk posed to both themselves and others. Regardless, the responsibility is their, whether many choose to see it or not though.
I've taken a very hard stance on conspiracy theories. Their all fun and games until people start dying from them by the thousands. The words of both fundamentalist and anti-vaxxers alike have led thousands to the graves. Their false claims have ended the lives of many the world over. Anyone who still buys into them now are keeping one foot in the grave.
Those who refused the mask because it changed women's menstrua cycles, modified DNA, contained deadly amounts of mercury or had microchips , etc. were living in a world crafted from their own paranoia. This world was built on lies and fear. While people are free to believe whatever claims they want, claims based on lies don't have substances. Regardless of what people believe though, at the end of the day, the virus isn't going to display mercy.
Conclusion
I don't want people to die from this virus, but as of September, 2021; it's hard for me to have sympathy for those suffering and dying from the virus. Before the vaccine, other than isolation, there wasn't much that one could do to protect themselves. Yet, even with efficient mask and a effective vaccine that's loaded with microchips, lead, mercury, and a crap-ton of baby fetuses galore; people are still dying from it. There is no excuse at this point.
Articles Of Interest
Covid: Biden orders employees of big businesses to be vaccinated or face testing (BBC) : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58508547
COVID-19 ravaged the state’s border counties. Now they’re leading Texas in vaccinations (The Texas Tribune) : https://www.texastribune.org/2021/06/01/texas-coronavirus-border-vaccinations/
Many Parts of the U.S. Needed Persuading to Get Vaccinated. Not South Texas. (NYTimes) : https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/21/us/coronavirus-vaccines-texas-border.html
COVID-19 vaccination rate higher in the RGV compared to the rest of the state (ValleyCentral.com) : https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/covid-19-vaccination-rate-higher-in-the-rgv-compared-to-the-rest-of-the-state/
US hits 70% vaccination rate -- a month late, amid a surge (AP) : https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-coronavirus-pandemic-e33cc7e3eb782ceffdc9107a7cac25ab
Covid US death toll: Imagining what 500,000 lost lives look like (BBC) : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56150141
We Are Living in a Failed State (The Atlantic) : https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261/
Articles of Interest (Many Forgot What The Real Danger Is.....)
Google News Covid-19 Map (Used to create charts)
https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&mid=%2Fm%2F09c7w0&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
’18 Reasons I Won’t Be Getting a COVID Vaccine’ Post Filled With Reckless Falsehoods (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/04/16/18-reasons-why/
Dan Stock’s Speech to Mt. Vernon School Board Is Not Scientifically Credible (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/08/19/dan-stock-covid-mask-speech/
Geert Vanden Bossche Stokes Fear of COVID-19 Vaccine To Promote His Own Flawed ‘Solution’ (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/03/26/geert-vanden-bossche/
Johnson & Johnson : Coronavirus (Covid 19) Response (Wikipedia) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_%26_Johnson#Coronavirus_(COVID-19)_response
Did Tucker Carlson Say Forcing Kids To Wear Masks Outside Is ‘Child Abuse’? (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tucker-carlson-masks-child-abuse/
'I'm not an anti-vaxxer, but...' US health workers' vaccine hesitancy raises alarm (The Guardian) : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/10/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-hesitancy-us-health-workers
Articles Of Interest (Conspiracy Theories)
Covid vaccine: Fertility and miscarriage claims fact-checked (BBC) : https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57552527
Does J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Contain Aborted Fetal Cells? (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/covid-vaccine-aborted-fetal-cells/
Are People With Type-A Blood More Susceptible to COVID-19? (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/blood-type-covid-19/
Did ‘Head of Pfizer Research’ Say COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Is Female Sterilization’? (Snopes) : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/covid-vaccine-female-sterilization/
Misinformation related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misinformation_related_to_the_2019%E2%80%9320_coronavirus_pandemic
The Coronavirus Collection: Conspiracy Theories and ‘Predictions’ (Snopes) - https://www.snopes.com/collections/coronavirus-conspiracy-theories/
Coronavirus Is a Breeding Ground for Conspiracy Theories (Snopes) -
https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/02/28/coronavirus-is-a-breeding-ground-for-conspiracy-theories/
Was COVID-19 Created To Distract Us from a Doomsday Asteroid? (Snopes) - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/coronavirus-doomsday-asteroid/
Was Coronavirus Predicted in a 1981 Dean Koontz Novel? (Snopes) - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/dean-koontz-predicted-coronavirus/
Did Nostradamus Predict the COVID-19 Pandemic? (Snopes) - https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/nostradamus-covid-19/
PolitiFact - No, Democrats aren’t pushing microchips to fight coronavirus : https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/apr/23/facebook-posts/no-democrats-arent-pushing-microchi...
PolitiFact - No, the Gates Foundation isn’t pushing microchips with all medical procedures : https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/may/20/facebook-posts/no-gates-foundation-isnt-pushing-mi...
PolitiFact - No, the US isn’t developing a vaccine or ‘antivirus’ with a chip to track people : https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/apr/03/facebook-posts/no-us-isnt-developing-vaccine-or-an...
Articles Of Interest (Covid and Faith)
Patheos : 3 Reasons Evangelical Christians Fall for Conspiracy Theories - https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jaysondbradley/2020/05/3-reasons-evangelical-christians-fall-for-conspiracy-theories/
Wikipedia - Rodney Howard-Browne : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_Howard-Browne
Snopes - Is Kansas City Ordering Churchgoers To Register with the Government? : https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kansas-city-churches/
Pastor: I’m Holding Services Because I Have Machines That Shoot Down Viruses : https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/03/27/pastor-im-holding-services-because-i-have-machines-th...
BBC : 'They want to throw God's wonderful breathing system out' - https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-53174415
BBC : Man who believed virus was hoax loses wife to Covid-19 - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53892856
BBC : 'Hundreds dead' because of Covid-19 misinformation - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53755067
BBC : Coronavirus: Pastor who decried 'hysteria' dies after attending Mardi Gras - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52157824
NYTimes : Pastor Who Defied Social Distancing Dies After Contracting Covid-19, Church Says - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/bishop-gerald-glenn-coronavirus.html
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