“Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery.”
-Fyodor Dostoesvky
A new year is here, and once more I find myself scanning articles and headlines looking to see what is most important to talk about with all of you. I must admit, the topic of January 6th is quite enticing, but I believe I have already said all that needs to be said about that day in my previous entry “The Viking and the Fool” I would rather avoid beating that dead horse.
I can imagine you are already being inundated with articles about that day as it appears to be some lingering moment of youth for dying corporate press outlets. As long as they have something to prattle on about, then they have content. The more dramatic the headline, the more guaranteed that like-minded individuals will share the content without investigation into the matter, nor the reason the content is so heavily in favor of painting the day as a terrorist attack. It’s enough to drive someone mad if they are trying to just find the line of truth in the fog
That is why it’s a topic I would rather avoid at this time. I try to avoid line-in-the-sand situations like this because it can tend to alienate people who would otherwise share many values with me or others. Which, in my personal opinion, should be the goal all around. To reach out to those we normally disagree with and find the values that we share. Then we can teach our ideas towards each other with compassion and understanding. For some reason, corporate journalists don’t seem to agree with that approach. If you dare speak about the blanket one-sidedness, you are labeled quickly as an “other” to their hegemony, never to be offered to the adult table anymore.
Instead, I want to focus on something that hits rather close to home. Many of my friends are soon seeking refuge after learning that their livelihoods may now be in jeopardy. OSHA is declaring that after January 10th any employer with a hundred employees or more are being subjected to mandatory vaccinations for the disease that has caused some of the most polarization I have ever witnessed. If you want to keep your job, you have to get the jab. Which in any other time, could make sense. We have all but eliminated some of the deadliest diseases mankind has ever known.
We certainly wouldn’t want to promote the idea of being anti-vaccination.
However, it’s not quite so black and white as you would expect. Every individual person has their own lives they live and their own decisions to make. The reasons to get the jab are very obvious to a large portion of society who is willing to roll up their sleeve and “do their part.” A noble cause indeed during such a serious moment. However, there are those that are skeptical of the science behind MRNA and the overall convenience of such a world-shattering disease suddenly having a miracle cure. The flip-flopping of influencers who were completely against the vaccine two years ago, who are suddenly soldiers for a cause now that there is a new administration.
Not to mention the group that never tries the trial version of everything. Having been a geek all of my life, I can empathize with those who would avoid “buggy beta-tests.” You never want to be the unfortunate soul who staked everything for a trial run before all of the issues have been worked out.
Then when you factor in the fact that any time a scientist speaks out against mass inoculation, they are removed from the most prevalent means of communication to the uneducated public at large. Just look at the aftermath of Twitter removing Dr. Robert Malone, who was responsible for inventing the very MRNA technology used in the creation of these vaccines. Malone spoke out clearly against the bending of the rules on a global level in order to get these vaccines through. He did well to raise many eyebrows before he was removed from the platform entirely. Tenure doesn’t matter, only compliance.
“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”-George R.R. Martin
I’m not an expert on immunology nor would I pretend to have a vast knowledge of medical history. However, I will say that I am quite biased against companies that only let elite-level established voices speak on their behalf. Especially when there are ENORMOUS financial incentives for the manufacturers of these vaccines, as well as the hospitals reporting the numbers. An important factor of the data that I’m afraid will never actually be brought to light without the expense of Moderna or Pfizer.
It’s quite impossible for most of us to ever know honestly what is going on. This is why I think the idea of everyone making the same “righteous decision” is tenuous at best. Personally, if I don’t trust someone, I can hardly see myself making a life-changing decision on their behalf. Which, I imagine is the case for a very large percentage of the “others” out there as well. We did an incredibly poor job at convincing people to take any of this seriously.
Well, now many people I know are having to take this very seriously in all the wrong ways. The idea of losing your job over what is honestly at this point a political debate is a joke that is too dark for even me to tell. They are going to be forced to make life-altering changes in their professional lives. Many of them will likely find a new career, with employers who will take the routes they can to fight tyrannical mandates and not bend the knee at the expense of their integrity. They will ignore all of the cries about “It’s for the greater good,” or “It’s just what we do now.” They will likely face hardship as the crowds turn on them simply of being skeptical and thinking for themselves. They will slowly have a lot of their access to common goods and services stripped as they refuse to play ball.
Then I also have friends who will recognize that life is easier for them to just get the needle and get it over with. Instead of worrying about their career, they will give up a small part of their integrity to keep the “heroes” from busting down their door. I don’t blame them in the slightest. If Stalin’s might is at your door saying that your family is in danger if you don’t do what is best for the greater good, you too would likely bend the knee out of fear. Standing up to the danger often just means you are the first one the leader makes an example of. This is a world where if you aren’t moving with the crowd, you are likely to get trampled on with absolutely no remorse.
It has become increasingly difficult for myself, my friends, and my family to navigate at this time because we are not sure who to trust except each other. I love my community and want to do the best I can to support it. For now, I will do my best to point out the absolute absurdity we find ourselves in, while also trying to read and understand what is the most “logical” approach for us to take. I don’t want to simply be a contrarian at a sensitive time, nor do I want to start a war against vaccination. I just want to put out that standing against the crowd is important when your values and ideals are on the line. Taking on the idea of these mandates is a fight I think is worth having. I also understand that this is a near-impossible thing to tackle.
Because to be against the mandates and vaccines you would have to be anti-science
And to be “anti-science”
You would have to be a fool
Thank you for reading,
-The Young Fool
