Just this morning, I was thinking about how different things might’ve been if government and heads of medical organi- zations responded to this pandemic in a calm, rational, circumspect way. Instead of resorting to bullying, fear-mongering, divisiveness, suppressing information, and discouraging open discussion on mainstream media.
For instance, I’m wondering why a forum of medical doctors and scientists wasn’t formed globally – or even locally – to discuss the possible cures, the pros and cons of certain Covid treatment protocols, or to regularly share doctors’ experiences in using particular treatments or medicines – to discuss what works snd what doesn’t?
Isn’t this common sense? Isn’t this a fast and practical way to gather the best minds – to harness their expertise, experience, and current discoveries?
With online technology, this would be so easy to do! Wouldn’t it have been more pro-active and more efficient if we did this, even at a local level? An open sharing of discoveries and experiences will surely facilitate the finding of a cure.
Instead, what I see are just different groups at war – shooting down each other, discrediting each other, maligning each other. What a waste of time and energy. It’s an ugly sight to see, while people are dying.
It makes me think – is the goal to divide and conquer, rather than to unite and heal?
I also wonder why the government and some leaders of business have resorted to shaming, terrorizing or bullying people into getting jabbed? Or muzzling the media, doctors, medical staff, or anyone who dares speak up against what the government is pushing?
Wouldn’t it be better to give the public easy access to information instead? To expose them to the different options available out there – for example, presenting the pros and cons of being vaccinated, or the pros and cons taking certain medicines and vitamins; or adopting a health regimen to boost one’s immunity, etc.
Isn’t it better to educate people on the different approaches being used and recommended by reliable doctors, both local and foreign?
Then let people decide what they think is the best option for them. Instead of bullying or shaming them them into submission.
This bullying and threatening and shaming people is, I think, the main reason why many people are at each other’s throats, so enraged at each other. They’re just taking the cue from our government.
Isn’t this also adding to the stress, depression, and panic of people who are already so anxious, so crushed and broken by this pandemic?
The bullying and threats and fights between the vaxxed and unvaxxed are severely lowering people’s immune systems. It’s destroying their support systems – if they get sick, they have less people to run to for help. Think about that.
Domestic quarrels have skyrocketed because family members, relatives, friends (now ex-friends), colleagues, etc. are fighting over if they should get jabbed or not. Even marriages have been fractured by this.
Psychologically (and most of us know this), the more you push someone to do something, the more they’ll resist it. But if you let a person choose freely, show him consideration and respect, the more likely that he’ll listen to you.
The Philippines is supposedly a Christian nation. And yet, look at the way we’re treating each other. Instead of respecting each other’s choices, or gently persuading each other – people who don’t agree with the government’s course of action are being ruthlessly alienated, insulted, bullied, ostracized, threatened, insulted, discriminated against.
At a doctor’s clinic filled with patients, a medical secretary publicly announced something like this about a friend of mine:
“Naku. You’re not vaxxed pala! Please stay away from her. She’s not safe.”
How mean. How cruel. Imagine the agony that my friend – who was already sick – went through.
Shame on us. Shame on us for calling ourselves Christians. Shame on us for adding to the pain and misery of others just because they made a decision different from ours.
Shame on us.
