I appreciate the effort here, thanks. For me it is not about fear. The pandemic has been a drag on society both socially and economically. This is about getting to the other side. Restoring as much “normalcy” as possible. We can ignore the virus completely but that tanks the hospital system and a lot of people will die.
I fundamentally disagree with just letting people die. There is no need for millions of senseless deaths when modern medicine has a better alternative.
This is just not true. Lockdowns were highly successful at preventing the spread. However, they are only a mitigation system to preserve hospital capacity. We cannot have infinite lockdowns.
The vaccines grant partial immunity against the spread and almost full protection from the severest cases. That is preferable to simply letting millions of people die.
It is not just Covid-19 at stake here; it’s the ICU capacity of the health system. Suddenly your car accident has a higher probability of being fatal because medical resources are needed for covid patients.
This is a false choice. The role of government is citizen welfare and regulation. The role of corporations is to make profit. Preventing deaths of the population is in the interest of both. Heck, even corrupt politicians have a self-interest in keeping their constituents alive.
The information presented here is simply untrue. There is no “natural immunity” from COVID-19. Immunity is acquired from exposure to the virus either by contracting it or vaccination. Said immunity likely wanes over time.
I want society back to normal. (Or as close as it was). That means COVID-19 reduced to a minor nuisance like a common cold. My goal is not to convince you to my point of view. The only way back to “normalcy” is for everyone to get vaccinated.
The simple solution is to mandate it. Vaccines are mandated for schoolchildren. This is not revolutionary.
There are no guarantees. We know that vaccination reduces transmission, hospitalizations, and deaths. The outcomes are better than doing nothing. In the end that is all that matters - results.
First off, thanks for taking the time to elaborate on your thoughts and beliefs. Like I said in my post, I respect your opinion and beliefs and at the end of the day, that is all we have is understanding and respect.
I just don't think contradicting and labeling other people's statements false is productive, either. Especially, given your perspective is limited to your perception and exposure to the situation and that I assume you are not an expert on the field (virologist, scientists, medical degree of some sort). Think of it in terms of blue pill vs red pill, pointing fingers and stating the negative has not proven to make things better between men and women. That is essentially the flaw in modern feminism, the imaginary competition of which gender has suffered the most so the other can feel the same. But I understand why you would have a different opinion, your experience with this pandemic (assuming this is the first one you experience or are familiar with) can shape your perspective. Just understand, despite what you might hear on the media or the internet (which is the point of the OP), other people's experiences have been very different. Including mine.
You are right, miraculous natural immunity does not exist. But I was hoping you would think critically and realize that whenever somebody refers to natural immunity, it means people that have been exposed to it and naturally created the necessary antibodies to fight it off and were only affected minimally. I, and many others like me, are I guess you can call it "fortunate" to have that type of immunity. Like me, many others have gotten it and didn't feel even a hint of it.
And believe me, I know how it sounds when I say people need to die, it sounds like Nazi Germany. So let me elaborate, in evolution, there is a fundamental need for natural genetical modification. In other words, it will not serve the species (long-term, keep that word in mind, long-term) to save genes that are not suitable for the environment or future events like this. We need the naturally strongest genes to prevail and shape future generations and reiterations of humanity. We are playing God in this event, we are not. We will never be. And I know it doesn't sound compassionate, but sometimes nature isn't. Especially if we don't deserve the same respect we give it. And trust me, we do not. We take it for granted.
But if anything, I want you to take this with you because I know you will disagree regardless. More than the physical genetical modifications that viruses like this cause, we need a rather deeper modification or transcend to occur. One that is not tangible. One that is called consciousness. Regardless of truth vs lie, right vs wrong, etc vs etc, we need to progress in the realm of consciousness. However, that is critically hindered when we do not attempt to connect with each other. In other words, when we try to disconnect aka divide. And to most of us, that is the real tragedy. It is not disagreeing.
When Don Lemon says things like "****'em, let's leave them behind" that shows his level of humanity and conscious intelligence. And that is exactly the attitude that will not incentivize anyone to follow mandates.
Let's say everyone gets vaccinated, given the recent spikes in cases of Israel and Singapore, what happens then? Another iteration of the vaccine until we get it right? You see, one thing we do fundamentally disagree with is the concept of normalcy. Let go of that, what was will never be. Who you were stopped to exist. Accept that such a thing as normalcy is a social construct. This is the normalcy which is why some countries (and more to come) will simply say "let's try something different than the last 2 years, and just live with covid-19". When you state the vaccine and social mandates outcomes are better doing nothing, it can be misleading because we haven't tried "nothing". What we have tried so far are lockdowns and vaccine mandates. That is what these countries are doing now and what most "anti-vaxxers" are wanting to try, nothing. Accept it, live with it, and trust humanity is strong enough to progress. You see, science is a new field relative to human evolution and even more Earth's time in this galaxy. Doing nothing is more natural when you think about it. And we are here. Stronger, smarter, etc. This too shall pass.
At the end of the day, I don't intend to have all the answers or be right, I am aware I can be wrong and my perspective, like yours, is limited which is why I ask questions and more importantly actively listen. I just know that forcing the other 50% of humanity into something they do not genuinely believe in and that even you know it is not fully effective will be a steep uphill to walk on. You catch more flies with honey if flies are what you are looking for.
Again, I appreciate your response. I hope to see your lineage in generations to come if it's meant to be.
Bless.
Modern Man Advice