I Won’t Be Getting The Covid Vaccine
By: Pam O'Donnell
Tags: Pandemic, Vaccines, Covid 19, Immune System, Self Care

Photo by Daniel Schludi on Unsplash

I won’t be getting the Covid vaccine but, not for the reason you may think. I don’t distrust science or, the scientists who worked feverishly to create the vaccine. I have some big misgivings about the pharmaceutical industry, as a whole but, that’s not what’s stopping me from getting the vaccine.

I’m grateful that it will be available, eventually, to everyone who wants to get it. I’m sure that knowing it has finally been created, is a huge relief to millions of people. For all of those who believe their risk of getting the virus, really suffering through it and possibly succumbing to it, a vaccine must seem like a bright light, at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. Pending any adverse effects, short or long term, it’s likely to give you the peace of mind, you’ve been waiting for.

What I do find concerning, is a seemingly, complete lack of interest in improving one’s own health. There is a societal, cultural, conditioning that has subverted our reliance on fresh air, good food, healthy, positive thinking and a connection to the natural world. We seem to have given up on our immune systems, which when nurtured and strengthened by our life style choices, works remarkably well. Soaps with antibacterial agents, wipes, sprays, etc that kill 99.9% of germs that cause disease, are also killing the bacteria that help fight disease. It’s so counterintuitive. It’s nuts, in my humble opinion.

We have been taught not to trust or rely on our own bodies to take care of themselves. We have moved so far away from the mental, psychological, physical and yes, spiritual way of caring for ourselves, that a vaccine seems like our only hope. Frankly, I find that far more terrifying than the virus.

When an entire population is worrying about all of the conditions that can potentially make the virus more dangerous for them, as if they have no control over these conditions, it’s time to rethink our thinking. Obesity, high blood pressure, asthma, smoking, diabetes, all manageable, possibly even curable, with the right care and life style changes, have stopped many in their tracks, with fear. I realize this is not an exhaustive list of possible complication causers, with the virus.

I understand that the management of our federal response to the pandemic was beyond disastrous. Many states planned badly as well. Perhaps a huge campaign to get people to step up to the plate, regarding their own health, wasn’t possible. The bigger problem, and I hope I’m not the only one noticing this, is that we as a country, are in really bad health. Our whole approach to health and well being has shifted so far away from self awareness, actual food, rather than ingredient lists, looking at and changing life style choices, that we as a people are lost. We’re so far down the rabbit hole, that we see a vaccine, as our only way out.

For those of us who have made the choice, and it is a choice, to live a life filled with healthy foods, exercise and fresh air, who have made time for a spiritual practice and self care and nurturance, watching this tragedy play out, is really surreal and a quite a bit heartbreaking.

A vaccine will hopefully stop the hemorrhaging of our population and the complete and utter exhaustion of a world that feels as if it’s at war. Once the war is over and we’re all able to come up for air, I pray that we take a long, hard look at how we choose to care for ourselves. I sincerely hope that we seriously reevaluate how we live and make the personal and collective changes necessary to live long, healthy lives, relying on and genuinely caring for our bodies and our immune systems.