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Okay, I’m done with the vaccine issue.
I sat on the fence for a while. Reviewing the science and honouring my opposing intuition. But it is just another distraction when our world is literally cooking.
I feel we cannot conquer the climate crisis when we are divided over other issues.
Activism is all consuming. Not making a decision on a controversial subject is also mentally taxing. And so I’ve made my mind up: COVID-19, masks, the vaccine—this is not my fight. I understand deeply where anti-vax people are coming from, however it is my opinion that we have got to focus on the bigger things.
If you’re focusing all of your attention on these other things, this is what is happening:
Complaining about having to wear a mask today?
If we keep extracting oil and burning fossil fuels, you won’t be able to breathe the air when you are older.
Complaining about your loss of freedom?
Your house will be flooded, your favourite hiking spots are now piles of ash, you’ll have nowhere to holiday due to extreme weather, plus the death and destruction we see on our screens daily, are more triggering than ever.
The movement for freedom needs to look at the bigger picture.
The climate crisis needs our attention now—all of our attention now.
We all need to look beyond ourselves and our immediate personal discomfort. We need to have the longer game in focus, and live for something other than this moment’s frustration.
If you still disagree, especially if you’re worried about a “higher power” controlling us:
>> Are you not manifesting it and fueling that fear by constantly talking about it?
>> What do you actually stand for? Freedom for all, or is it just freedom for your individual rights?
If your concerns are about a healthy body:
>> Where you have been in the fight against pesticides?
>> Where you have been in the fight against plastics?
Do you understand that a fried planet will be hugely detrimental to our health and our ability to live our privileged lives?
How about those dying in Afghanistan? How about those who cannot afford to move to higher ground, reinforce their home, get home insurance—those who will perish in extreme weather? What of their rights? What about their freedoms? Being born into a land of privilege is not an accomplishment. The countries that will be affected first by the climate crisis are not the ones most of us are privileged to live in. We must also care for their rights to live in safe, peaceful, and healthy environments.
I have decided that I am prepared to sacrifice my need for certainty around this vaccine. Sure, I would personally prefer to keep my pristine body safe from “big pharma,” however; I am prepared to do light work to eliminate nasties in my body—just like I already do for bad vibes, processed food, enviro pollutants, and the many wild decisions of my youth which likely still have lingering toxins. If this is what it takes to get us to solve the real threat, I’m doing it. Earth will be all but uninhabitable for billions of people by 2070.
I am here for chats on solutions. I will not get into the debates, discussions, and certainly not the battles that are distracting us from the bigger picture, the most important fight of our lives.
I’m done with this issue. I would appreciate anyone else who has been mentally battling over this decision to make that decision, move on, and bring your energy to the crisis that really needs you. Because if it’s “the man” who you hate, the systems that have power over us, if it’s the systems you despise—these are the real enemies of the climate crisis.
Join the environmental movement and help reclaim your freedom to live on Earth.
We are the privileged ones, yes. But we are also the ones with the ability and energy to fight for Earth.
We must band together. We must look after each other and support each other as we fight against the real issues at hand. Let’s stop getting distracted by the smaller issues, let’s make a pact to focus on what’s really a threat to our world.
I am not telling anyone what to do, because each of us must listen to ourselves when we make big decisions. Don’t listen to the crowd, or the majority around you, not even someone you look up to—but using your own critical thinking and logic to determine the best course of action.
For me, I will wear the mask. I’ll get the vaccine. And I’ll get back to saving humanity.
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