The question above is most certainly rhetorical.
I remember the afternoon the Eagle landed on the lunar surface. The collective excitement of the adults around me. The thrill of us doing something that's never been done.
Us. U.S. The United States of America.
Fifty years later, I hear despair from friends and acquaintances in the medical profession. They are abused by neighbors who've swallowed the belief that science is the source of all evil. They are cursed out by patients who still claim COVID-19 is a hoax as they struggle to breath. They struggle to save people who claim vaccines don't work. Or even more ludicrous, the vaccines contain tracking devices.
(*Ahem* If you're one of the last, you might want to take a good look at a certain handheld device I'm sure is on your person or nearby your body. Corporations and the government can already track us through our smart phones.)
As I said, the title is a rhetorical question. I know what's happened over the last fifty years. It doesn't mean I like it. 10% of the population has contracted this disease. And yet, people are refusing the vaccine.
Look, I want things back to normal, too. Even though DH and I are vaccinated, it felt very weird going out to dinner with GK and SO while we were in Texas. I wasn't scared for myself. I was scared for SO and Adorable Spawn. SO found out she was pregnant right as the vaccines were delivered to their base. At the time, her doctors advised against vaccination because they didn't have any data concerning the vaccines' affect on pregnant women.
It's exceptions like SO who the reason the rest of us needs to be immunized. The unity of her friends and family getting the vaccine to protect her and AS helps, but only so far.
I wish the other half of the country understood why this unity was so important.
No comments:
Post a Comment