[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by tirebob

I talk with a huge amount of people every day in person and not on the internet, and I would honestly not give it even a 1 in 10 that are truly “scared” of the virus and even out of those, most concur that the fallout from what we have done in an attempt to arrest the spread is going to be far outweighed by the final results in so many other ways that people just don’t seem to consider.

There is no doubt this virus is having some Immediate and direct negative and dire life and death effects to some people in the population, but the fallout of our approach also has some severe and dire life and death effects to many others as well. I guess my question is “what makes one set of affected lives more or less important than others lives who are affected in other ways?”

Yes, people are and will continue to die or experience permanent damage from the virus, but how come the other fallout is largely ignored by the mass media, powers that be, or even just the general population? Things like suicides and mental illness (which is just as real an illness as covid) from the financial hardships. Things like the monies that are needed to save lives in other ways being redirected to support the shut downs. Things like the life saving surgeries that are not happening. Things even like simple screenings that are not being performed so things like cancers are not getting diagnosed and treated (I personally was just denied my annual physical and prostate screening that I do because my father died of it so I am careful).

The list goes on and on and anyone with even half a brain knows it does but the masses completely gloss over it and have the attitude that if we don’t look it isn’t there. I just don’t get it.

I understand the fear in the populace is real, but why the heck do we have to be in one camp or the other? Why can’t we all realize both camps have valid points and actually try and walk the middle ground rather than committing one side to idiocy and the other to righteousness? This entire thing is a tragedy, but not just because of the immediate sickness. Too many lives have been affected negatively for very valid reasons on both sides.

I don’t have all the answers because none of us really know the concrete truth of the entire thing at the deepest levels, but the fact of the matter to me is people need to stop relying solely on everyone else to do give up everything for them. That isn’t to say we don’t reasonably help our neighbours (speaking metaphorically) but it is about time people do start taking a modicum of personal responsibility upon themselves rather than demanding other conform for them.

Well said Bob. Particularly that bit about the moderate middle ground, and personal responsibility.