Seeing, hearing, getting vaccinated

Every morning I wake up, and after I brush my teeth, I put contact lenses in my eyes and hearing aids in my ears. And every day, I think about how I need these things to complete me, to make me whole. Without them, I can neither see nor hear well.

Other “maintenance” activities – like brushing teeth, yes, but also like showering, eating, sleeping – we do in order to continue functioning day after day, year after year. Standard stuff, yes…unlike those lenses and those hearing aids which help correct me where my body does not function the way it should.

I am not sure why I think about how they make me whole every day, but I do.

I need these artificial, created items.  But even if people had no need for these extras that I depend on, if they were whole with what nature provided, it still would not be enough.

This is because we need science to tell us about cavities and bacteria and germs and nutrition and health. And we need public policy to ensure that standards in manufacturing are met and that regulatory systems are in place, so that we do not get hurt or die.

Does anyone question the need for preventing salmonella or wearing hard hats on construction sites or having traffic lights at busy intersections? No, because they want to live long and healthy lives.

So why is it do difficult for people to understand that getting a vaccination against COVID-19 is what science and public policy have determined is necessary for society to continue to function and to be whole?

I know that I do think about this. A lot. And I have no answers for why there is such widespread resistance to wearing masks, getting vaccinated, taking precautions and doing what we can to prevent spread.

Hospital ICUs in the United States are not filled with people who suffered side effects from the vaccine, but from those who are unvaccinated and got COVID-19.

Do people honestly think they are so special that they cannot get sick? Or die?

I look at the headlines (screenshots below) and wonder how many people who publicly proclaim they are against getting vaccinated have to die before unvaccinated people start making appointments?

Above, story after story of anti-vaxxers dying from COVID-19. (Screenshots of Google search results.)

And so I continue to wake up every morning and equip myself with what I need to function well. And when I leave the house, I check to make sure I have my mask because I want to live a long and healthy life.