Let’s be kind even to anti-vaxxers

“Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the kind of people they are.” —Stephen Moyer

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE chief sources of conflict and quarrel are always arrogance, greed, pride, hot temper, feeling superior or dominant, being irrational, and being insanely perfectionist.

Relationships among political partymates, classmates, officemates, churchmates, among other fraternal and even blood ties, can be wrecked if we allow any of the above-mentioned character defects or aberrations to get the better of us.

Even in the decision on how to handle and treat those who have shunned the mandated Covid-19 vaccinations, family members and friends end up at each other’s throats. 

A very basic subject matter on health that has transformed into a tsunami of animosity and violence when what is needed to resolve the issue is a simple common sense.

But it brings us to a basic contention that not all those who have refused Covid-19 vaccinations will die. 

In fact, not all of them will be infected with the deadly virus as long as they don’t mix with the crowd, their immunity system is really durable, and they don’t lower down their guards.  

Their should be no quarrel as long as they will wear the mandatory face masks and follow the rules. To be vaccinated is a personal choice. A mask mandate, after all, is already a law in many parts of the world afflicted by the pandemic. 

Amid the pandemic, there’s no harm if we continue to be kind and good, be patient and understanding, especially if the bone of contention in any argument will redound to the common good of everyone.

 

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Some anti-vaxxers, actually, have landed in the hospitals; many didn’t survive after being horrifically taken out by Delta variant and, in rare cases, Omicron variant. 

But these true-to-life stories and realities will never intimidate them. 

Once they have decided they would not avail of any vaccination, that is it. No one can change their decision. Nothing can influence or coerce them to reconsider their stand. 

They will stand by their being anti-vaxxers no matter what their anxious and terribly worried family members and friends tell them. 

But this doesn’t mean, however, that we discriminate and treat them like dregs.

On the the hand, those in the majority—the ones who made major sacrifices in their day to day life and have been religiously following all the guidelines and protocols to help prevent the spread of coronavirus—must also be protected if the anti-vaxxers’ continued recalcitrance has compromised their comfort, safety, and well-being.

 

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Writer Carrol Baker believes that kindness can change the world.

We will just imagine if the whole world was a kinder place. What a difference that would make. 

Practicing the art of kindness and giving isn’t just about digging deep for charity: it’s showing compassion and thoughtfulness towards others; a spur-of-the-moment act of generosity or a valued commitment to volunteer for a cause you believe in, according Baker.

She wrote: “Being kind to others not only makes you feel good—sometimes a simple act of kindness can have a ripple effect; your good deed flows into the receiver’s stream of consciousness and they, too, can look for opportunities to pass it on.”

“At its very core,” Baker added, “kindness is about empathy, being aware of your environment and seeking ways to selflessly enrich the lives of others. And giving to others benefits the giver as well as the receiver; it nourishes the spirit as it shifts our inner focus from ourselves to others. Researchers call this sense of inner warmth and satisfaction that results from doing good deeds for another a ‘helper’s high’”. 

This euphoric state produces physiological sensations that reduce stress levels, and regulates the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, Baker concluded.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)