Do the right thing | Columns
I’ve had a really hard time figuring out what in the name of heaven is wrong with people. Here’s the thing. I like people. I’ve always liked people. I am a “people” myself, but something has happened to people in general. They have become less tolerant, more hateful, and have totally lost their senses of humor. And even worse, they’ve lost common sense.
I mean, who in their right mind believes that some people are taking babies’ blood to make them more youthful, or being infiltrated with tracking devices to track their every move, or some other such nonsense? When did people become so important that they need their every move tracked?
It all seemed to blow up when this danged Covid-19 pandemic started escalating almost two years ago. It wasn’t taken seriously. Our leader dismissed it as a kind of flu. It wasn’t and people were hospitalized and dying every day all over the world from something that surely wasn’t the flu.
Some people still dismiss it. For those who scoff at it, please, for Pete’s sake, believe that it is NOT a hoax. It’s real and still killing thousands. In fact, this Delta variant of it is infiltrating regions everywhere in our country, especially the regions like ours where fewer people are getting the vaccine. There are many, many folks in poor areas of small towns and rural communities that don’t have access to transportation or are not healthy enough to go get the vaccine on their own. These issues need to be addressed and fixed.
But there are those who refuse to take the vaccine. Why? All of a sudden, words like “It’s my right not to take it” have become commonplace. Really?? Here’s the whole truth of the matter. Back when I was a kid, when my kids were kids, and up until a while ago, kids had to have their shot records up to date before they could start the school year — including college students. They had to be immunized against polio, diptheria, measles, mumps, typhoid, smallpox, and other deadly diseases in order to protect themselves and others against these diseases. The key word here is “protect.”
Nobody argued that it was their right to not protect their children or themselves. It was what you did as a decent human being. I remember when the polio vaccine came out. I remember the look of relief on my parents’ faces when it was announced that the shots would be given at the schools for free. I was in the second grade and I have always been terrified of shots. One time I hid under a doctor’s desk to avoid a shot. I wasn’t too bright back then.
A little bitty girl with matchstick arms, I vividly remember standing in that line waiting apprehensively for my shot. It appeared to me that an old man with shaky hands was giving the shots to those in my line. I was hoping to be rescued. I was hoping to see my red-headed mama coming to pull me out of line. She was nowhere to be found. I couldn’t let the other kids think I was a coward, so I let that old man give me that shot with his shaky hands. It hurt like someone had sucker punched me, but I didn’t flinch and I was immune to polio.
I’m still not a shot person, but I was never so excited to get a shot in my life when the Moderna vaccine came available. My sister-in-law, husband, and I stepped right up to the plate and took that shot. It did not hurt — at all. The needles are tiny. The side effects were minimal. I am fully immunized and thrilled about it.
Because people started getting the vaccine, the number of cases and deaths in the U.S. started going down. It was a wonderful thing to see. Then the Delta variant started rearing its ugly head. And of course, those without the vaccines began to come to hospitals in large numbers. Deaths went up. The variant is so contagious, even a few who had taken the vaccine are getting Covid-19, albeit most cases are mild.
No matter what, I value my life and those around me. I have an obligation to keep people as safe as I can. If I need a booster, I’ll take it. I’ll be so glad when the younger children can get the vaccine. At least they are protected by those who have taken the vaccine. You get a big “thank you” for protecting the youngest of our citizens.
Coleen Brooks is a longtime resident of Gordon County who previously wrote for the Calhoun Times as a columnist. She retired as the director and lead instructor for the Georgia Northwestern Technical College Adult Education Department in 2013. She can be reached at [email protected].