For the Greater Good

The current situation in Australia, and in many other countries is deeply disturbing. The division growing in communities over vaccination, vaccination mandates and the “medical apartheid” arising from limitations to freedoms for those who choose to not be vaccinated, is alarming and sad.

The mantra I hear often is “for the greater good”. The argument is that everyone should be vaccinated for the benefit of everyone. I understand this argument and it has been used before to great effect in areas like the use of seat belts, drink driving, and lockdowns.

But what happens when there is a deep level of disagreement about what is good? Many people gleefully accepted the vaccination. Many accepted it because they felt they should. Others accepted it because they felt they would lose their job. Others decided to “get the jab” following extreme pressure from friends and family. Then there were others who did not like the idea of being shut out of society. And then there are those who have not been vaccinated.

On the weekend in Melbourne, well over 200,000 people descended on the city to express their displeasure with the mandates and the resulting medical apartheid, and the potential for a Parliamentary Bill that would increase the Government’s power even further.

Many, many of those people were fully vaccinated. They care about what is happening.

So, I ask the question, “Why has the greater good so suddenly become so important?”

If “the greater good” is front of mind for our government then:

• Why are we still using glyphosate in agriculture and domestic gardening? Glyphosate is perhaps the most destructive agricultural chemical introduced in the past 60 years. Its impact is devastating.
• Why do we allow a saturation of gambling advertising everywhere we look?
• Why do we have no restriction in place that stop Children under 15 accessing Tik Tok, Snapchat and other Apps after 10pm at night when they should be sleeping? The mental health issues arising from this alone are staggering.
• Why do educated, professional adults regularly use cocaine, when they know that they are the ones who actually fund the illegal drug trade, a source of violent crime in less affluent areas?

I could go on, but this list is significant enough.

For Governments to preach “the greater good” on one topic and turn a blind eye to another that creates tax income, is deeply dishonest. For good citizens to preach “the greater good to friends” between snorting rounds of cocaine is two-faced and gobsmackingly arrogant.

Right now, if we stand back and open our eyes, we can see some uncomfortable realities. Consider the following.

Vaccine effectiveness is waning, setting us on the path to boosters. How long will that continue?

Reputable Doctors, across the world, and including some of the most esteemed Doctors I know in this country, are standing strong that we do not need a vaccine, but simply need to take Vitamin D.

In the Northern Hemisphere, case numbers are rising alarmingly. The USA has hit 85,000 per day. Austria and the Netherlands are going back into lockdown and Germany is considering a similar move. Case numbers in the UK are over 50,000 per day. This is becoming a pattern. Why? Because in the winter months, people spend less or no time in the sun, and vitamin D levels drop to dangerously low levels.

Sydney’s case numbers have come down with the emerging summer and the ending of lockdowns. People are out in the sun. Melbourne’s numbers are yet to come down because we have continued to experience wintery weather. But you can open your Sports Bet account and safely bet they will come down as the weather improves.

Western Australia and Queensland, eternally bathed in sun, coupled with an outdoor lifestyle, are not ever likely to be over-run by Covid infections.

Where is the Government Leadership on this? Are people who refuse vaccination genuinely irresponsible? Especially if they are people who actively care for their own immune systems and rarely ever get sick.

Please note, when I label a person irresponsible, I am not saying I think they are a bad person. They are just people who could lift their game a little. I would argue that the following people are irresponsible:

• Those who drink excessive amounts of alcohol.
• Those who use illicit drugs socially.
• People with an addiction to sugar and who drink excessive amounts of soft drink.
• People who rarely sleep well but do not do anything to fix the problem.
• Those who never do any form of physical exercise and tend to sit down all day.
• Those who never go out in the sun and who do not supplement vitamin D.

I know many people who have chosen to not be vaccinated. They are good people who take a deep and ongoing interest in their health, and they work daily to support their own immunity. They are not radicals or rabid "anti-vaxxers". Just good people who choose to be responsible and wish to maintain their freedom to choose.

I get sad when I listen to radio commentators on my favourite radio station referring to good people as “anti-vaxxers” without knowing who those people are or seeking to understand their perspective.

The other sad note, talking to a friend today, is that people out in the community are starting to believe they cannot invite an unvaccinated person to their home because that person might infect everyone with Covid. I could write 5 paragraphs about this, but I will save you the pain. Just consider that situation for a moment and you will start to see the fear-driven blindness creeping through our society.

I thought Australia was basically a Christian Country. Have we forgotten our Bible stories about Jesus washing the lepers’ feet?

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