Division, justice and vaccinations
Hi everyone
Happy new year! And what a year already. Each day brings with it extraordinary news and developments.
One theme that has struck me is how diverse we are. When I was between school and university I spent time in South Africa and remember having a conversation about the lack of education of the black population. My South African friend said ‘They are so stupid, there’s no point’ and there the conversation ended. Recently we had some building work and one of the builders was a flat earth man. I could not penetrate his well thought out system which included denying even the presence of gravity. And I find myself most shocked by the events in Washington DC by the reply of a protester who, on being asked what he was doing there, responded ‘Defending democracy.’ Barack Obama talked of people being in information silos where our views are reinforced by what we are given to read or see. Without some starting areas of agreement, it is difficult to find a meeting point. Closer to home there are people – indeed professional people – who see the lock down and vaccination programme as part of an establishment control system to be avoided at all costs – while others are keen to have the jab as soon as possible.
How do we make sense of this? How, indeed, do we know our own truth? On the few occasions I have been close to a news story I have been shocked to read how different the ‘facts’ in the press are presented. And yet we tend to believe the BBC, the papers (chosen carefully to support our views), our like minded friends. Silos indeed.
The most extreme situation where a person holds beliefs not consistent with the cultural facts is seen in the severe mentally ill – the psychotic. However isolation – the lack of the normalising buffering of extreme views – can enhance that trend in ‘normal’ people – and whether or not you see the Donald as ‘normal’ clearly his increasing isolation will exacerbate his world class narcissistic viewpoint making him less and less appropriate to be President. Thank goodness there are only a few days left for his tenure. For ourselves, this third lock down provides again a similar environment where extreme views are nourished through not just isolation but the feeding of targeted information that promotes them. These often feed into emotional drivers such as anger which then reduces your ability to think rationally. (In the world of neuroscience we know that the amygdala, the brain’s emotional centre, blocks off access to the pre-frontal cortex, the rational centre). Further we know that whatever processes we use become reinforced with practice.
It may be that society has to go through these transitions – whether on Capitol Hill, or Brexit, or climate change or expressions of other divisions - before it transforms to something different. The process is challenging, of its nature destructive, but leads to a new equilibrium with more perceived justice – and our involvement in that justice process, both now and in the future is a healing process. South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation process was a good example.
For now, how do we live in the pandemic? First, as we approach the last push, we can call on our collective and individual learning in 2020 to put our fears and anxiety in context. We are much better informed at how to live in relative isolation than we were nine months ago – and that should really help. Secondly we are smarter at staying safe - unless we have become complacent though the daily news should help tackle that particular attitude. Thirdly there is hope on the horizon – the vaccines – so for the first time there is a potential end in sight. Above all we should allow kindness to be driver of our actions. And maybe consider planning a summer holiday.
As for keeping well and balanced – here is a list of free accessible actions: movement, mindfulness, creativity, community, sharing, innovating.
On a more basic level, it appears that the vast majority of infections are transmitted by aerosol spread (in the air) rather than by fomites (on things). Which makes mask using really important. I was asked about what types are best. Here is an article covering this - https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-face-masks-what-you-need-to-know A key point is to ensure you take it off from the back and wash your hands and it after each use.
Finally one jab or two? There is no doubt the best way to maximise the nation’s immunity quickly is the one jab approach. The Chairman of the Royal College of GPs writes: ‘People will still need to receive two doses but releasing the ‘reserved for second dose’ vaccine will release, we are told, close to a million more doses, which means we can give more first doses to higher numbers of people…….the modelling shows you need to vaccinate 250 people aged over 80 with the first dose in order to save one life. The decision to delay the second dose is particularly important when we can’t guarantee that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will be available at high volumes straight away.’
And does it work well? You may have seen effectiveness rates of 54% for the Pfizer first dose but this included people who contracted covid in the 10days after the vaccination and before it was effective. Remove them and the protection rate is around 90%. So yes it is effective – from three weeks after the injection. What we don’t know is how long that will last – hence the need for a (delayed) second injection. Let us hope this delay which has not been scientifically tested does not through up other unforeseen issues.
And now the Christmas quiz answers:
a. Name the Christmas song:
1. 🥬❄️🥬❄️🥬❄️ let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
2. 🚗🏠⛄️🎄 driving home for Christmas
3. 🕳🕳🌃 holy night
4. 🙏🌲📅 I wish it could be Christmas Every Day
5. 🥈🔔🔔 Jingle Bells
6. ⬅️🎄🎁❤️ Last Christmas I Gave you my Heart
7. 🚫🔔🔔🔚 Don’t let the Bells End
8. ❄️🥶☃️ Frosty the Snowman
9. 🧚🏻♀️📚🗽 Fairy Talk in New York
10. 😴⚪️🎄 Dreaming of a White Christmas
11. 🚶♂️➡️🎄 Step into Christmas
12. 🎅🏻👶🏼 Santa Baby
13. 🦌🔴👃🦌 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
14. 😄2️⃣🌍 Joy to the World
15. 🎅🏻➡️2️⃣🌆 Santa Claus is Coming to Town
16. 🔇🌚🌛 Silent Night, Holy Night
17. 🤴🏻🤴🏻🤴🏻 We Three Kings
a. In what month was the first case of COVID-19 confirmed in the UK? January
b. On what date the World Health Organisation declare the coronavirus a pandemic? 11th March
c. What town did Dominic Cummings travel to for an eye test? Barnard Castle
d. What item was corona famous for a hundred years ago? Typewriters
And for the cryptic crossworders
e. Sounds like a large stretch of water coming before a turbulent void. Covid
with love
Derek