Global Pandemic. What or Who can we rely upon? Are we willing to engage in research to see what we can understand and offer?

Since returning from India at the beginning of March 2020, I have been trying to make sense of the Global Pandemic. As you all know, the prolific number of views and opinions makes it hard to make sense of it all.

There are countless numbers of claims to truth about the Pandemic in YouTube clips, documentaries and investigative reports.

I hear a common response. “Nobody knows what is going on. I don’t know either. There is no point in expressing a view. It just adds more stress and more confusion.”

This has always been the most frequent response in times of social, national or international crisis.

I believe this common view is irresponsible, unethical and unhealthy. If, as human beings, we stay quiet, then we hand over responsibility to those with the most power to determine our present and future. These are the people who got us into this mess in the first place due to our compliance to capitalism and consumerism.

Are we still going to be complicit in this nightmare or find our voice for meaningful change?

I continue to examine a selection of the views and actions of international organisations, such as WHO and governments, mostly China, Germany, UK and USA. I read the research of Covid-19, vaccinations and look regularly at Worldometer to see global or country infection rate and death rate.

I must have received from Sangha friends recommendations for over 100 clips, documentaries or TV programmes. Al Jazeera, Arte, the French based European culture channel, BBC, Channel 4 (UK) and some independent filmmakers offer thoughtful programmes. I receive daily the New York Times/Washington Post daily update on Covid-19.

It is worthwhile to look at the views the majority dismiss, usually defined as conspiracy theories. Are powerful governments, corporations and medical science defining all other views as conspiracy theories? Do we submit to the majority view or draw from it? Is it worthwhile listening or reading a full range of views on the pandemic? You might consider some points valid and insightful that you had not realised before.

Profuse number of Views and Opinions

Profuse amounts of views and opinions emerge every week. Wise views, healthy views, fake views dressed up as reality, fake news, speculative views, conspiracy views, medical views, scientific views and more. It is difficult to discern what is true, false, half true-half false from all the information available. I adopt the view we can find truth through giving priority to inter-connectedness/inter-dependence to support all forms of life. This is a useful premise.

We cannot rely upon governments, medical authorities, science, pharmaceutical industry, vaccination research or powerful billionaires for wise guidance.

We cannot even rely upon the daily issue of global figures or national figures of infections and deaths from any country.

There may be far more infected people and deaths than the figures revealed to Worldometer, who collate the numbers daily. The lack of tests or accuracy of tests could mean the Covid-19 death toll is much higher than reported. A death certificate, if issued, may record a different cause of death than Covid-19.

The numbers of infected people and deaths from Covid-19 might be lower than official figures. People may die from other symptoms which the virus triggered. The person may have had a cold virus but not Covid-19.

Many countries, including rich nations, may not have a sophisticated health care system to give an accurate number of infected people or all those who have died from Coronavirus. Medical staff may have concluded wrongly that Covid-19 caused the death of people, especially in the older generation, who lived at home or in homes for the aged. Cancer, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet and lack of exercise may be bigger factors for death than the virus, itself.

Is Covid-19 inherently threatening or is our immune system weak?

The virus may not be as strong as we imagine. The vast majority of people make a reasonably fast recovery from Covid-19. Of course, healthy young people can make a slow recovery. Hunger, poverty and poor sanitation weakens the immune system. A weak immune system due to junk food provided by the food industry, polluted air, water, addiction to unhealthy lifestyle, poor sanitation, ongoing stress and anxiety makes people worldwide far more vulnerable to Coronavirus.  It cannot be stated enough times that a healthy diet and physical fitness make a significant contribute to natural resistance to viruses.

Governments, medical science and food scientists have not taken a single step to ensure supermarkets etc shift over to healthy, organic food. Billions eat food unfit for purpose riddled with sugar, salt, fat and chemicals. Bits of countless numbers of stress ridden farm animals and birds in cramped spaces, caged conditions end up wrapped in plastic on supermarket shelves. Fish swim around in seas and rivers infected with plastic, chemicals and oil.

Is it any wonder that food, drink, alcohol and cigarettes serve as the major cause for an early and painful death? People live stressed out fearful for themselves, for their children, loved ones and the future. Is the virus a global threat or weaknesses in the human organism due to what goes into our mouth? We need to bring more oxygen into the body and stretch out our limbs to develop physical fitness. Yes, some fall victim to the virus despite a healthy lifestyle. There is no guarantee of 100% protection from a virus. That principle applies to other viruses as well.

Those are some reasons for the massive impact on people of the global pandemic. The virus kills people, who were already closer to death than they realised. In a society of healthy people, we would witness a dramatic reduction in sick and dying people from Covid-19. This principle applies to the range of virus infections.

Governments and Science

What do governments and science offer to keep us alive? A promise of a vaccination. We need a radical change of lifestyle to strengthen the immune system to enable young and old alike to reduce the impact of illnesses. The elderly suffered most in the initial first wave. There is growing concern that Covid-19 will infect young and middle-aged citizens to the same degree, sometimes triggering multiple organ failure.

In Conclusion

We research.

We come to a degree of understanding.

We express our concerns.

We endeavour to change the situation to resolve suffering.