So so so much this. Living in constant fear of getting ill(er) has been devastating for us. Watching so many 'friends' completely forget about us because lockdown ended and they're living their lives but we never get to leave this isolation. Sending so much love to everyone else in this grey zone.
I have a lot to say about the misunderstood ‘survival of the fittest’ concept that gets bandied about by obnoxious people. Maybe once upon a million years ago people lived and died by their physical attributes but for a long time now the layers to that onion of how we best survive have grown. Someone’s kindness, intelligence, artistic ability, generosity, humour - so many endless things that make humans so complex and wonderful make them ‘fittest’ in their own right and as long as there are family and friends and colleagues and strangers who see these other values then you just can’t predict survival of the fittest. Those family and friends will advocate hard for vaccinations and lockdowns for their loved vulnerable ones and as a result those people they love will be the fittest. Not because they are as able bodied but because they are loved and valued. Diversity is good. It’s so good. It’s essential actually for the survival of our species. One only has to have a quick glance in the history book to see all the best contributions to humanity were made by people who were definitely not ‘fit’ in any sort of pristine physical health sense but were deeply flawed vulnerable human beings. I know some people just want neat and tidy but life isn’t tidy.
I’m so glad you’re back Emily! Keep calling out the dickheads x
Arohanui! It's senseless. My mother has lung disease and still members of my own family won't get vaccinated. Plus the moaning about lockdowns and "business!". It makes me deeply sad. The rise and rise of David Seymour is a terrifying thing.
Fuck fucking David Seymour. Its all the same bloody narrative on the right, growth and business is more important than the environment, growth and business is more important than individuals and families, productivity is how to measure a country's/a person's/an entity's worth. Sorry, I don't have anything more eloquent to say right now!
My sister lives in the USA. She is a kidney transplant recipient, dependent on immune suppressing drugs to stay alive. She has been vaccinated for Covid three times, but her body doesn't make antibodies. So she is counting on others to do the right thing (getting vaccinated, wearing masks, staying the fuck out of her personal space) to stay alive. Unfortunately, way too many people around her 'feel' that their 'freedom' to 'not be told what to do' is more important than my wonderful sister's life. If she dies because of someone else's warped view of their 'right' to become infected and spread it around, I'm not sure what I will do with my rage.
Thankyou so much for articulating this so well!! I work with children who are in this space and I love your passion, (and plain language) advocating for them. Please don't stop, we need your voice.
Beautiful writing. It makes me so mad when people talk about "only the elderly or sick will be really effected" not only is this based on wholly superseded information, but I am not finished with my parents yet (81 and 79), nor am I ready to give up on all the other wonderful people in my life with underlying health conditions, nor am I ready to give up on all of our tamariki who are now really vulnerable to the Delta variant.
Stop me if this is "what-about-ism" but another thing that makes me see absolutely red with rage is the people who discount the covid deaths we've already had because nearly all of those people were elderly and, it's claimed, had underlying conditions which are the thing that actually killed them rather than Covid. Now, it's a rare one of us who can hand on heart say we are in perfect health, so it would be bad enough if that was gonna be cause to write us off, but it's DESPICABLE to say "ah they were all old anyway, they had it coming". My parents are 72 and 71. Got it coming, have they? Next person who says that will have my foot coming. Lord knows I love to rag on the boomers but let's not get carried away here.
There is so much anger right now because there is no pathway that doesn't contain collateral damage. Be it businesses, our health care system, our vulnerable.
I've read evil comments on the left calling businesses greedy when businesses are bleeding to keep people safe. I've read evil comments on the right saying the vulnerable are unimportant.
Our elected people both in opposition and government, have a distasteful job ahead to represent those that put them there.
Listen, criticize, offer solutions, ask questions. But as our PM says. Be Kind.
My kids aren’t in a vulnerable group but I’m still NOT fine with Seymour’s Covid roulette approach. I’m locked down in Auckland but I feel a lot better about this situation than wondering if myself or loved ones are going to fall severely ill or die. I don’t want to go through that. An uncontrolled outbreak is NOT inevitable and it should be last on the list of alternatives. We don’t have a perfectly clear roadmap for “opening up” because it’s really hard, and none of the solutions are great, but the current approach is the least bad.
Oh Emily, so right. Your wee chap has been through so much. It's so easy for forget about others - especially when you're in the pink of health yourself. My idea of a community is that it protects its weakest, especially when they're children. Great post. I hope you @David Seymour and it gets posted and shared widely. xx
So so so much this. Living in constant fear of getting ill(er) has been devastating for us. Watching so many 'friends' completely forget about us because lockdown ended and they're living their lives but we never get to leave this isolation. Sending so much love to everyone else in this grey zone.
Sorry for the random double quote! I read it a thousand times and still missed it lol. I’ve fixed it now! ❤️
I have a lot to say about the misunderstood ‘survival of the fittest’ concept that gets bandied about by obnoxious people. Maybe once upon a million years ago people lived and died by their physical attributes but for a long time now the layers to that onion of how we best survive have grown. Someone’s kindness, intelligence, artistic ability, generosity, humour - so many endless things that make humans so complex and wonderful make them ‘fittest’ in their own right and as long as there are family and friends and colleagues and strangers who see these other values then you just can’t predict survival of the fittest. Those family and friends will advocate hard for vaccinations and lockdowns for their loved vulnerable ones and as a result those people they love will be the fittest. Not because they are as able bodied but because they are loved and valued. Diversity is good. It’s so good. It’s essential actually for the survival of our species. One only has to have a quick glance in the history book to see all the best contributions to humanity were made by people who were definitely not ‘fit’ in any sort of pristine physical health sense but were deeply flawed vulnerable human beings. I know some people just want neat and tidy but life isn’t tidy.
I’m so glad you’re back Emily! Keep calling out the dickheads x
Arohanui! It's senseless. My mother has lung disease and still members of my own family won't get vaccinated. Plus the moaning about lockdowns and "business!". It makes me deeply sad. The rise and rise of David Seymour is a terrifying thing.
Fuck fucking David Seymour. Its all the same bloody narrative on the right, growth and business is more important than the environment, growth and business is more important than individuals and families, productivity is how to measure a country's/a person's/an entity's worth. Sorry, I don't have anything more eloquent to say right now!
My sister lives in the USA. She is a kidney transplant recipient, dependent on immune suppressing drugs to stay alive. She has been vaccinated for Covid three times, but her body doesn't make antibodies. So she is counting on others to do the right thing (getting vaccinated, wearing masks, staying the fuck out of her personal space) to stay alive. Unfortunately, way too many people around her 'feel' that their 'freedom' to 'not be told what to do' is more important than my wonderful sister's life. If she dies because of someone else's warped view of their 'right' to become infected and spread it around, I'm not sure what I will do with my rage.
Thankyou so much for articulating this so well!! I work with children who are in this space and I love your passion, (and plain language) advocating for them. Please don't stop, we need your voice.
Beautiful writing. It makes me so mad when people talk about "only the elderly or sick will be really effected" not only is this based on wholly superseded information, but I am not finished with my parents yet (81 and 79), nor am I ready to give up on all the other wonderful people in my life with underlying health conditions, nor am I ready to give up on all of our tamariki who are now really vulnerable to the Delta variant.
Sending love.
Stop me if this is "what-about-ism" but another thing that makes me see absolutely red with rage is the people who discount the covid deaths we've already had because nearly all of those people were elderly and, it's claimed, had underlying conditions which are the thing that actually killed them rather than Covid. Now, it's a rare one of us who can hand on heart say we are in perfect health, so it would be bad enough if that was gonna be cause to write us off, but it's DESPICABLE to say "ah they were all old anyway, they had it coming". My parents are 72 and 71. Got it coming, have they? Next person who says that will have my foot coming. Lord knows I love to rag on the boomers but let's not get carried away here.
There is so much anger right now because there is no pathway that doesn't contain collateral damage. Be it businesses, our health care system, our vulnerable.
I've read evil comments on the left calling businesses greedy when businesses are bleeding to keep people safe. I've read evil comments on the right saying the vulnerable are unimportant.
Our elected people both in opposition and government, have a distasteful job ahead to represent those that put them there.
Listen, criticize, offer solutions, ask questions. But as our PM says. Be Kind.
David Seymour's mother was a polio survivor. So you might have hoped that he would have more empathy.
My kids aren’t in a vulnerable group but I’m still NOT fine with Seymour’s Covid roulette approach. I’m locked down in Auckland but I feel a lot better about this situation than wondering if myself or loved ones are going to fall severely ill or die. I don’t want to go through that. An uncontrolled outbreak is NOT inevitable and it should be last on the list of alternatives. We don’t have a perfectly clear roadmap for “opening up” because it’s really hard, and none of the solutions are great, but the current approach is the least bad.
Oh Emily, so right. Your wee chap has been through so much. It's so easy for forget about others - especially when you're in the pink of health yourself. My idea of a community is that it protects its weakest, especially when they're children. Great post. I hope you @David Seymour and it gets posted and shared widely. xx
Auē he tino pono tō kōrero e hoa. Kia kaha tātou katoa
Shared. Such an important message, thanks Emily xx