It is far more scary to discuss this topic than it should be. Why? That is the deeper question and what troubles me most. It should never be difficult to discuss a topic and learn more about life and humanity. Never.
What has happened to our public debate over the past decades is that people take sides and because nobody wants too many choices those sides basically form two dogmas. But that is ridiculous.
Even simple things are far more nuanced than two sides or perspectives. I cannot tell you the truth about my divorce because after thirty years I am not certain I know the truth. And even if I do I am not certain the other person, my ex-wife, would agree. Sure, I know her perspective a little bit, we have talked about it numerous times and over many years, but how can you say that what we have concluded so far will remain the same indefinitely? Maybe the truth is ever-evolving.
The biggest shock I had during the last few years is seeing how humans reacted to the COVID pandemic. Sides were taken and venomous discussions and accusations ensued. Rarely did I see compromise, discussion, or patience. But COVID also brought vaccines, freedom of speech, and many other foundational principles into the public arena. We seem to be in the middle of a major cultural revolution or battle. It could be we are living through pivotal times.
What do I have to say about this? Not from the personal views I hold but from the desire I hold most dear, which is to evolve my perspective to the highest moral and spiritual level I am capable of.
Well, I have a few principles for doing this type of self-reflection which can be applied to my assessment of the landscape:
Stay open-minded. We do not truly know anything. Even what we believe we know about physics or science can change, maybe not in totality but certainly in parts. To say there is no new information, and that there will never be new awareness is foolish.
Be skeptical of other views, information, or truth.
So much in my life has shifted or changed. I have seen medical truth change during my lifetime. I have watched new information come to light decades later that changed historical facts.
Here now will be my final point, I believe bad things happened. Not tiny little mistakes but truly bad things. And that we should get to the bottom of it. There has been very little effort by the scientific community to do that and now it is time. Of course, there was never much of a reckoning for any of the wars fought during my lifetime, or for the financial crisis, but this health crisis touched everyone and makes a reckoning imperative.