Be Not Afraid

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I wrapped up with work for the day today and thought I’d check out the news. Everything everywhere is COVID-19.

Same stories as the days before.

The media thrives off your fear

Take these recent headlines as an example:

• U.S. coronavirus deaths surpass Vietnam War (Reuters)
• The coronavirus crisis is way worse than feared (Axios)
• Mike Pence’s Reckless Refusal to Wear a Mask at the Mayo Clinic: Masculine bluster meets the Trump administration’s minimization of this crisis. (Slate)
• COVID-19 exposes mistrust, health care inequality going back generations for African Americans: The horror of COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on communities of color. (ABC News)

The Mainstream media does everything it can to scare the shit out of the public, knowing that fear leads to more views. 

Fear also leads to unquestioned compliance.

Though this quote comes from a fiction book, it holds more truth than a Mainstream Media story.

If you want to control someone, all you have to do is to make them feel afraid.

Paulo Coelho,  The Devil and Miss Prym

The simple fact is this: the situation is not as bleak as the news would have you believe.

Facts overcome fear

How many people die each year outside of COVID-19? 2.8 million people. 

Of the 2.8 million annual deaths, the following are the top causes (2017 numbers):

• Heart disease: 647,457
• Cancer: 599,108
• Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
• Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
• Diabetes: 83,564

At the time of this writing, 58,000 people have died in connection with COVID-19 in the United States. 0.018% of the U.S. population.

Time will tell, but the data suggests a significant portion of the COVID-19 deaths are not in addition to the usual 2.8 million. It’s likely that numerous will be instead of some of the 2.8 million. 

What’s interesting is that those with any of these issues, other than accidents or Alzheimer’s, are more likely to die of COVID-19. 

89% of those who end up in the hospital due to COVID-19 have a preexisting condition. The most common preexisting conditions leading to hospitalization with COVID-19 are the same preexisting conditions that cause the most common deaths in the U.S. to begin with.

If COVID-19 is so life-threatening, why don’t we put forth the same level of culture-shocking effort into fixing the preexisting conditions that lead to hospitalization?

Why don’t we have the same fear of not being healthy as we do about getting sick?

We don’t need to live in fear if we’re willing to stay healthy. If we’re willing to stay healthy, we can overcome COVID-19 with little to no symptoms.

If we’re willing to stay healthy, we can go to work and keep the economy going, so our government can care for those who have no control over their health or age.

If we’re willing to stay healthy, we’ll minimize our risk of severe COVID-19. We’ll be able to work and provide for our families and friends.

Don’t be fooled into fear.