I am currently wrestling with a philosophical concern between myself and my grown children. Not surprisingly, the wrestling match relates to the corona virus vaccine at this time.
My children are adamant believers in the benefits of receiving a vaccination for protection against the corona virus. I am not such a believer, and in fact I believe mass vaccination as a concept is fraught with potential negative consequences. Since the discussions, both for and against vaccination, cannot be distilled into binary answers like: safe/not safe, work/not work, long term/short term consequences… my primary concern is to keep the vax/not vax decision from harming the relationship between myself and my kids. The positive, of course, is that the kids want only for me to remain safe and healthy, and I adamantly want my kids to have their adult freedom of choice. Yet the resolution of our differences in this case involve many consequences, not the least of which is how my children view allowing me access both to them individually and to MY grandchildren collectively. (Yes, I do appreciate that MY grandchildren are collectively THEIR children and they have the proprietary right to protect them in the best way they believe possible.)
For the moment we are adopting a “concerned detachment” from the choices being made on how and when and where to be together. I am masking, distancing, and primarily interacting with the kids/grandkids outdoors. The kids are in the process of having their shots or getting in line to have them. Our conversations generally avoid the potential long term consequences of our vaccine choices, perhaps in the hope that at some point in the future our differences will resolve as a matter of course. Ultimately this virus will become part of the thousands of toxic burdens our bodies are required to face and dispose of. Possibly, as my children believe, it will simply be just another shot, perhaps another booster with all of the potential consequences of relying on medical defenses to provide our health care solutions. Or, perhaps, we will learn to boost our innate immune response with the proper nutrition, healthy foods, diet and exercise, and a less toxic environment. Perhaps we may all discover that the best immune boost of all is a long, heartfelt, loving emotional hug coupled with gratitude, thankfulness and a touch of belief that everything will work out exactly as it is meant to be.