#health fitness StayHealthy Meathead

[eddiealfano]

Why I Finally Got This Stupid Vaccine

I finally got this stupid vaccine. Didn’t want it. Probably didn’t need it. But I got the stupid thing. I didn’t, “burst into tears of joy” as some of my more dramatic friends emotionally posted on Social Media after their vaccination. I didn’t worry that Bill Gates was one step closer to his grand plan to reduce the population, as some of my other dramatic friends warned me. I only felt apathy.

I am 45-years-old. I lift weights. I run sprints. I eat a diet consisting of food that is intended for human consumption. I do literally hundreds of things to take care of my personal health and well-being. I am the guy my friends call when they have questions related to all things fitness. I don’t believe in, “Western Medicine Solutions” for problems that can be solved naturally. Needless to say, I wasn’t excited to get a vaccine for something like Covid.

My Pandemic experience was probably different than yours. While I watched friends, neighbors and loved ones react in fear and hysteria, I had zero concern about getting Covid. I didn’t buy hand sanitizer. I didn’t “social distance’’ from anyone. I traveled frequently. I kept hugging my 84-year-old parents. I only wore those silly masks in situations where businesses required me to do so. 

Am I reckless? Do I simply not care about humanity? Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m someone who realized very early on what this virus actually is: A disease of the metabolically unhealthy. Unfortunately, the Archaic Science of 2021 cannot figure that out. Or perhaps the Politics of 2021 won’t allow the Archaic Science of 2021 to figure that out. But it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to look at data readily available at Google.com to see that this disease astronomically disproportionately affects the elderly and the unhealthy.

Before the, “But you can still get it even if you’re healthy!!” crowd blows a gasket, I’m sure someone who fits my health profile could theoretically get hospitalized or even die from Covid. Just like they could get hit by a coconut falling from a palm tree. I don’t live in fear of those odds. I know people who’ve been hospitalized with Covid. I know people who’ve died. Not a single one of them was what I would term “healthy.” I haven’t even anecdotally heard a story of someone having a difficult time with Covid who met my definition of “Actually Healthy.” But that’s probably because less than 5-percent of Americans would meet my definition of “Actually Healthy.” And that’s a real problem. It’d be great if “The Science” were doing something to help solve that problem.

On that note, what about The Almighty Science?  Here’s the thing: Historically, it’s wrong a lot. Especially when it comes to human health. If I trusted The Science, I’d still be eating a “heart-healthy” high-carb, low-saturated-fat diet as described by the wonderful Food Pyramid. I’d be avoiding egg yolks while enjoying my fat-free muffins and canola oil. Heck, I’d even be sure to minimize my consumption of the most nutrient-dense food known to man. That’s red meat, in case you were still trusting The Science and not trusting millions of years of human history, Intuition and Common Sense. Fortunately, I stopped blindly trusting The Science when it comes to my own health and it has made me much healthier than any Scientist or Doctor I’ve ever met. 

I approached this Pandemic the same way I do Flu Season or any other time of year when, “something is going around.” I focused on taking care of my health and making myself a less desirable host for viruses. I didn’t turn other people into loaded weapons that could harm me. I didn’t cross the street when I saw a stranger walking my way. And I certainly didn't try to “kill the virus” with absurd solutions like hand sanitizer or Lysol spray. 

So if I feel this strongly against the mainstream narrative regarding health and Covid, why did I get this stupid vaccine? Was it because of all the virtue signalling from Politicians and friends on Social Media telling me to, “do my part?” No, that just made me want it even less. I already “do my part” by keeping myself healthy and not falling victim to viruses in the first place. I don’t need someone eating a free Krispy Kreme Donut holding their vaccine card and telling me what I should do to keep America healthy. And I definitely don’t need someone who relies on Western Medicine for all their health concerns telling me how stupid the unvaccinated are.

So it must have been “The Highly Contagious Delta Variant” that finally made me get the vaccine, right? Do a shot every time you hear that phrase mentioned on the news and you’ll be passed-out drunk by 8:30 AM. And no, it wasn’t the highly contagious Delta variant. It’s clearly a weaker variant of Covid. I mean, trust The Science on that, right? I guess that’s the least interesting detail about the Delta Variant and why should we stop the media’s fear-mongering panic party just because of details?

So why did I end up getting this stupid vaccine? 

Because I ultimately don’t think it’s that big of a deal. When I realized my future employers would more than likely be instituting vaccine mandates, I started researching how I could get a Religious exemption. I was ready to die on this hill of not letting people less healthy than me tell me how to take care of my body. But then I realized I was fighting a battle I didn’t even want to fight. Why was I suddenly so against getting a vaccine? I’d gotten every other mandated vaccine and never gave it much thought. Sure this one was rushed and it's for a disease I don’t fear, but that doesn’t change the fact that I do believe in vaccines and their importance to human history.

I’ve had lots of conversations with people in the “anti-vax” community. They range from some of the smartest, educated people in the Health & Fitness world to some of the craziest loons you will ever meet. There is a genuine conversation we should be having about vaccines, but it is getting hijacked by the wild conspiracy theories. Are there unknown side-effects to vaccines that the Archaic Science of 2021 does not understand? Of course there are. There’s no such thing as a “biological free ride.” You don’t get to use Western Medicine without consequences. This is true of antibiotics. It’s true of pain medications. It’s true of every aspect of Western Medicine, and that obviously includes vaccines.

But do I think vaccines will be the “smoking gun” that we find out about in the future and they wonder what in the hell those crazy folks back in 2021 were thinking? No. That will probably be cellphones. Or genetically modified foods. Or any number of the overly-prescribed prescription drugs half our population has no problem popping every day. I don’t know why we are singling out vaccines as “the thing.” We may eventually learn of new side-effects, but I don’t think they will be any worse than what we discover about all these other stupid things we currently have no problem doing.

I have good friends who don’t want to get this vaccine. A lot of people I love. And unfortunately, a lot of them are unhealthy. I mean, REALLY unhealthy. Some are cancer survivors. Some eat fast food every day. Some smoke cigarettes. Some take multiple prescription drugs. Whatever your thoughts on vaccines, for God’s sake, can we agree these people are better off with the unknown risks of the vaccine than the risk of getting Covid? I’ve been encouraging these friends to get the vaccine and it was making me feel like a hypocrite for not getting it myself. How can I recommend something, say it is mostly safe, but be unwilling to take it myself? And if the Conspiracy Theorists are right and Bill Gates IS out to get us… he’s going to get us. If not with the Covid vaccine, then with the next Windows update. Or he’ll poison our drinking water. We simply can’t win against an evil Bill Gates, folks.

So that’s why I got this stupid vaccine. I genuinely didn’t think it was worth all the energy I was putting into resisting it. I’m not one to back down from a battle, it’s just gotta be a battle I truly believe in.

I don’t care if you get vaccinated or not. I don’t need you to do so in order for me to feel safe. It should be your own personal decision. But have your reasons in line with the reality of the risks of vaccines and the risks of Covid itself. Or don’t. It’s ultimately your choice.

Stay healthy everyone.