When It’s OK to Decline the Vaccination
My good friend — let me call her Diana — has decided not to get vaccinated. I’m fine with it, and here’s why.
When Diana lost her job due to the pandemic, she was quickly able to find online work at home. She has many technical computer skills and knows how to edit and produce both sound and film content, and is also a terrific writer. After a few months, she started building her own online business. She has described to me that the time alone (she is living single, happily) has been very productive for her, and even healing and transformative.
Also, Diana grew up with several issues, including an autoimmune disease early in life and a family dynamic that added a lot of stress to her life. As a child, she had unfavorable reactions to some vaccines. As an adult, she has been a disciple of clean, mostly vegan eating, along with regular yoga and other exercise. Diana is extremely self-disciplined on these fronts, and her practices have healed her of the autoimmune disease.
Like many, Diana is skeptical of big pharma and the CDC recommendations. I am not in full agreement with her on these issues, but she is fine with our disagreement and is happy that I and others have gotten the vaccine.
However, where Diana differs from so many anti-vaxxers is that she lives by her principles. She lives alone and has a very limited social life. On occasions when she leaves her home, she is fully masked (even on the street) and pulls down an added visor when she goes into a store. She tells any friend or family member that she must meet that she is not vaccinated, and happily masks up. In fact, Diana told me, “I may continue to wear the mask in public for the rest of my life. If there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s that we have not been clean and we’re likely breathing in toxins even in the best of times.” Such is also the case in many countries of East Asia, or even on the subway in New York, where many Asian-Americans were masked up months before the official shutdown. They knew.
For these reasons, I respect Diana’s wish to not get vaccinated.
My problem is with those who do not want to get vaccinated, but also do not want to give up their social lives. In fact, many want to throw off the masks and head to the party. While I’m aware that non-vaccinated does not mean they carry the virus, it is still putting themselves and those around them at more risk than is necessary. They just should be honest and tell people, “I’m not vaccinated.” Then, if people are uncomfortable, be ready to don the mask. It’s not much different than going outside to smoke, out of courtesy if not health, rather than blowing smoke in the face of someone you’re talking to. Or telling your partner you would feel more comfortable if they wore a condom or dental dam. Some will object; in that case, you have to be forthright enough to say “Bye” and walk away.
Diana is willing to wait it out in her apartment until there is herd immunity or the virus has been defeated, whether that takes a few months or a few years. Knowing her work ethic and her very lean social habits, I believe her.
My feeling is, if you choose to be unvaccinated, be transparent about it and live as Diana does. I believe in the miracle of vaccines, which have saved millions and millions of lives over the last hundred years or so — and Diana does not disagree with me on this. Her reasons are personal, not political. She is not trying to stop anyone else from getting the vaccine.
I signed up as soon as the vaccinations were available in my area. I am enjoying maskless visits with family and friends who are also vaccinated. But I’m aware that Diana’s social needs are not like mine.
You have the freedom to choose, but always remember that freedom comes with responsibility.
