Life’s A Gamble: Thoughts from The Editor
March 17, 2021
Sheila Harris
A favorite Dr. Seuss book of mine - undiscovered (by me) until some 15 years ago when my grandson was a tot - is titled “What Was I Scared Of?” I’m not here to discuss discontinued Seuss publications (a decision made volitionally by the publisher), but I would like to spotlight this little jewel of an obscure tale.
Not only did the title resonate with me, but the story did, too. It’s the first-person narrative of a little guy who meets up with a pair of empty pale green pants walking down the path towards him at night. Almost needless to say, the young man was frightened.
I can relate. In my lifetime, I’ve lived with many fears, many of which (I’ve discovered only fairly recently) were unfounded.
Yes, people die in plane crashes and drown in swimming pools, but to allow a fear of flying and a fear of the water to prevent me from enjoying many activities that I otherwise might have over the years, was unrealistic, I now see.
Some fears were imputed to me by those who were fearful themselves, sometimes even with the name of God added for emphasis.
It’s only recently, I’ve come to understand that not everything in life can be made a moral imperative to be taken up under a banner of right or wrong. With some things - when the health and welfare of others is not at stake - we have liberty to make our own choices. Those choices, ideally, should be based on our individual past, present and anticipated future life and the lives of our loved ones.
Yes, if I take a COVID-19 vaccine, I might croak in four months - as some seem certain could happen - but who’s to say the vaccine caused it? I could as easily die from COVID-19, just as more than 500,000 people in the nation have done, so far.
Or I could die in a car wreck or a plane crash.
The thing is, life’s a gamble and death is certain, from whatever quarter it might come from.
For me to attempt to take away your liberty to take a COVID-19 vaccine would be just as unreasonable as would be my attempt to insist that you take it (unless you work in healthcare, that is).
I have no desire to attempt to make anyone do as I do, although there may have been times it has seemed so.
In the Dr. Seuss book I first referenced, the narrator and the empty pale green pants became friends, an apt resolution for the fear they had both experienced of each other.
For better or worse - although for better, I suspect - I have taken the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. My only reaction has been a sore left arm - much like the one I remember after having been on the receiving end of a brotherly punch when I was child.
Yes, I was nervous about taking it, but that’s just my nature. After coming to terms to a degree with the sky and the water, I realized a vaccination-fear could be just another red herring in my path to prevent me from fully enjoying what remaining life I have left.
This is not my attempt to persuade you to take the vaccination. That’s for you to decide. Just don’t let other people’s prejudices influence you unduly.
Sheila Harris
A favorite Dr. Seuss book of mine - undiscovered (by me) until some 15 years ago when my grandson was a tot - is titled “What Was I Scared Of?” I’m not here to discuss discontinued Seuss publications (a decision made volitionally by the publisher), but I would like to spotlight this little jewel of an obscure tale.
Not only did the title resonate with me, but the story did, too. It’s the first-person narrative of a little guy who meets up with a pair of empty pale green pants walking down the path towards him at night. Almost needless to say, the young man was frightened.
I can relate. In my lifetime, I’ve lived with many fears, many of which (I’ve discovered only fairly recently) were unfounded.
Yes, people die in plane crashes and drown in swimming pools, but to allow a fear of flying and a fear of the water to prevent me from enjoying many activities that I otherwise might have over the years, was unrealistic, I now see.
Some fears were imputed to me by those who were fearful themselves, sometimes even with the name of God added for emphasis.
It’s only recently, I’ve come to understand that not everything in life can be made a moral imperative to be taken up under a banner of right or wrong. With some things - when the health and welfare of others is not at stake - we have liberty to make our own choices. Those choices, ideally, should be based on our individual past, present and anticipated future life and the lives of our loved ones.
Yes, if I take a COVID-19 vaccine, I might croak in four months - as some seem certain could happen - but who’s to say the vaccine caused it? I could as easily die from COVID-19, just as more than 500,000 people in the nation have done, so far.
Or I could die in a car wreck or a plane crash.
The thing is, life’s a gamble and death is certain, from whatever quarter it might come from.
For me to attempt to take away your liberty to take a COVID-19 vaccine would be just as unreasonable as would be my attempt to insist that you take it (unless you work in healthcare, that is).
I have no desire to attempt to make anyone do as I do, although there may have been times it has seemed so.
In the Dr. Seuss book I first referenced, the narrator and the empty pale green pants became friends, an apt resolution for the fear they had both experienced of each other.
For better or worse - although for better, I suspect - I have taken the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. My only reaction has been a sore left arm - much like the one I remember after having been on the receiving end of a brotherly punch when I was child.
Yes, I was nervous about taking it, but that’s just my nature. After coming to terms to a degree with the sky and the water, I realized a vaccination-fear could be just another red herring in my path to prevent me from fully enjoying what remaining life I have left.
This is not my attempt to persuade you to take the vaccination. That’s for you to decide. Just don’t let other people’s prejudices influence you unduly.
