09 Aug I’m About To Do Something Insane (Or Is It?)

This blog is not about my new book!

(Although if you’ve read it, and are moved to post an Amazon review, I’d be super grateful.)

Instead, I’m writing about the current polarization in our society over all things COVID.

See, I told you it was insane. Everyone knows that just sharing any views about this subject in public is bound to end up with loads of hate, unsubscribes, and more polarization.

But that’s why I have to write, in order to ever so slightly reestablish the middle ground – even though most people tend to think that a middle ground no longer does, can or should exist.

What I see all day long in the media, my practice, and even my own family is people shouting past one another in a kind of pretend discussion that is really communicating nothing but fear, rage and “othering.” Without the renewed sense that a middle ground is possible there will never be a chance to counteract this.

So, here goes…

It’s undeniably true that the pharmaceutical industry has contributed vast social good and saved countless lives with its products.

It’s undeniably true that the pharmaceutical industry has lied, cheated, placed profit over people and cost countless lives with its products.

See that? Both assertions from both poles can be and are indeed accurate.

Let’s keep going.

It’s undeniably true that government officials and their policies have helped millions of poeple live better, healthier lives.

It’s undeniably true that government officials and their policies have led to the oppression, suffering and even death of millions of citizens.

If we choose, just for a moment, not to defend or attack any polarized point of view, then we’re better able to see what’s happening in a particular case and time.

We can begin to discern that there is at least some merit in most opposing opinions and the decisions they lead to.

That’s right – both poles can contain right and wrong at the same time.

To me this is humbling and informative. In hopes that it strikes you that way as well, let’s conclude…

History shows us that science and technology continue to advance civilization in amazing, demonstrable ways.

History shows us that scientific consensus is often seriously flawed, and that it is also susceptible to biases of wealth, class, race, and many other prevailing social distortions.

Furthermore, the history of science and technology is replete with examples of rushed, short-termed gains that over time have led to horrific, unintended consequences.

Worse yet, science and technology have consistently been used to enforce political domination at the expense of human rights, dignity, and freedom.

Okay, that’s enough. Please take a breath. Notice if anything I’ve shared has triggered you into a state of tension, resistance, or apprehension.

Are you wondering whether this is leading somewhere that is friendly or hostile to your own views? Are you wondering what I think of all things COVID?

Actually, my own views on the subject aren’t what’s important here.

Instead, my mission has been to bring back perhaps just a few intrepid souls from the two poles, to a middle ground in which we can actually listen to one another with curiosity and respect, in which we can evaluate the specifics of this crisis, or any crisis through a lens that offers that greatest possibile clarity and takes into account all biases, including, and especially, our own.

Otherwise, we won’t even have a world to argue about for long, or at least not one that’s bearable to live in.

Thanks for taking this brief journey with me, and please know that whatever you believe about these topics, there’s room for you here in the middle.