Everywhere we turn, we hear about the Coronavirus. I don’t claim to understand the situation fully, but here is what I do get, and why I believe it is important to pay attention to what our health leaders are telling us.
While the measures put in place might seem outrageous to some, and terrifying to others, it might make sense to think of yourself as a peanut.
A peanut is nothing scary to me. I’m not allergic to peanuts. A peanut isn’t scary to an allergic person who knows they are not in proximity of peanuts or traces thereof. However, the thought of being force-fed a peanut is horrifying to them. It could kill them. Schools (and many other public establishments) don’t allow peanuts on their grounds. That rule isn’t there to inconvenience the non-allergic. It is in place to save the lives of the allergic.
The way I see it, we (the non-vulnerable … but possibly contagious … or who could possibly become contagious if in contact with a contagious person) are the peanuts. We need to participate in minimizing chances that the disease spread to those 65 and over, those with compromised immune systems, and those with underlying medical conditions. Even if you and I are likely to experience mild flu symptoms if affected, others could die. Those “others” are more likely to be affected if more people are contagious (more peanuts, more peanut traces). People allergic to peanuts would not work in a peanut factory. The environment would be too risky, too dangerous. Let’s keep our environment as safe as we can for those who could be most affected.
It may not be about you … but there are many who it’s about. We all have a role to play. Let’s be altruistic peanuts and follow protocol as much as our circumstances allow us to.
Comments