“Buying a car without warranty or a buying a used car with no warranty is clearly something you’d never want to do . . .” https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-advice/should-i-buy-a-used-car-without-a-warranty-31054
Why, then, would we choose to have a medical treatment without warranty?
Because “fear is the mind killer.” (Frank Herbert, Dune).
What is it we fear?
We fear illness and death for ourselves and others. We know that life will come to an end but, in order to live, we find ways to distance this awareness. The dramatic nature of media attention to the Covid pandemic brings death much closer. As philosopher Francois de La Rochefoucauld said “It is only deceiving ourselves to imagine that death, when near, will seem the same as at a distance.”
How has the fear-inducing media attention to the pandemic affected us? Are we more afraid? Are we less able to distance ourselves from the fear of death? How do these constant reminders of death affect our lives?
Recognising and engaging fear is a fundamental part of living outside patriarchal conditioning. If we do not allow fear to be the mind killer, what do we learn about ourselves, others and the world around us?
In choosing to live as much as possible outside patriarchal conditioning, I have been engaging various levels of fear that arose from walking a path different from my immediate forebears and different from most people around me. I acknowledge that the following experiences are relatively benign encounters with fear compared with women’s experiences in many parts of the world; I was born in Australia in 1952 and have lived at a time of relative privilege in terms of education, socio-economic status, women’s rights etc. This has allowed me to engage patriarchal conditioning without struggling to survive and without fearing for my life. Nevertheless I have had to engage fear to live outside prevailing consensus reality.
I encountered fear when I chose to give birth at home in the 1970s in Australia when home birth was not supported by midwives and home birth doctors. Surrounded by conditioned fear about my choices (from family, friends, the health system), I engaged the fear and chose a path in line with mother-ground values and wisdom.
I was fearful when I chose not to immunise my children after researching the potential harmful effects of immunisation (yes, I do know how to do research – I have completed two undergraduate degrees and a PhD). I engaged the fear and learned to walk the path of alternative health practices.
I encountered fear at times when my children developed normal childhood illnesses that I chose to manage with with alternative treatment methods. I engaged the fear and learned to manage most of the common illnesses with common sense and natural treatments. I also learned about the strengths and weaknesses of allopathic medicine and when to use what that system has to offer.
I encountered fear at times when researching and writing my PhD thesis on mindbody birth control. The hidden story of ancient women’s wisdom teachings and practices turned my conventional education inside out. Mindbody birth control is a way of managing fertility that bypasses mainstream medical contraception and restores power, choice and control to women. I encountered fear when I published my book that challenged patriarchal conditioning by reminding women that managing fertility was part of women’ mysteries for millennia before the destruction of women’s reproductive autonomy by patriarchal systems. https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Take-Lying-Down-According-ebook/dp/B00UCOJB54
I encountered fear at times while midwifing my father’s dying at home.
All of these fears arose from the patriarchal conditioning that would keep me from my deep inner wisdom and connection to age-old women’s mysteries. All of these fears needed to be engaged so I could walk my own walk on the ground of my mothers all the way to Great Mother.
Once again I find fear arising as I read media stories that focus on Covid statistics, using words like “death toll”, “surge”, “escalate”, “overwhelm”. Then I remember the other experiences of fear. I remember to engage the fear and question the mainstream narrative.
From the WHO: “Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment.”
Why is this not emphasised in the media reports? Why are there not as many media reports about the number of people who do not become ill with Covid? Why is there so little mainstream media attention given to reassurance and sensible information about strengthening immune systems?
Because reassurance and sensible information don’t sell as well as fear-mongering. Reassurance and sensible information don’t sell news stories or pharmaceuticals or enhance governments ratings. This is related to “ . . . the influence of Big Pharma on research, the media, and government; reigning medical paradigms that see health as a matter of winning a war on germs; a general social climate of fear, obsession with safety, the phobia and denial of death; and, perhaps most importantly, the long disempowerment of individuals to manage their own health.”https://charleseisenstein.substack.com/p/mob-morality-and-the-unvaxxed
I completed some of the online assessments for my statistical risk of dying from Covid – even at 69, my chances of dying from COVID are about 4 in 10,000. Statistically there’s more chance of me dying from falling down my stairs!
To put this into perspective, using death probability statistics from America…
• [2.4% COVID Risk Age 80+]
• 1.1% chance of dying by suicide
• 1% chance of dying of an opioid overdose
• 0.9% chance of tripping over and dying
• 0.9% chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash
• [0.6% COVID Risk Age 70-79]
• 0.3% chance of dying in a gun-crime shooting
• [0.07% COVID Risk Age 50-59]
• 0.06% chance of dying in a fire
• 0.04% chance of choking to death
• [0.02% COVID Risk Age 40-49]
• 0.01% chance of dying of sunstroke
• 0.01% chance of dying in an accidental gun discharge
• [0.007% COVID Risk Age 30-49]
• 0.007% chance of dying due to electrocution, radiation, extreme temperatures, and pressure
• [0.002% COVID Risk Age 20-29]
• 0.001% chance of dying in a cataclysmic storm
• 0.001% chance of being mauled to death by a dog
• 0.001% chance of being stung to death by wasps and bees
• [0.0005% COVID Risk Age 10-19]
• 0.0007% chance of being killed by lightning
• [0.0001% COVID Risk Age 5-9]
Why have we become more frightened of COVID than of tripping over or dying in a motor vehicle crash? Unless we are aged over 80, or are unwell with other issues, it makes no sense. And, even then, there are many factors other than Covid that contribute to illness and death.
I believe Covid infection is real. I wear a mask when I leave my home. I look after my health and immune system to the best of my knowledge. I respect other people’s choices around prevention. I ask that those of you who choose to get the Covid vaccine extend that courtesy to someone like me who chooses not to. I have my reasons, and they are good reasons.
At the very least, please don’t call it a “jab”. Did you know that, in the context of online forums especially, the term “jab” carries the connotation of a subtle put-down, passive-aggressive remark, or an obvious attack on someone? https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jab
In boxing terms, “the Jab” is the most fundamental offensive punch a boxer can throw. https://mayweather.fit/blog/5-counters-to-a-jab/
For me “the Jab” represents the fear-inducing, mind killing strategy of patriarchal systems, especially when it comes to mandatory vaccination and vaccination passports.
Using boxing as a metaphor, here are some tips on countering patriarchal systems and standing strongly against coercion. Reclaiming women’s ways is embodied work. Even if we are not called to fight physically, the following descriptions offer ways to be grounded and to stand against fear and coercion.
“One of the most common and effective ways to counter a Jab is a High Guard/Block. You can use the High Guard to stalk, read and reach to your opponent, while giving yourself ample time to counter from the High Guard. You begin in a Guard position, with your shoulders square. Tucking your chin in, you crunch your torso and raise your hands up to the top of your head. You are essentially trying to touch both elbows and forearms together. Depending on the angle and position of your opponent, you rotate your torso as needed to defend yourself . . .
The Slip is a great defensive move to avoid a Jab . . . A slip is essentially bending underneath a punch. As you slip, you break at the waist forward, defending your left flank. You can also use your shoulder to defend your chin, and keep your left hand and elbow staying tight to your stomach to defend your right chin. As far as footwork, the Slip is opposite to when you’re bouncing on your feet – in this movement, you plant your feet and create the movement by bending at the waist . . .
The Pullback is an effective way to retreat from a straight jab . . . Right as the jab is being thrown at you, pull back to dodge your opponent’s punch coming in. Initiate leaning your weight onto the back leg while you sink down and back. Hinge your torso but in a backwards reverse manner, keeping your eye on your opponent. Your feet should stay planted the whole time, but you are on the toes of your back foot. This movement comes from the abs and the head pulling back . . .
Finally, a simple duck is an evasive movement in order to avoid and off-center your opponent. The duck ensures that no major relocation on your part is needed and minimizes any large spatial movements. In order to duck, initiate the movement by going into a full squat stance. You may break at the waist and hinge at the torso forward or back, if need be. Otherwise, you can simply bend and the knees straight down. Once you duck, you are able to return to your ready position without wasting much time at all.” From https://mayweather.fit/blog/5-counters-to-a-jab/
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” Frank Herbert, Dune.
Meet Mago Contributor Kaalii Cargill