In Defense of Nature

 

Knowledge of Nature Would Have Better Informed COVID-19 Pandemic Response

A White Hall, Virginia, Ruritan sign informs folks that the wearing of a mask saves lives. Unfortunately, people resist taking this common-sense advice. If they had a better comprehension of nature, this stubbornness would not occur.

ALL TEXT AND PHOTOS © Marlene A. Condon

“Today, fear has found its way to the front of the queue as a driver of mental distress and trauma”, Dr Claire Weekes, Australian physician (1903-1990).

 

The scientific and political reactions to the discovery of a novel virus—COVID-19—among us confirmed a deeply disturbing reality: Many scientists in the biological sciences nowadays seem rather unfamiliar with the workings of the natural world, which leads to illogical reasoning and bad advice that politicians blindly follow instead of first critically assessing.

 

Our government officials initially shut down our country—an action taken out of fear—that caused much distress and trauma to its citizenry. They closed “nonessential” businesses and demanded that those staying open sanitize all surfaces before allowing customers inside.

 

Neither health scientists nor the government officials who listened to them (two public-sector groups who enjoy job security) took into account that no business is “nonessential” to those making a living from it, nor that sanitation of surfaces to prevent illness is a complete waste of time and effort other than in limited and confined areas, such as inside hospitals and nursing homes.

 

It's irrational to think you can disinfect the world; we’re surrounded by uncountable numbers of microorganisms 24/7 and billions of people capable of redistributing them. Nevertheless, out of an “abundance of caution” (the fear of a highly unlikely catastrophic outcome that those in the medical profession didn’t want to risk getting blamed for), the practice of wiping down store shelves and the goods on them after the pandemic began was demanded despite the impossibility of achieving long-term disinfection. Employee time and effort were squandered on a senseless mandate.

 

Virologists (those who study viruses) should have known that a virus, though genetically simple, is comparable to living organisms. (After all, viruses have been seriously studied for over a century.) And, similarly to all lifeforms, a virus requires an environment that meets its specific needs in order to thrive.  Outside of that setting, its existence is necessarily limited, a fact that comprises a basic biological concept.

 

For COVID, its indispensable environment is the human body, and the only rational approach to maintaining public health would have been for government to inform folks that each independently functioning individual (i.e., not dependent upon caregivers) would need to take responsibility for his own wellbeing. To effect change in human behavior, especially in unfamiliar circumstances, such as this pandemic, knowledge and understanding are imperative.

 

Therefore, public-service announcements (PSAs) could have explained that handwashing removes germs and thus is an important step to take before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after being in a public space where the COVID virus could be circulating. PSAs could have spelled out that the wearing of a mask serves as a physical barrier to these viruses within the air, and social distancing helps to prevent these airborne germs from reaching you from an infected person.

 

But, because analytical thought didn’t prevail among those in charge, many businesses ended up closing permanently as a result of foolish mandates and many people lost their jobs as a result. To assist citizens harmed by its poor advice, government ended up printing money to send to them. When ill-conceived actions are taken without first skillfully evaluating them, astronomical costs can be incurred.

 

The only thing the government got right was to get vaccines out to the public as safely and quickly as possible because getting vaccinated is the ultimate defense against becoming severely ill. Yet, large numbers of people are refusing to participate in these measures that, in addition to protecting their own health, have a high probability of successfully bringing the pandemic to a halt—which points up another sober shortcoming in society today.

 

Folks have become so out of touch with nature that they no longer grasp straightforward biological realities. If they did, they would comprehend that if everyone were vaccinated, the COVID virus would have difficulty finding an hospitable environment (a human body) in which to replicate itself, and without reproduction, this threat cannot be perpetuated.

 

I’ve spent my life immersed in the natural world. Understanding how it works guides me well in my everyday life and informs me of nonsensical news stories and misguided decisions made by government. If everyone possessed a wide-ranging comprehension of nature—which they absolutely should because our lives unfold within its realm—we would suffer from far fewer clueless decisions.

 

To deal with any natural phenomenon (such as viruses), it’s crucial to understand nature and how it works. Unfortunately, nowadays, too few people do.

NATURE ADVICE:

 

Show me a person who fears the natural world and I’ll show you a person who doesn’t know much about it. The antidote to fear is knowledge, so if you’re afraid of any aspect of nature, do your best to learn as much as you can about what frightens you. You’ll be amazed by the effectiveness of this strategy.