Anti-vaccination sentiment is still spreading in our communities. People have lost faith in the authorities and in the medical field, and they are finding their own way. Unfortunately for them, the decision not to vaccinate their children will backfire.

Just this morning I read that there is a Measles outbreak ongoing in Ohio. For months now I've been reading about a resurgence of polio in New York. And of course Military personnel will no longer be required to take the Covid vaccine. The backlash against vaccination (what people perceive as an assault on bodily autonomy) will result in an increased death rate from vaccinatable diseases.

It's not an easy question, when and how to vaccinate. I don't exactly trust the official recommendations either, because I know that the guidelines are created by a council packed with representatives of Big Pharma. I am sympathetic with those who are skeptical. And I see the writing on the wall. If you don't vaccinate smartly, you are destined to be diseased.

There are a lot of anti-vax media personalities and websites that are spreading a bunch of BS. You can't believe everything you read on the internet. Of course you know that. But you also can't believe everything you read that you already agree with. If you seek "information" that supports your current position about ANYTHING, you could be allowing Confirmation Bias to steer you into a trap.

Rather than seeking supportive information, seek out the information that tries to prove your belief wrong. Test your belief. Check your understanding against what the experts say. Check your medical knowledge against the CDC, or come bounce it on me. I am not parroting anyone's sound bytes, I am a true student of medicine. I am interested in scientific studies or background information that sheds light on the hard questions.

The problem with the anti-vax craze is that a lot of the so-called "information" is coming from people who have zero science background and very little understanding of the actual risks and benefits of vaccination. Unfortunately for the anti-vaxxers, their sources are misguided and downright wrong about a lot of things. And they and their kids will suffer and die as a result.

I am always one to look for silver linings, and this particular situation has just one, which is that a reduction in the human population would be a quick way to reduce our impact on the planet. We are destroying habitat and polluting air and water at such a rate as to cause massive suffering and death in the not-so-distant future. Anti-vaxxers are offering to remove themselves and their children from the human population which will be a boon to future generations who survive diseases because their ancestors were vaccinated.

As you probably know my favorite form of recreation (and meditation) is whitewater kayaking, and my favorite place to do whitewater kayaking is in the deep wilderness.  Oregon is rich in lovely day runs and I have called it heaven for the whitewater kayaker.  One reason that Oregon is heaven is the proximity of Idaho.  Every year I make a pilgrimage to celebrate the rivers there. 

A man named Frank Church was a senator from Idaho from 1957 to 1981, and during his time in the senate he got a lot of bills passed that help protect wild places and things.  Some of the rivers we ran flow through a wilderness that bears his name.  Thanks, Frank.
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We may not think often about how wilderness impacts our health but it does.  Undeveloped areas provide pockets of clean air and clean water for us and all the other species. Clean air is important to maintaining cardiopulmonary health and our sanity.  Clean water is key to most life processes in most living things.  Even just having a treed area nearby enhances quality of life for people in a city.

Idahoans know this.  They hunt and fish and camp and swim in the rivers more than most folks.  Some of them have fallen prey to misinformation about COVID-19 from the whitehouse, and I worry that they will not fare well when the virus finds them.  But they are proud people and the more they get out into the wilds, the fitter they will be and the higher their chances of surviving the dread virus when it arrives.

As I settle back into my city routine I will begin to post again about COVID-19.  Having taken a nice time-out my perspective has shifted a bit.

I hope you are getting outdoors.  I hope you pull your face out of the mobile phone screen long enough to take in the green.  I hope you see the crows fly and feel the cold water of a stream.  These things are strong medicine.

The return from my last excursion was rough.  We were in a great wilderness for 4 days and 3 nights.  The day after I returned a dear one in my family died.  He died of being hospitalized.  He was urgent to escape but was unable to.  He was sedated to death. 

Then a white eye cop with hands in his pockets murdered a beautiful black man.  The living rage of so many black lives mattering roared in spite of generations of hateful treatment.  Then the agendas of all the whites interfered with the clarity of their message, damaged their communities. And always this horrendous potus tweeting his ego, tweeting his malfeasance plain as day.  These times are beyond "interesting".  They are fucked.

I would like to help with all of it but at this moment I feel the need to save myself.  I save myself by turning it off.  Meditation, yoga and walking help, but getting out of the city and away from the roads is my medicine.  Getting to where there is no phone to ring, no media to read or watch, no news, is the very best medicine.

For all of you who are sad, angry and overwhelmed, you are normal.  To feel crazy in crazy times is normal.  Perhaps the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a time out.  Go sit in the sun.  Take deep breaths.  Walk in the rain.  Feel the raindrops.  Watch the birds and hear them sing, or float down a river if that suits you. 

When you are quiet inside you can see more clearly.  When you are centered and strong you are a better ally.   Do not let the constant news cycle rule you.  Get out, and I will see you on the other side.