Now we turn to the relationship between humans and animals. Should we fear our fellow creatures? Are they carriers of life-threatening bugs? Remember “black swans?” Black swans are rare, life-threatening and unforeseen events like the coronavirus.
But are these events all that rare, are they life-threatening and finally are they really unforeseen? This is a fruitful area of inquiry so let’s jump in. Relax, this essay is not life-threatening, trust me.
Speaking of trust, a headline in the April 29, 2020 New York Times, “Sweden’s Lenient Limits Reflect a Culture of Trust” suggests a good place to begin. “This strategy posits that most people under age 65 who get the coronavirus–if they do not have major pre-existing medical conditions–will either experience it as a typical or tough flu, or completely asymptomatically, and the number who will get so sick that they require hospitalization or emergency care will reliably be less than the number of beds needed to care for them.”[i]
“So, if you do your best to shelter and sequester all of those over 65 and those with serious pre-existing conditions … and let much of the rest of the population circulate and get exposed and become naturally immune, once about 60 percent of your population has gone through this you’ll have herd immunity and the viral transmission will be blocked.”[ii]
This strategy has come at a high cost. As of April 28, 2020, Sweden’s “Covid-19 death toll reached 2,274 about five times higher than in Denmark and 11 times higher than Norway.” Sweden’s state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell didn’t think Sweden’s ultimate goal differed basically from that of other countries. “It’s just that we use slightly different tools.”[iii] In Sweden 80% of the fatalities so far have been over age 70.
The Simple Reality version of “herd immunity” uses some radically different tools as well. It doesn’t throw elders under the bus, no one has to self-quarantine or social distance. However one does receive 100% immunity from all pain and suffering simply by letting go of their self-destructive beliefs, attitudes and values.
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Supplemental Reading: Perfection, The ABC’s of Simple Reality, Vol 2
#76 Herd Immunity
[i] Friedman, Thomas. “Is Sweden Doing It Right?” The New York Times. April 29, 2020, p. A26.
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Erdbrink, Thomas and Christina Anderson. “Sweden’s Lenient Limits Reflect a Culture of Trust.” The New York Times. April 29, 2020, p. A5.
