The Rational Heathen

The lack of basic logic in people today confounds me. I used to think that human beings were generally intelligent, but now, I’m pretty much convinced they’re not. At least the majority of people lack basic intelligence.

Taking Two Steps Back for One Step Forward

While not all progress is good, I’m seeing a lot of regression when it comes to the United States. People are clearly ignorant when it comes to science. A lot of folks believe what their neighbors and friends tell them rather than objectively look at the facts and make a rational decision.

Death Cults and Culture

If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I consider Christianity a death cult. Their reward happens after they die, and their reward or punishment is predicated by their behavior in this life. What’s more, their afterlife is believed to be far better than this life if they behave according to their doctrines.

This is an appealing doctrine, if you’ve been handed shit all your life. Although why worship a god you believe handed you shit from the moment you were born so that you could get a better lot is beyond me and goes against all logic. I’d think, “this god handed me shit, and now it wants me to worship it? Hel, no!”

While we have our own version of a death cult in Heathenry, i.e. warriors go to Folksvangr or Valhalla, I believe most Heathens are simply glad to go to a place of rest and peace. We focus not on where we go when we die, but how we live our lives. Our reward is our life right now. The challenges are just that–challenges. We must overcome them in the best way we know how to.

Holy Rollers and Misplaced Faith

I often visit the food bank because, well, I am not rich. Writers are generally not rich. One food bank I visit is one run by a Christian church that I have dubbed “the Holy Rollers.” These people are nice enough, even though they have weird views. Unfortunately, one of their views defies logic and is killing them.

You see, many of their congregation do not believe in getting vaccinate against COVID-19, with predicable results. One woman whom I know was in tears (without a mask, by the way) because a prominent member of her congregation died from COVID-19. I would think this would cause everyone to line up to get vaccinated, or at least wear masks and social distance, but no. They continue their behavior and mistrust the vaccines because of anecdotal evidence.

The woman told me she couldn’t have the vaccine because she had a latex allergy. Odd, because there is no latex in the vaccines, and the stoppers do not contain latex. (Yes, I looked this up.) She claims it caused the recurrence of breast cancer in a seventy-something year old (no, vaccines don’t do that), and congestive heart failure in someone else (incredibly rare, but maybe.) She claimed everyone she knew who was vaccinated was now sick.

Except Me

Except me. And my husband. And if I could point out, my sisters, their spouses, and their children are vaccinated. At least a half dozen other people we know are vaccinate and have had no issues. In fact, I had some of the side effects (swollen, hot arm for a week, and feeling tired and achy for a few days), but I would still line up and get a booster if the experts said I needed to do it. Why? Because I know the disease is worse than the vaccination.

This intense COVID-19 year has also encouraged me to get my flu and shingles shot this time around, because I had chicken pox as a kid. Twice. So, I’d rather have a ramped up immune system than being sick or dying. Go figure.

Correlation does not Equal Causation

I doubt that my story will figure into the Holy Roller’s list of people she counts when talking about the COVID-19 vaccination, because it doesn’t fit her narrative. I listened to her statement about people getting sick from the vaccines and stay silent because she won’t listen to me. If she did, I would tell her correlation does not equal causation. In other words, just because something happened around the same time doesn’t mean the two events have anything to do with each other.

Let me give you an example. You’re walking down the street, it’s going to rain, and you hear a Led Zeppelin song blasting out of a store. At the same time, a bolt of lightning strikes the light post near you and you get shocked. When you wake up in the hospital, are you likely to think that hearing the Led Zeppelin song caused the lightning? Maybe if it were the Immigrant Song, but for argument’s sake, we’ll say it was Black Dog. Or maybe it was Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. Doesn’t matter. Are you likely to ascribe the music playing from a store the reason for the lightning? Of course not. You’re more likely to assume you underestimated the storm coming in.

See what I’m getting at? People can draw correlations all the time to different things when the truth lies someplace else. We trust science because of the scientific method and the review of other scientists so that the conclusion is deemed sound.

Trust Doctors Not Talk Show Wankers (or your next door neighbor)

I’m probably preaching to the choir, but the bullshit being spread via social media and talk shows shouldn’t be trusted. I don’t care how entertained, livid, or interested you are when you listen to these sources. I don’t care what quack guy with an MD after his name they got to testify about their latest miracle cure for COVID-19. The reality is if that so-called cure REALLY worked, the mainstream hospitals and doctors would be using it. Use logic, people!

Ivermectin doesn’t cure COVID-19. It’s made to kill parasites, not viruses. I’ve given my dogs Ivermectin over the years to prevent heartworm. It kills roundworms, hookworms, and other types of worms in livestock. A horse dosage of Ivermectin can kill you. Case in point: my husband talked to a hospital worker who mentioned the hospital he works at has someone who has gone blind and is paralyzed because he used horse or cattle ivermectin.

Yeah, it’s serious. And no, dog vaccines won’t prevent you from getting coronavirus. Why do this shit, which isn’t effective at all? Get the damn jab, wear a mask, and social distance. Really.

If Not for You, for Your Community

One of the basic tenets to being a Heathen is being a member of a community. I am all for rugged individualism and choices, but not in this case. When something causes you to harm others directly or indirectly, it is time to think about how your actions affect others. You can give COVID-19 to other non-vaccinated or even vaccinated people. You can be a host for a mutant strain that could cause more deaths. And you can become so sick that you and your like-minded pals fill up the hospitals to the point that they have no room or resources for other emergencies, like heart attacks or accident injuries. In other words, your irresponsibility has caused someone else to die, who could have been saved.

Now obviously, I’m not speaking to you if you have worn masks, practiced social distancing, and gotten vaccinated. If you hadn’t, here is your wake-up call. Quit being selfish and start acting like a Heathen instead of like a spoiled child. Grow up and adult.