My partner Chris and I are rapidly coming up to our 10-year anniversary and had planned to celebrate it by doing a cruise, the very thing we did when we first met a decade ago. But sadly, being unvaccinated from COVID-19 due to my ongoing health issues, we learned that while I could still be on the cruise (given it was leaving from Florida), there were going to be a number of limitations during it. Because of this, we opted to cancel, much to my dismay, leaving me feeling like I let my partner down. When I shared this disappointment with a friend I cared about, instead of receiving compassion, I received a chastising about my unvaccinated status, shedding light on exactly what Dr. Fauci has said is happening in our country now, where a new division is happening between those getting vaccinated for COVID-19 and those who aren’t, a division I believe is solely arising out of ego.
There are far too many divisions in this country that stem from ego. Last year I witnessed this due to my non-political stance from both Republicans and Democrats alike. I’ve often experienced this with other issues as well, such as with my stance on guns, abortions, marriage, and a number of other hot topics as well. Far too often, I’ve received chastising’s for those stances I take in life, just for standing true to myself, even when I’ve accepted everyone else’s stances. Now I’m receiving chastising’s over not getting vaccinated and being told how ignorant I am, some even suggesting they know better about my health than I do. In light of that, my question is this.
When did it stop being ok to stand in our own truths, especially when they’re not being put on anyone else but ourselves?
My truth with vaccinations is simple. If you want one, get one, and if you don’t, then don’t, but don’t judge another just because their choice with vaccinations is different than yours. Personally, I’d love to vaccinate, but given the complexities of what I continue to face with my health, I’ve decided not to at the present time over fear of complicating my health even further, even if my risk is only 1%. With that now being said, I ask you, are you sitting there right now judging me and saying I’m dumb, or stupid, or thinking some other negative set of words, all because of my choice to not vaccinate? If you are, it’s precisely why disunity still exists in this world, because we keep letting our ego’s judge each other over our stances in life, especially when they don’t align with our own views. Unity is never going to come so long as we keep judging each other for the differences we have, in our belief systems, in our sexualities, in our races, or in anything really.
People have frequently told me that unity is a pipe dream. Maybe it is, or maybe it isn’t, but for it to ever even have a chance to manifest, it’s going to take the removal of thinking we know what’s best for everyone else. The fact is, I don’t know what’s best for anyone, it’s only my ego that always tries to tell me otherwise. Knowing this is precisely why my best friend Cedric and I are able to maintain such a close friendship after 24 years. We differ so greatly these days with viewpoints on the Bible, politics, sexuality, and some other things too, yet we remain the best of friends, all because we love and accept each other unconditionally for our differences, rather than let our ego’s judge each other for them.
The bottom line is that there is no one on this planet that I know better for. Trying to think I know what’s best for another will only ever lead to chaos, discord, disunity, and the like. If I ever want to see unity in this world, it’s going to mean accepting others stances in life that are different than my own and loving them regardless. Doing anything otherwise just leaves me operating out of ego, or as they say in 12 Step recovery, (E)dging (G)od (O)ut.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
