“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.” That was the original beginning monologue for The Twilight Zone many eons ago, which sometimes I really relate to and feel lately like I’m living in an episode of it titled “The Pandemic”.
In this episode, we are all living in a world where the Covid-19 virus has truly changed the course of society forever, where life has become a total division of vaccinated versus unvaccinated individuals, where every thought, word, and action seems to surround this piece of information, including even being invited and subsequently uninvited to a Christmas party.
This year is the first year my partner Chris and I didn’t really have any solid Christmas Day plans to be away, to cook, or do anything specific. Tentatively, we and another friend were thinking about going to a local buffet, that was until I spoke with another friend who invited us to their annual Christmas Day feast, something we’ve been to before. Over the course of that invite process, I was asked if I was vaccinated or not, which of course I answered truthfully like I always do, and responded I wasn’t. This led to a long discourse back and forth, that ultimately ended with me being uninvited solely due to my vaccine status. Alone in my room after that conversation was me on my knees by my bedside, sobbing to God, asking why our world has become like this, especially during a time of the season when the true meaning is to share in unconditional love with each other.
As I continue to navigate through this very elongated episode of The Twilight Zone, remaining unvaccinated, not out of defiance, but more from fears over the many health complications I already have, I am left wondering how far this division will go. Several countries around the world already have locked unvaccinated individuals out of society, essentially barring them from going out at all and doing anything, with Germany being the latest to do so. Is it that far of a stretch to believe that all of us who remain unvaccinated for whatever our reasons, justified or not, will eventually be rounded up and forced to vaccinate or put into some sort of concentration camps where we are locked away from society?
I’ve had Covid, and a very bad case at that, one that almost landed me in the hospital, and it wasn’t fun. Yes, this is a serious virus and one that may be with us forever, something that I feel could play itself out so easily in an episode of The Twilight Zone. But I don’t believe this virus is still around in the way it is, as strong of a presence it still has, because of people like me. Yet, I continue to be the source of blame for many anyway, rounded into a group in society where hatred is directed more than anything.
I’m a child of God and I love ALL people, from ALL walks of society, and am a person that during this time of the season, would never…ever…consider banning anyone from coming to a Christmas get-together due to their vaccinate status. Because the meaning of this season for me is one of acceptance, inclusion, connection, and love. Isn’t that what the “Christ” in Christmas was supposed to be about?
Regardless, I really hope to wake up from this crazy episode of The Twilight Zone one day soon, where invitations to things like a Christmas party aren’t dependent on anything and are just freely given, where one’s vaccine status isn’t a factor in the acceptance for anything, and where the holidays themselves are back to focusing more on what the true meaning is meant to be, that being sharing unconditional love with others…vaccinated or not…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
