It just feels like the right thing to do.
It just feels like the right thing to do. Not much thought is put into it. Ego is pushed deep into the pockets. Hands are out ready to wield instruments, perform tests, auscultate hearts and lungs. Arms are outstretched, open, inviting. Personal protective gear is on.
Lives are put at risk, but only because the lives of others are also at risk. Again, not much thought is put into this because helping just feels right. It is the right thing to do.
Whether it be in response to natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes; violent war, human rights catastrophes, or human health epidemics like the one we are experiencing right now with COVID-19, health care professionals make a joint decision, and I bet with most surety, with very little hesitation and doubt. They feel it was and is the right thing to do.
We humans have a crazy capacity to deeply think, balance pros and cons, consider options, process situational computations at lighting speeds, make clear and informed judgments, and see the big picture for what it really is. But in times of disaster, in times when life is so quickly and quietly leaving the lungs of thousands around the world, not a single breath is held in making the decision to answer the call to help. This is being human – not taking a breath to think so that another breath may be had by someone else who needs it. This is just the right thing to do.
To all healthcare professionals (human doctors, nurses, veterinarians, technicians, public health workers, researchers, etc…) working during past times, this time, and all future times – think diligently, work tirelessly, and stay safe. To all the patients suffering – stay positive, do not lose hope, and pray to your god(s), your doctors and nurses, and to science because all three are on your side. And, to the world leaders, politicians, and businessmen – global scale disasters like this are only going to become more frequent and more deadly so long as human activity, use of resources, and our interaction with the environment goes blatantly unchecked. Today, the connection between us, wild animals, and the grounds upon which we all stand is so very real, so very fragile, and quite literally the only reason we exist today. This pandemic you are dealing poorly with now, that is straining the global health care system and world economy, that is breaking the hearts of thousands of families, is a direct result of lax policy, abhorrent carelessness, crippling greed, and absolute disrespect for humans and non-human animals.
If we want to prevent disasters like this from happening in the future (because they will), we all need to start acting like health care professionals, right now, in the cities and affected areas around the world.
For the sake of all existence and life as we love it, do the right thing.
