One of the best things about narrating audiobooks is learning new things by reading them. I have almost finished narrating a fascinating book about the experiences of health-care workers, advocates for people with disabilities and others in Canada during COVID-19. You’ll recall that our country went from banging pots and pans in admiration for doctors, nurses and PSWs, to allowing disinformation to spread so rapidly that people in health care were harrassed and threatened.
I’m not going to get into those details here. You’re welcome to read the book, Breaking Canadians, or wait for the audiobook version. I will warn you that I almost cried as I read some of the stories. How some people made it through the pandemic alive and relatively sane is a minor miracle.
The book’s foreword really made me stop and think. I’ve been working hard at developing a deep level of understanding about people who believe the polar opposite of what I believe. The billionaires who hoard their wealth and those who think leveling the playing field for everyone means losing something of their own. And how in the world “vaccine” became something to scoff at. This essay presents a possible, partial answer.
The foreword was written by Dr. Brian Goldman, best-selling author, ER doctor, and host of the CBC radio series, White Coat, Black Art. To paraphrase Dr. Goldman: as a species humans understand the purpose of behaving in a way that benefits everyone, not just ourselves. But when one element comes into play, we can go back into an early human state of mind. One of protection and paranoia where think we need to clutch onto our possessions and loved ones to save them from perceived threats. (Early humans survived because of this thinking but we – generally, day to day – no longer need it as much.)
That Element is Stress
If you’re struggling to pay for groceries or keep a roof over your head, that’s stressful. If you’ve ever been in deep “I don’t know how I’ll get out of this” debt, you know that you don’t simply go about your daily life with a spring in your step. The debt, and how to relieve yourself of it, consumes you. It’s everything. And that goes for job loss, losing your home, and relationship breakdowns. Stress reduces us to our least evolved selves as the part of our brain known as the lizard brain takes over our thoughts and emotions.
Now, this is not to say that everyone undergoing a lot of stress will stop caring about other people. Nor does it explain people like Elon Musk or Dr. Oz who have few worries in the world. But it does explain why some people think fortifiying their homes and accumulating weapons and hating people with different coloured skin is urgent and necessary. I don’t share their frame of mind. But I also don’t have that level of stress.
Breaking Canadians laments the fact that a good portion of our population that wasn’t personally affected by COVID-19 called it a hoax and protested masks and lockdowns, even though other Canadians were clearly suffering and dying from it. If it didn’t directly affect you, it’s possible you’d be pissed off at having to mask up and social distance just to protect some immune-compromised or old people you didn’t know. Or to deny those people were even at risk or existed. Empathy shrivelled and faded away in those people if it was ever there at all.
Whatever Happened to Kindness
Is this who we want to be? I know I don’t. Breaking Canadians is a collection of first person essays about people’s experiences. It’s not a beach read and you won’t find a conspiracy theory or anti-vaxxer in the mix. It’s also just far enough removed from the pandemic to be interesting. I’ve learned a lot from reading how others experienced it and giving them a voice. And I’m feeling pretty lucky, both in the way I was able to go through the pandemic, and for getting to narrate this book.
Dr. Goldman’s research isn’t the entire answer. (No single piece of research ever can be.) But it’s a worthwhile look at why some people were persuaded to behave the way they did. How they could twist public health measures into an infringement on their freedom. The pure selfishness of that way of thinking and the deep harm it caused so many people.
An opinion isn’t fact. Sure, everyone has a right to an opinion. But a civilized society takes care of everyone. So many people are falling behind and their stress is dragging us all down. We need to look after the most vulnerable among us – or what the hell are we even doing here?
Thank you, Lisa. I can’t wait to read the book.
Your blog explains so much. I wondered the reasons behind the selfish and lack of kindness shift. It is so upsetting to me. You constantly share valuable knowledge in such a positive and informative way.