Definition of Risk

I am realizing that everyone must have their own definition of risk. It doesn't do any good to tell someone what they should or should not do. If you tell someone what they should or should not do, you are expending useless energy, and often the end result is unnecessary conflict.

Everyone has to make their own decisions in life. And a big part of that is defining what risks they are willing to take. I am definitely not a risk-taker. However, I know that I engage in some behaviors that due to my health conditions could be somewhat dangerous for me. As I get older, I  become more susceptible to falls. However, because of my osteoporosis, I need to be as mobile as possible to keep my bones strong. So it is a bit of a double-edged sword. I have to stay mobile, but being mobile could cause me to fall. So I have to make my own decisions and define my own risk. I do not want anyone to do that for me.

The problem with covid is that personal definition of risk could affect more than just yourself. If you decide not to get vaccinated, or if you get vaccinated and then contract covid, how you maneuver in society could affect other people. If you have covid, or if you had been exposed to covid, and you choose to be out in society, you are putting others at risk. That is a choice you are making that others could be affected by, and they have no choice.

Very young children and people with health conditions are most at risk of serious illness if they contract covid. People with disabilities and health conditions are already marginalized in society, and now with covid our place in the world is devalued even more. It is a common belief that only people with health conditions are susceptible to severe illness with covid. That is not true, but it is what many people believe. So their thought process is to just have people with health conditions withdraw from society and stay home. Historically, that is what many people wanted anyway, for us to stay out of sight.

This situation has made people with health conditions incredibly sad, frustrated, and angry. We want people to care about us and treat us well. During covid, we have been considered expendable. The first thing someone asks when they hear that someone has died of covid, their first and only question is, did they have an underlying health condition? If the answer is yes, then everything makes sense and they don't have any other questions. If they are healthy, they say to themselves, well, that person was already sick with something else. I am healthy. I will be fine. I don't have to worry. I can go and live my life. They do not understand and do not try to understand that their behavior could have consequences for others in society. 

My wish, and the wish of so many others like me, is that society as a whole would value us and care about protecting us. Think about others as you make decisions about your behavior. Define your own risk when that risk affects you and only you. Consider that risk when it could affect others.

librarianintx 

librarianintx