{"id":174945,"date":"2020-12-14T12:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=174945"},"modified":"2020-12-12T09:53:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-12T09:53:02","slug":"its-2020-what-would-you-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/12\/its-2020-what-would-you-do\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s 2020. What Would YOU Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The year is drawing to a close, memorable for its unrelenting spotlight on coronavirus.\u00a0 Reflecting on the past 12 months, imagine what you would do if you were in a position of great power and influence.\u00a0 Two scenarios are offered, each with different underlying goals.\u00a0 The Global Power Elite scenario<\/strong> is geared toward protecting the right of the super-rich to continue amassing ever more riches, and the One Earth Family scenario<\/strong> is aimed at ensuring every human being can live in dignity and harmony with the earth.\u00a0 I\u2019ll start this exercise; then it\u2019s your turn.<\/p>\n

Global Power Elite Scenario<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Global Power Elite[i]<\/a> described by Peter Phillips include many of the world\u2019s wealthiest and well-connected people in high finance, mega-corporations, information technology, intelligence agencies, public relations, media, academia and politics, in other words, the 0.01%.\u00a0 Some are famous, most are not, but together they exert enormous influence on our daily lives, often without our being aware of it. Their primary goal–endlessly growing capital markets to amass for themselves ever increasing wealth, power and control\u2014is alien to me, so it\u2019s quite a stretch imagining what I would do if I were one of them, but here goes my best attempt:<\/p>\n

The emergence of COVID-19 is turning 2020 into a pivotal year for advancing our agenda. As long as we carefully formulate and manage the narrative surrounding it, this humble virus can be utilized to generate significant immediate and long-term investment and profit-making opportunities for those of us with excess capital at our disposal.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about fear.<\/strong>\u00a0 Fear is the fuel that drives the pandemic engine.\u00a0 Early and constant messaging to generate and maintain widespread alarm is essential.\u00a0 People must be led to believe this year\u2019s strain of coronavirus is utterly new, dangerous, highly contagious, lethal and with no known treatments.\u00a0 We convince them that even those who aren\u2019t sick at all are potential disease-causing asymptomatic carriers.<\/p>\n

Our vast PR muscle is kicked into high gear, mobilizing global media contacts and planting horrific stories, backed up by our friends in academia and public health.\u00a0\u00a0 WHO and CDC spokespersons are given talking points, while terrifying predictions of apocalyptic proportions are published.\u00a0 We alert all Epidemic Intelligence Service<\/a> fellows and alumni to remind them of their critical role in mitigating this dreadful scourge.\u00a0 We silence and demonize any scientists or medical professionals who might produce evidence to suggest otherwise.<\/p>\n

Once a sufficient level of fear is internalized by most of the world\u2019s population, deep-seated emotions suppress critical thinking capacity.\u00a0 They believe everything we say, and the rest of the plan falls inexorably into place.<\/p>\n

People trust the tests<\/strong>. The PCR test for COVID-19 is the linchpin on which the roll-out of pandemic measures depends. Despite its flaws<\/a> and limitations, people trust the test because they believe it answers that burning, life-or-death question, \u201cam I infected?\u201d.<\/p>\n

The beauty of this test is that the data can be manipulated simply by increasing the number of PCR cycles<\/a> to levels that produce a higher number of false positives<\/a>.\u00a0 Since most tests are negative, we massively ramp up the amount of testing over time to yield increasing positives.\u00a0 The test can be used to augment mortality statistics<\/a>, blurring the line between those who die \u201cof\u201d COVID-19 and those who die \u201cwith\u201d it, i.e., of other causes, but happen to test positive.\u00a0 To fulfill the \u201csecond wave\u201d prophesy, modest seasonal increases in the fall and winter can be distorted dramatically.\u00a0 Media reports are periodically peppered with \u201cuptick\u201d, \u201cspike\u201d, \u201csurge\u201d, \u201cexplosion\u201d of cases.<\/p>\n

Financial impact<\/em>:\u00a0 Soaring demand for universal and frequent testing will favor investments in numerous companies marketing a wide array of testing instruments, including PCR, antigen, antibody, and coming soon the quick and easy at-home version people can take on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

People accept unprecedented lockdowns<\/strong>. Lockdowns are the blunt force instrument to make it clear life as we know it is changing for good.\u00a0 Once most people believe that any close contact with another person could have deadly consequences, they accept varying directives to isolate themselves for increasingly extended periods of time. \u00a0Freedom of assembly and legislative checks on authoritarian executive power are gladly set aside with barely a peep of protest.\u00a0 To placate those captive in their homes (never mind those with miserable homes or no homes at all\u2014we don\u2019t talk about that), our messages instill a sense of purpose and solidarity: \u201cFlatten the curve\u201d<\/em> becomes a mantra.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re all in this together\u201d<\/em> comforts.\u00a0 The \u201cnew normal\u201d will be \u201cinclusive\u201d and \u201csustainable\u201d (inclusive in our control over everyone and sustainable for us at the top). \u00a0\u00a0\u201cSocial distancing\u201d is now a way of life.<\/p>\n

Financial impact: <\/em>Endless investment opportunities to fulfill growing demand for video conferencing software and hardware for an array of business, governmental and social activities.\u00a0 Increasing automation, robotics and reliance on artificial intelligence drive values of major on-line retailers, wholesalers, and delivery services sky high.\u00a0 We ensure big corporations and banks get a large chunk of any lockdown relief funds the government allocates.\u00a0 As bankruptcies and lost tax revenues proliferate, we take our excess capital on a veritable shopping spree, snatching up foreclosed properties, failed small businesses and public assets (schools, parks, public transit, postal service, police, fire) at rock bottom prices. \u00a0We get a jumpstart in profiting from the 4th<\/sup> industrial revolution\u2019s great reset<\/a>, facilitating electronic control of whole populations.<\/p>\n

People willingly mask.<\/strong>\u00a0 Face coverings serve as a useful gauge to measure overall compliance with our fear-based regimen.\u00a0 While awkward at first, people quickly come to accept masks when recommended by celebrities and public health spokespersons.\u00a0 No matter whether worn improperly<\/a> or constantly being touched and adjusted, masks give people who feel helpless in the face of the virus something visible and tangible to do.\u00a0 Mask requirements make political leaders look decisive and purposeful. \u00a0\u00a0Mask avoiders are denounced as selfish.\u00a0\u00a0 Our PR teams can take care of sidelining and debunking the large body<\/a> of research<\/a> showing that masks outside of a clinical setting are not effective at preventing transmission of respiratory viruses.\u00a0 Constant reminders of \u201cDon\u2019t let your guard down\u201d will avoid slippage in compliance.<\/p>\n

Financial impact:<\/em>\u00a0 Investment opportunities in mass marketing of a medical grade, cloth and other types of masks (with endless options for styles, patterns, d\u00e9cor<\/em>, sports team logos, kid-friendly images, etc.) are just the tip of the iceberg.\u00a0 Demand skyrockets for a whole palette of personal protective equipment in homes and workplaces, including face shields, head coverings, outer wear, booties, gloves, hand sanitizer, plexiglass dividers, disinfecting tools and products, touchless business transacting equipment and more.\u00a0 Prolonged universal masking increases the value of screen time for advertisers, as people come to depend entirely on their devices to see human smiles and other facial expressions.<\/p>\n

People demand vaccines<\/strong>. \u00a0COVID-19 vaccines are the \u201cdeus ex machina<\/em>\u201d that allows the terror of our raging COVID-19 drama to finally be quelled, until the next deadly virus enters the scene.\u00a0\u00a0 From the beginning, a universal vaccine must be seen as the ultimate and only<\/em> solution to the rampant pestilence.\u00a0 Pesky doctors<\/a> who dare make known their positive experiences with effective, safe and inexpensive early outpatient treatments for COVID-19 must be defamed at all costs, and their work censored<\/a> as needed.\u00a0 Vaccine development will be fast-tracked under the guise of \u201cOperation Warp Speed\u201d.\u00a0 We exaggerate vaccine efficacy and downplay side effects after short-term trials.\u00a0 After all, we\u2019re shielded from liability, so if adverse events arise in the future, it\u2019s not our problem.\u00a0 Those vaccine-hesitant who worry about safety are dismissed as \u201canti-vaxxers\u201d.<\/p>\n

Financial impact<\/em>:\u00a0 Investment and profit potential for expanding the vaccine market from children to all ages worldwide is staggering. Beyond initial COVID-19 vaccines, there will be booster shots and new vaccines for new viruses in the future.\u00a0 We\u2019ll allow minimal patenting of new treatment drugs, because the vaccine bonanza is the endgame.\u00a0 Treatments can only be marketed to the subsets of populations that are sick.\u00a0 The vaccine market extends to the entire human race.\u00a0 And once we buy enough politicians to overcome annoying barriers of sovereignty over one\u2019s body, there are pots of money to be made in vaccine verification check point systems for sports and entertainment venues, airports, and work places, as well as mandatory injectable surveillance tools.<\/p>\n

Children are the future.<\/strong> \u00a0\u00a0Children are the prototype human commodities of our blockchain-driven<\/a> new world order.\u00a0 The sooner they see screens and electronic devices as their primary source of education, social and cultural life, the more malleable they become.\u00a0 Hence frequent school and playground closures, plus cessation of in-person extracurricular activities are a must.\u00a0 Where schools do re-open, children are insulated from their peers by strict social distancing and mask requirements.\u00a0 They are told, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to kill Granny, now, do you?\u201d to keep them from breaking the rules.\u00a0 The key is for children to view everyone outside their immediate household as a bio-hazard and to fear touching anyone else, becoming more and more dependent on their electronic devices to meet their emotional needs.<\/p>\n

Financial impact<\/em>:\u00a0 The investment and profit-making opportunities for new educational software, games and social interaction apps are endless.\u00a0 Future generations eagerly acquire virtual reality headsets and software, allowing them to travel the world and experience anything they want from the comfort of their own armchair.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t like the above?\u00a0 Don\u2019t let it happen!\u00a0 Now to switch gears\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

One Earth Family Scenario<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cEach year, poor nutrition kills 3.1 million children under the age of 5.\u201d[ii]<\/a>\u00a0 For me, this rarely heard statistic from 2017 utterly eclipses COVID-19 misfortunes.\u00a0 Think about it and let it sink in. \u201cEach year, poor nutrition kills 3.1 million children under the age of 5.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Imagine the profound grief of their parents.\u00a0 Imagine your own small child or the child of a friend or relative dying from starvation.\u00a0 The stories of each of these children and their families are not told, and as long as they\u2019re far away we can easily ignore them. Yet they should play a pivotal role in any strategy to mitigate preventable suffering and death.\u00a0 Pursuing our goal of ensuring every human can live in dignity and harmony with the earth is a collective effort that must include everyone.\u00a0 I offer here a few of the multitudes of constructive voices we should listen to.<\/p>\n

Total Harm Minimization<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Yale University doctor and researcher David Katz<\/a> emphasized early on<\/a> that we should strive for \u201ctotal harm minimization\u201d in all decision making about COVID-19.\u00a0\u00a0 Just as side effects of pharmaceutical products are evaluated prior to their approval, so must we evaluate the profound and far-reaching side effects of proposed COVID-19 mitigation measures like lockdowns, masks, distancing and closing schools, businesses, and civic events before implementing them over prolonged periods of time.<\/p>\n

Drs. Sucharit Bhakdi and Karina Reiss [iii]<\/a> challenge the faulty science driving fear-based decision making, joined by many other experts<\/a> who have examined the data and assert COVID-19 is comparable<\/a> to a bad seasonal flu (which also causes fatalities).\u00a0 Bhakdi and Reiss enumerate extensive collateral damage of lockdowns, including intensified poverty, deferral of treatment for other serious ailments and despair. \u00a0Correlation is lacking<\/a> between strictness<\/a> of lockdowns and mask requirements in different states and nations, and COVID-19 incidence and deaths.\u00a0 There are less harmful ways to deal with this virus.<\/p>\n

Oxford epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta<\/a> points out how lockdowns benefit the well-off who have comfortable homes and can work remotely with steady incomes, but they are disastrous for the poor.\u00a0 Lockdowns worldwide have driven up the heartbreaking toll of deadly malnutrition in children<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0Dr. Gupta is far from alone<\/a> in suggesting communities and governments can offer needed temporary added protection for the elderly and vulnerable until the virus runs its course, while the rest of us do what we\u2019ve done for generations:\u00a0 collectively shoulder the low risk of a fatal disease outcome as the price of living with each other as social beings.\u00a0 Sensible, targeted measures should be combined with addressing broader and more far-reaching health concerns, including the underlying causes of persistent health disparities among different racial and socioeconomic groups.<\/p>\n

Rather than fomenting constant fear, an empowering sense of authentic and optimistic solidarity should be fostered.\u00a0\u00a0 Visionary physician Zach Bush<\/a> reminds us joyfully of the miracle that is the human immune system, our prime asset in dealing with potentially harmful pathogens.\u00a0 He encourages immune system boosting via stress reduction, fresh air, exercise, nutritious diet (a big challenge wherever major corporations heavily market junk food), vibrant social interaction, laughter, and an attitude of gratitude for the beauties and mysteries of the human biome and virome, full of useful microorganisms we live in harmony with.\u00a0 Dr. Lissa Rankin[iv]<\/a> has documented how excessive fear, stress and anxiety weaken us and make us more susceptible to illness.\u00a0 Bush calls for a \u201cLet\u2019s get Healthy Again\u201d campaign using simple means to augment the remarkable self-healing powers humans are endowed with.<\/p>\n

Living in balance with ourselves and our surroundings can eliminate the need for many pharmaceutical products, but judicious use of effective remedies (avoiding over-reliance on patents and profit-boosting marketing messages) is appropriate when needed.\u00a0 Rather than accepting the hopeless and near universal message that there is no cure for COVID-19, let\u2019s openly dialog<\/a> with the countless doctors<\/a> who have had remarkable success<\/a> with early outpatient treatment<\/a> of COVID-19, including ivermectin<\/a>, hydroxychloroquine<\/a>, zinc, high dose vitamin C, vitamin D, and more, all of which are safe, effective and cheap. \u00a0Cuba<\/a>, a beacon in health promotion, has also developed successful early interventions. \u00a0Pro-active early treatments can save lives and could reduce reliance on vaccines.<\/p>\n

Human dignity impact<\/em>:\u00a0 Promoting social cohesion, healthful living and harm minimization at all levels helps us avoid illness and builds a foundation for facing each day\u2019s tasks with joy, connection and purpose, until our time comes to move on.\u00a0\u00a0 We all die eventually, so let\u2019s allow our elders to decide how to spend their last days–in total isolation, or within the warm embrace of community and loved ones.<\/p>\n

Cooperation for mutual and equal benefit<\/strong><\/p>\n

TMS<\/em> readers are no strangers to Johan Galtung\u2019s life work promoting positive peace, beyond the absence of war, with a guiding principle of cooperation for mutual and equal benefit<\/a> to ensure a dignified life for all.\u00a0 In her recent book Oneness vs. the 1%[v]<\/strong><\/a><\/em> Vandana Shiva elaborates on themes raised by Phillips around the monopoly-building consolidation of wealth and power by the global elites through the merging, networking and escalation of biotechnology, information technology and financial technology, too often at the expense of our health and deeper humanity.\u00a0 She juxtaposes this bleak and pathological trend with a vision for healing the earth and all people through the concept of our One Earth Family, enabling \u201ca transition from scarcity, competition and fear to the co-creation of abundance through sharing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shiva stresses Gandhi\u2019s guiding principles of Swaraj<\/em>\u2014self-governance for the common good of all, Swadeshi<\/em>\u2014self-reliance through local living economies, and Satyagraha\u2014<\/em>force of truth fueling non-participation in destructive systems. \u00a0\u00a0We see millions of Indian workers and farmers go on strike<\/a> against poverty and unemployment.\u00a0 Nonviolent racial justice demonstrations and anti-lockdown protests<\/a> (both masked and unmasked<\/a>) erupt worldwide without causing spikes in COVID-19 illness or death.<\/p>\n

We can phase out all health destroying enterprises–toxic industries, nuclear weapons, foreign military bases, killing machines, unsafe pharmaceuticals–and invite our best minds from the bottom up to devise technologies that actually meet everyone\u2019s needs rather than enrich those at the top.\u00a0 Workers in harmful sectors can be redirected to jobs<\/a> that make people\u2019s lives more wonderful.<\/p>\n

Major redistribution of wealth and priorities will make for a happier and healthier human family.\u00a0 Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz<\/a> concurs: \u201cEnsuring those at the top pay their fair share of taxes \u2014 ending the special privileges of speculators, corporations and the rich \u2014 is both pragmatic and fair. We are not embracing a politics of envy if we reverse a politics of greed. Inequality is not just about the top marginal tax rate but also about our children\u2019s access to food and the right to justice for all.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s time to end the pandemic of greed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Human dignity impact:<\/em> \u00a0We are truly all in it together only when all are equally valued and interconnected with each other and the rich resources of our mother earth.\u00a0\u00a0 A quality of life floor and a personal wealth ceiling make a house we can all live in<\/a>, warmed with love and opening to a beautiful garden under the sky, where everyone can enjoy unlimited intellectual, social and cultural riches.<\/p>\n

Children are the future<\/strong><\/p>\n

Children are wondrous beings, full of intelligence, curiosity and resilience, reflecting the love we shower on them. \u00a0Fortunately, COVID-19 has minimal adverse impact on children; much less than various strains of influenza we live with continually.\u00a0 Therefore, children should keep on mingling with friends, attending school, engaging in sports and cultural activities, and exploring the world around them.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s immune systems are strengthened by repeated contact with all the impurities of their environments. Playing outdoors, touching plants, dirt and other people is good for them. Purely sterile settings are hazardous to their health in the long run.\u00a0 Since body language is their primary communication tool, extensive masking hinders<\/a> children\u2019s development.\u00a0 Reading facial expressions enhances their emotional intelligence.\u00a0 Our youth require a steady stream of mental, social and physical stimulation and sustenance.\u00a0 Let\u2019s collectively strive to say next December, \u201cThis year, not one child died from poor nutrition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Human dignity impact:<\/em>\u00a0 Well-nourished and cherished children grow into adults who use all their senses, intellect, creativity, intuition and emotions to thrive in an interconnected world, bringing generation after generation closer to a dignified life for all.<\/p>\n

Two years ago, Galtung anointed 2019 as the Year of Health.\u00a0 Let\u2019s make 2021 another Year of Health in the broadest and deepest<\/a> sense of the word at both the personal and societal level.<\/p>\n

NOTES:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[i]<\/a> Peter Phillips, Giants: The Global Power Elite<\/em>, Seven Stories Press 2018<\/p>\n

[ii]<\/a> Quoted in Phillips, p. 31<\/p>\n

[iii]<\/a> Sucharit Bhakdi and Karina Reiss, Corona False Alarm? Facts and Figures<\/em>, Chelsea Green Publishing 2020<\/p>\n

[iv]<\/a> Lissa Rankin, Mind over Medicine: Scientific Proof that You Can Heal Yourself<\/em>, Hay House Inc. 2013<\/p>\n

[v]<\/a> Vandana Shiva, Oneness vs. the 1%: Shattering Illusions, Seeding Freedom<\/em> 2nd<\/sup> edition, Chelsea Green Publishing 2020<\/p>\n

________________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>Marilyn Langlois is a member of TRANSCEND<\/a> USA West Coast. She is a volunteer community organizer and international solidarity activist based in Richmond, California.\u00a0 A co-founder of the Richmond Progressive Alliance<\/a>, member of Haiti Action Committee<\/a> and Board member of Task Force on the Americas<\/a>, she is retired from previous employment as a teacher, secretary, administrator, mediator and community advocate.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflecting on the past 12 months, imagine what you would do if you were in a position of great power and influence. Two scenarios are offered, each with different underlying goals. The ‘Global Power Elite scenario’ is geared toward protecting the right of the super-rich to continue amassing ever more riches, and the ‘One Earth Family scenario’ is aimed at ensuring every human being can live in dignity and harmony with the earth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[958,1829,1868,555,1706,1864,984,1213],"class_list":["post-174945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial","tag-control","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid-19","tag-elites","tag-mind-control","tag-pandemic","tag-paradigm-change","tag-super-rich"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174945\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}