Ivermectin, 'Noble Lies,' and Whom Do We Trust?
The controversy around the use of ivermectin and, previously, hydroxychloroquine joins a long list of things where the left's pursuit of the "Noble Lie" is judged more important than honest debate. This particular piece of dishonesty claims that vaccinations, masking, and social distancing alone will eradicate COVID-19, and all other "side hustles" like these inexpensive medications are mockable, "snake oil" obfuscations. Whom we choose to align with in these debates is unjustifiably and destructively polarizing, especially when facts may not line up with the pursued plans of those we trust to lead. Why we trust and how we justify lying come into question.
By now, most of us know that there are studies, many of them from our own CDC, that show the effectiveness of ivermectin when given early in the course of COVID-19. There is real-life proof that countries like Japan have already had success with the medication. The medicine is cheap and safe when used properly. Like hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin is nevertheless demonized by the political left, its mainstream media, and the medical establishment, the last despite published studies by reputable investigators.
For some unexplained reason, we can't be allowed to have alternate treatments, apparently because the narrative of the left may get undermined in the eyes of the voters, the "Noble Lie" being more important than our health. Alternatives to any of the Left's "Noble Lie" agendas are always panned by the media as non-scientific and undermining our communal good. Healthy skepticism is akin to flat-Earthism, with no room in between, contradictory facts and unexpected consequences be damned.
Regular Americans are all too aware that they are being lied to practically every minute of every day, with roughly half of voting Americans hoping it is in our best interest to accept the lying. All of us are put into the uncomfortable situation of having to choose political sides while not really knowing the truth. And the choice of whom to believe is not as black and white as one would assume, especially when reminded of the axiom that we don't really know what we don't know.
Do we Americans join the team of our sports and movie icons, the "cool" people living dream lives, who ridicule the use of the "horse medicine" ivermectin for COVID-19? They tell us that the rubes voicing alternative treatments for COVID-19 also want a polluted, scorching-hot planet, endless wars against non-whites, and Jim Crow racism, throwing black Americans back into chains. We are just as evil and stupid in their eyes if we question why we shouldn't be looking for all possible means to survive.
But we knew we couldn't trust the left and its complicit, apparatchik media when they told us at the onset of this viral plague that if we would all just wear a mask for a week, this would all go away. Then "our betters" told us that you can't trust a vaccine that is a product of President Trump's efforts in the battle against COVID-19, apparently because "Orange Man bad" — dishonestly politicizing the virus to defeat the political opposition. Now they want us all to trust the vaccine manufactured to fight last year's virus (not the delta variant), use masks (even outside!) that don't really work, and not seek alternative therapies.
Those of us on the political right label people who "mindlessly" repeat the obvious falsehoods of the left "crazy." But we should consider a sad truth. It is crazier not to believe people, at least in our formative years.
From the time we are born, we must trust those who raise us, educate us, and work with us. It is an untenable proposition when growing up not to believe in a parent's love and society's positive role in your general welfare. We can survive only if we trust, learning to mistrust as a survival tool when we mature and discover the true nature of man.
Because trust is important for the creation of a healthy psyche, the molding of a country full of "Greta Thunbergs" is more easily understood. Just as Greta was educated by those she trusted, who told her that the world is going to burn up if we continue to use fossil fuels, lots of Americans trust those in power when it comes to COVID-19. While we might consider it nuts to believe the president, the news, and the Journal of the American Medical Association, it is just as easy to wonder why one wouldn't.
America was founded by those who lost trust in their mother country. Our Constitution was unique in that it mistrusted the very institutions of governing, with checks and balances codified for the citizens' protection. It would be wonderful if we could trust the people we charge with our care, but experience reminds us that we can't. The Bible reminds us that we are all sinners, all of us fallen, the only trust being through Christ.
History reminds us that peace and the complacency it breeds foment self-destructive behavior in a society. The politicians currently in power seek to dismantle the Constitution for America's own good. They ask us to trust them while most things they do smack of dishonesty. Their "Noble Lies" are justifiable as a means of achieving their endgame, but their lust for power is the only truth we recognize as true.
Image via Max Pixel.
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