깨끗한 손과 열린 마음으로. 두려움 대신 이성을.
캐나다의 한 의사분께서 쓰신 글입니다. 공감이 많이 되어서 전문을 번역하여 올립니다. 지지하시는 진영과 상관없이 새길 부분이 많습니다. 원문도 아래 첨부합니다 (원문 링크).
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저는 여행 제한의 범위가 너무나 넓어지고, 결혼식이 취소되고, 졸업식을 못하게 되며, 가족 간의 만남이 이루어지지 않는 것이 두렵습니다. 그리고 어쩌면, 가장 큰 파티인 올림픽 조차도 중단될 수 있니다. 그걸 상상이나 해봤나요?
저는 이 전염병에 대한 공포가 무역을 제한하고, 수많은 분야에서 파트너십과 사업기회를 망쳐버리고, 결과적으로 세계적 불황으로 이어지는 것이 두렵습니다.
하지만 가장 큰 두려움은 위협을 맞선 우리의 모습을 통해 아이들에게 전달되는 메시지입니다. 이상과 합리와 열린 마음과 이타심 대신에, 우리는 아이들에게 공포에 질리라고, 두려워하라고, 의심하라고, 반동하라고, 이기적이라고 가르치고 있습니다.
Covid-19는 끝날 기미가 전혀 보이지 않습니다. 그것은 언젠가 당신 바로 옆에 있는 도시로, 병원으로, 친구에게로, 가족에게로 올지도 모릅니다. 아직도 놀랄 만한 상황이 많이 남아 있습니다. 분명한 사실은, 바이러스 자체는 우리에게 들어와도 큰 피해를 입지 않는다는 것입니다. 하지만 우리 자신의 행동, 나를 위해서라면 뭐든지 할 수 있다는 태도가 더 비참한 재난을 일으킬 것입니다.
I'm a doctor and an Infectious Diseases Specialist. I've been at this for more than 20 years seeing sick patients on a daily basis. I have worked in inner city hospitals and in the poorest slums of Africa. HIV-AIDS, Hepatitis,TB, SARS, Measles, Shingles, Whooping cough, Diphtheria...there is little I haven't been exposed to in my profession. And with notable exception of SARS, very little has left me feeling vulnerable, overwhelmed or downright scared.
I am not scared of Covid-19. I am concerned about the implications of a novel infectious agent that has spread the world over and continues to find new footholds in different soil. I am rightly concerned for the welfare of those who are elderly, in frail health or disenfranchised who stand to suffer mostly, and disproportionately, at the hands of this new scourge. But I am not scared of Covid-19.
What I am scared about is the loss of reason and wave of fear that has induced the masses of society into a spellbinding spiral of panic, stockpiling obscene quantities of anything that could fill a bomb shelter adequately in a post-apocalyptic world. I am scared of the N95 masks that are stolen from hospitals and urgent care clinics where they are actually needed for front line healthcare providers and instead are being donned in airports, malls, and coffee lounges, perpetuating even more fear and suspicion of others. I am scared that our hospitals will be overwhelmed with anyone who thinks they " probably don't have it but may as well get checked out no matter what because you just never know..." and those with heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia and strokes will pay the price for overfilled ER waiting rooms with only so many doctors and nurses to assess.
I am scared that travel restrictions will become so far reaching that weddings will be canceled, graduations missed and family reunions will not materialize. And well, even that big party called the Olympic Games...that could be kyboshed too. Can you even
imagine?
I'm scared those same epidemic fears will limit trade, harm partnerships in multiple sectors, business and otherwise and ultimately culminate in a global recession.
But mostly, I'm scared about what message we are telling our kids when faced with a threat. Instead of reason, rationality, openmindedness and altruism, we are telling them to panic, be fearful, suspicious, reactionary and self-interested.
Covid-19 is nowhere near over. It will be coming to a city, a hospital, a friend, even a family member near you at some point. Expect it. Stop waiting to be surprised further. The fact is the virus itself will not likely do much harm when it arrives. But our own behaviors and "fight for yourself above all else" attitude could prove disastrous.
I implore you all. Temper fear with reason, panic with patience and uncertainty with education. We have an opportunity to learn a great deal about health hygiene and limiting the spread of innumerable transmissible diseases in our society. Let's meet this challenge together in the best spirit of compassion for others, patience, and above all, an unfailing effort to seek truth, facts and knowledge as opposed to conjecture, speculation and catastrophizing.
Facts not fear. Clean hands. Open hearts.
Our children will thank us for it.