Living is much more than not dying

Canada's effort to avoid COVID-19 deaths is killing us

There is more to life than a beating heart.

It’s time our political and public health leaders remembered this.

It’s time for them to step back from the crisis they’re immersed in and survey the whole landscape. See the bigger picture. Look past the tree they’re trying to save – and see the forest that is suffering for their efforts.

If you’re a doctor in an emergency room or a COVID-19 ward you are overwhelmed with the tragedy and the struggle to keep your patients alive. It’s exhausting. It’s soul destroying. I get it. You want to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

You have to be focussed on the patient in front of you. Because that’s what you do. That’s the job.

But, for just a moment – step back and see not just the patients in front of you. Not just the patients waiting to see you. But, see all the people who aren’t waiting for you.

There are just over 800 Ontarians in hospitals fighting COVID-19. But, that leaves 14 1/2 million Ontarians not in hospital, not fighting COVID-19, not battling this pandemic virus.

Their lives matter too.

If you’re the Prime Minister, a Premier, a mayor, a councillor, a member of federal or provincial parliament – you’re struggling to get ahead of this crisis. To prevent another death in long term care. Another increase in case numbers. I get it. You have to be focussed on those people. Those cases. That risk.

But, for just a moment – step back and see all your other constituents who are not dying from COVID-19. Not gasping for air. And, realize they are at risk too. Not just from the virus – but also from the consequences of your decisions, the ramifications of what you’re forcing them to do.

Remember: Life is for living.

Human beings are a tribal species. We have survived – we have evolved – over the centuries by working together as societies. As civilizations. As communities. As tribes.

In every great crisis, in every war, and every disaster, we have survived and overcome by pulling together. That’s what we do. That’s what humans need.

But, in this crisis, we are being told to stay apart. To live alone. To suffer in silence. That is not what humans do. Frankly, it is not sustainable. It is not healthy. It is not helping. It is hurting – and killing – us. This is not the way to beat this crisis.

Our plans must reflect the true scope of the problem. This is not just a medical crisis. It’s not just about a virus. The virus is not touching many lives directly. But, our response to the virus is affecting everyone.

The reality is most people do not know anyone who has COVID-19. Most people do not suffer from the virus. Most of those who do get the virus recover completely. Those who have horrible, long term effects from this virus – or die with it – are a fraction of a percent of the population.

Yet, we are imposing unnatural, ruthless restrictions on 100% of the population. Restrictions that are causing harm. Real harm. Physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual harm.

Suicides are up since pandemic restrictions were put in place. Access to routine medical care is down – that means thousands of people who’ve not been diagnosed with life altering or life threatening illness. Thousands of therapies and treatments not begun. Thousands of surgeries not performed. Those delays will, inevitably, cost thousands of lives.

Millions of Canadians have been forced out of their jobs. Even with generous public financial supports for them, it does not replace the financial loss of income. It does not reduce the burden of new debts accumulating during unemployment. These people – and their families – will never fully recover from the financial hole they’ve been thrown into.

Many of these unemployed Canadians will suffer an enduring period of poverty. Those same public health mandarins who warn of the dangers of this virus, have spent the last many decades, warning us all of the negative health consequences of poverty. Poor people suffer greater health challenges. They live shorter lives. Every Canadian forced into poverty from pandemic-induced joblessness or debt will lose years off their lives.

One McMaster University study found people living in the wealthiest neighbourhoods of Hamilton, Ontario lived an average of 20 years longer than those in the poorest neighbourhoods.

Those “years of life lost” due to government-mandated poverty add up quickly for millions of Canadians forced out of work. Those years of life must be added to the pandemic’s toll. Yet, no one is counting them.

We can’t stop living in order to prevent dying. 

We will all die. That’s a fact. Nothing you or I can do – as a doctor – as a politician – as a human being – will change that. All we can do is live the best lives we can. Today, our governments are being prevented us – by law – from doing so.

We cannot as a society – we must not as a people – prevent everyone from living the best lives they can – in order to forestall death for a few weeks or months for a tiny fraction of us.

We must also reject the false premise that this war against coronavirus involves a choice between “life” or “the economy.” The idea that “any loss of life is unacceptable.” That sacrificing the economy to save some lives is reasonable.

The economy is life.

Human lives depend on businesses. The “economy” is how we all survive together on this lonely planet in our cold, dark galaxy. Without the economy we would each have to grow our own plants – hunt our own meat – dress it and cook it – make our own clothes – build our own shelters – fight our own battles.

The economy allows us to find time for joy.

I’m very good at making fire – so I’ll make fire for everyone. You’re very good at hunting, so you’ll hunt for everyone. We will trade our services so we each get some of what we need – and have some time left over to live a good life. That’s what the economy is.

When we shut down our economy – we shut down our ability to help each other. We shut down our ability to live together. We shut down our ability as human beings to share our skills, to share our wealth, with one another. We cannot live like that as a species. And we cannot survive long like that as individuals. 

Life is more than surviving Covid. It must be more.

Because, if it’s not, we may as well give up now.

So far, our national strategy has been to lock ourselves off from each other and wait for a vaccines to rescue us. That plan is killing us.

When the reckoning comes, we will count how many people died with the virus in their blood. But, we must also count how many of us perished because we tried to wall ourselves off from our neighbours. How many people died without hope. How many people died as a consequence of the decisions we’re making now.

Both numbers will be unacceptably high. But, to pretend the collateral damage – those we’re killing with our lockdowns and unemployment – isn’t significant is to deny the truth of what is happening. To deny the truth of what it means to be human.

We need a new plan. We cannot expect 100% of the population to suffer, so a fraction of 1% of the population can hopefully survive a few days, months – even years longer. That is not a good bargain for society.

We should act to protect the most vulnerable. But, only if they want to be protected. Many may choose not to hide away from the virus for their last weeks of life – they may choose to live their lives finding joy with family.

Perhaps, those most vulnerable – elders in long-term care homes, patients with compromised immune systems, people of advanced age or with pre-existing conditions – can live in protected facilities alongs frontline healthcare workers who volunteer to live inside with them for the duration. Pay those Frontline volunteers an exorbitant sum. Have them all hold on together until a vaccine is deployed.

This strategy worked well for the NHL. It worked for the NBA. It can work for seniors homes, long-term care homes and hospitals. Put bubbles around these places.

Let the rest of us live our lives.

Some of us will get sick. Most of the sick will recover. Some will die. Just like any other day in any other year.

But those who perish will have lived their best lives until they die. They will have had an opportunity to find joy in that life. And that’s what matters.

Because, life without the hope of joy is not life at all.