“They were not far from shore, ’bout a thousand miles or more, when the rich refused to associate with the poor. So they threw them down below, where they were first to go…It was sad when the great ship went down.
Oh the moral of this story, is plain as you can see. Never trust a sailor on the high sea. He’ll call you honey-darling, and say that he’ll be true, but when the ship goes down he’ll say the heck with you…It was sad when the great ship went down.”
Several days before her launch, a Board of Trade Inspector came to assess the Royal Mail Ship Titanic. He concluded that she was not only safe, but “surpassed requirements” in terms of technology. This modern, unsinkable ship had everything, except enough lifeboats. First class passengers enjoyed the greatest luxury including luxurious cabins and restaurants, the exquisite Café Parisien and tea rooms, a heated indoor swimming pool, gym, tennis and squash courts. Gentlemen selected cigars, from the 8,000 carried on board and they could smoke, while sipping brandy and playing billiards. Aboard the ocean liner were approximately 2,220 passengers and crew. The ship was designed to hold 64 lifeboats but there were only 16 on the maiden cruise. This is why more than 1,500 passengers died in an icy grave: the largest percentage of deaths being the passengers in third class, or steerage.
Even the best engineers make mistakes, but who pays for those mistakes? The great medical engineers of our time tell us a marvel of modern medicine has been developed. “A safe and effective vaccine, to beat COVID-19.” Countries are fighting to be the first to vaccinate their populations and the wealthier, more technologically savvy countries, are winning. It seems those in authority want complete obedience. Are we resigned to our fate; like the orchestra on the Titanic calmly playing Nearer, my God, to Thee, while sinking into the Atlantic?
Faith is a gift, but blind faith can be dangerous. Would passengers still have boarded the ship knowing there was a serious shortage of lifeboats? Thomas Andrews, the Titanic’s lead design engineer, was among the passengers. After dinner, in the smoking room, he remarked “I believe her to be as nearly perfect as human brains can make her.” Andrews did not factor the lack of lifeboats as a requirement for perfection of a seafaring ship. Ironically, Captain Edward Smith bypassed the customary lifeboat drill for the passengers and crew. He saw no need to consider this tragic outcome as the ship was, theoretically, an unsinkable giant. His faith combined with more than forty years of maritime experience, was unwavering. What could go wrong? What indeed?
The public eagerly followed the Titanic’s progress during her three years of construction and her maiden voyage was the event of a lifetime. Inherent in our human nature is the subconscious desire to’belong and ‘be part of the frenzy. But excitement walks closely with extreme peril. The subconscious mind in the human brain comprises eighty percent or more. Resisting the magnetic pull to become a member of a group can be difficult. This makes us particularly vulnerable to manipulation. In the story of our own life, we want to believe we will make excellent choices. What sounds nice in concept, is not always the reality.
We are guided by the Captain Smiths of the world, and our ship is sinking quickly. The experimental vaccine is touted as “safe and effective,” the miracle answer to COVID. But are they safe? The FDA’s adverse reporting system shows abnormally high reports of adverse events compared with other vaccines. This is of particular concern with a drug that has only been used for several months. Adverse events include death and dangerous side effects such as chronic disease and crippling neurological issues. It is not clear whether this experimental vaccine is effective. If we had certainty, society would already be unmasked with our freedoms restored. An effective vaccine provides antibodies against the targeted virus. An unvaccinated person could not harm the vaccinated person if the vaccine were effective. I, along with other physicians are seeing mass psychosis develop. A fear that an unvaccinated person poses a risk to the vaccinated is illogical. Meanwhile, the unvaccinated have become second class citizens.
Pour yourself a cup of tea, sit in a comfortable place and be still. Take deep breaths in and out. Focus on your heart and see what comes up when your logical brain analyzes the situation. Do not listen to the fear. It may be more uncomfortable at first to go against popular opinion, but if you do this, you will not go down with the ship. Override your subconscious desire to bow to a collective narrative. That’s what the unsinkable Molly Brown, a hero during the chaos of Titanic’s sinking, is remembered for. She went against the orders of the crew member in charge of her lifeboat and led it back to the wreckage of the ship to find survivors.
