This is an internal debate that I have quite frequently with myself, which can be summarised as “really, why do you not just keep your mouth shut?”.
1) These are the salient arguments for me keeping my mouth shut.
1.1) It’s easier.
1.2) I believe that my chances of an adverse reaction to a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination would be small.
1.3) I’m missing paragliding in France because I’m not vaccinated and therefore it’s either not been possible, or difficult, to travel there.
1.4) I’m modestly wealthy with liquid assets and completely debt free so if the agents of doomsday are coming (including inflation, energy supply disruption and food shortages, for example) I can probably ride it out. And they are not coming for me.
1.5) I have shares in big pharma – AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Hikma and Unilever – so I’m benefitting from this pandemic.
1.6) I’ve upset quite a few people who are dear to me.
1.7) I would prefer to live in a greener less populated world where people take better care of themselves.
2) This is more complex but I think that these are the reasons why I don’t keep my mouth shut.
2.1) Possibly because I have a sense of natural justice and don’t like bullies, liars or just plain old deceit.
2.2) Because I can; I’m comfortably entertaining myself these days. I don’t consider myself to be retired (there’s still too much life left in me) but I don’t have to answer to employees, employers, clients or bank managers.
2.3) Selfishly, with regard to 1.2 above, (ie., adverse vaccine effects), I have a risk taking personality so I’m possibly discounting this risk.
2.4) I’ve survived SARS-CoV-2 and probably have good immunity, hence I’m angry at being discriminated against.