Death cannot be legislated against

SIR,

It is possible that COVID-19 may always be with us. It is inevitable that similar pandemics will occur in the future. Sometimes people will get sick and sometimes they will die. Sometimes these people will be those who are near and dear to us.

That is a sad and tragic but unfortunately inescapable fact of life. Our parents and grandparents understood and accepted this and carried on, but it seems that modern society cannot, or will not.

At some stage we will have to decide whether to carry on with our lives or accept permanent existence in some eternally fearful ‘social distancing’ limbo. This would be a mask-wearing society where you avoid people on the street and must constantly remain two metres away from your friends, neighbours and colleagues.

It is a society where you can’t visit your elderly parents, nor can they hug their grandchildren; a society where dining out, sporting, social, religious, and cultural gatherings do not exist as we know them. It is a society where your children’s emotional, mental, and physical development is damaged by social distancing. Is this what you want for your children and grandchildren? It is some form of existence, but it’s not life.

Yet we are being conditioned through fear to permanently accept just such a scenario as the norm, being constantly bombarded with trite slogans such as ‘Staying Together By Staying Apart’, ‘Let’s Embrace The New Normal’, and ‘Life Will Never Be The Same Again’. The social distancing and lock-down mentality is constantly reinforced, and it is ultimately our children who will suffer the most damaging effects.

Life will never be safe. Death cannot be legislated against. If it’s a choice between a safe existence or living a meaningful life, then, yes, I would rather take my chances living the rest of my life freely and without fear, Sincerely,

Peter Keating, Newtownshandrum, Charleville