The Tribune

‘It is the true believer’s ability to ‘shut his eyes and stop his ears’ to facts that do not deserve to be either seen or heard which is the source of his unequalled fortitude and constancy. He cannot be frightened by danger nor disheartened by obstacles nor baffled by contradictions because he denies their existence. Strength of faith, as Bergson pointed out, manifests itself not in moving mountains but in not seeing mountains to move.’ - Eric Hoffer

Jodi Doering is an ER nurse in South Dakota who has nursed Covid-19 patients, some of whom have died. In a series of tweets and somber recollections, Doering described the deaths of some patients who “don’t want to believe that Covid is real”, aggressively denying the existence of the virus and the pandemic.

Doering noted: “Their last dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real.’ And when they should be... FaceTiming their families, they’re filled with anger and hatred.”

Quite a number of people have digested the conspiratorial and magical thinking from crackpots online and political leaders like Donald Trump, who from the outset publicly downplayed the deadly and infectious nature of the disease.

Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr Ben Carson recently admitted that he became “desperately ill” with the virus.

After he was infected and became quite ill, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie apologised for not wearing a mask at a superspreader event at the White House.

These men and Trump, who was also infected, had access to some of the best medical treatment in the United States. But many of those Trump lured into magical thinking, have gotten desperately ill and quite a number have died, still believing the presidential deceits. Some magical thinking is incurable.

Doering tweeted that her ER experience was like “a “horror movie that never ends”. In an interview with CNN, she lamented: “I think the hardest thing to watch is that people are still looking for something else and a magic answer and they do not want to believe Covid is real.” But the magic answers have not materialised.

She added that despite positive results, some patients believed they were suffering from some other disease or pneumonia.

Many in North and South Dakota have denied the existence or seriousness of the virus. Recently, the Dakotas led the United States in deaths and new cases per capita.

In about mid-November, South Dakota “reported an 18.2 percent increase in daily deaths and a 26.5 percent jump in hospitalizations. … The South Dakota Department of Health reported 2,020 new coronavirus infections … a record for positive results in a 24-hour period.”

The Washington Post reported on November 16: “In North Dakota, where cases have rocketed in the past month, Republican Gov Doug Burgum has also acknowledged the phenomenon of disbelief among the population. Burgum pleaded with fellow residents late last week to take precautions, as the state’s hospitals are overwhelmed with patients.

“South Dakota Gov. Kristi L Noem (R) has opposed mask mandates and other measures despite the rapid spread in her state.

“Noem has become a star in Trump’s circle by joining in his antagonism toward mainstream scientific opinion: She is one of the few governors who refused to issue a stay-at-home order in the spring, has repeatedly questioned the validity of using masks to reduce viral spread and hosted the president for a massive, tightly packed Fourth of July celebration at Mount Rushmore.”

Some types of magical thinking may be amusing in less serious times but is deadly in perilous times such as a pandemic. Millions of people are getting sick and many are dying because of the magical thinking perpetuated by some leaders.

It is the same sort of denialism, anti-scientific mindset and magical thinking about the global climate emergency that is thwarting action by some leaders who continue to sell their citizens the falsehood that climate change is a hoax despite compelling data and evidence, including: more dangerous wildfires, more storms, droughts, rising sea levels and the other ravages of a heating climate.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed quite a number of disturbing sociological and socio-political features of societies. In his most recent book, “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future”, co-authored with his friend and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh, Pope Francis reflected: “Some media have used this crisis to persuade people that foreigners are to blame, that coronavirus is little more than a little bout of flu, that everything will soon return to what it was before, and that restrictions necessary for people’s protections amount to an unjust demand of an interfering state. There are politicians who peddle these narratives for their own gain.”

Here at home, there have also been some who have used the pandemic to promote their narrow agendas, to peddle certain “narratives for their own gain” and to give full-throated voice to their grievances.

Then there are those who have spouted all manner of nonsense about the government and the prime minister acting in a dictatorial manner, though both have utilised constitutional and legal provisions similar to other democratic countries.

The political pandering and games from Leader of the Opposition Philip Davis is unsurprising. But those in the legal fraternity who have stated that the government is acting outside of the law, is disappointing and unhelpful.

The Pope noted: “With some exceptions, governments have made great efforts to put the wellbeing of their people first, acting decisively to protect health and to save lives.”

Pope Francis criticised those who refused to wear masks and abide by mask mandates: “Some of the protests during the coronavirus have brought to the fore an angry spirit of victimhood, but this time among people who are victims only in their own imagination: those who claim, for example, that being forced to wear a mask is an unwarranted imposition by the state, yet who forget or do not care about those who cannot rely, for example, on social security or who have lost their jobs.”

He critiqued the narcissism of “people who live off grievance, thinking only of themselves” but lauded those who protested “the horrendous police killing of George Floyd”.

In critiquing those who claimed “that being forced to wear a mask is an unwarranted imposition by the state,” he observed: “You’ll never find such people protesting the death of George Floyd, or joining a demonstration because there are shantytowns where children lack water or education, or because there are whole families who have lost their income.

“On such matters they would never protest; they are incapable of moving outside of their own little world of interests.”

At the beginning of the pandemic in Belize, Opposition Leader John Briceño co-chaired a COVID-19 National Oversight Committee along with now former Prime Minister Dean Barrow.

Mr Briceño eventually stepped down from the Committee because of an impending general election. But beforehand, the government and opposition were lauded for their cooperation in fighting the pandemic.

Mr Briceño and his People’s United Party (PUP) made a strategic decision to cooperate with the government to stem the pandemic. It was smart from a policy and political perspective.

In his letter stepping down from the Committee, Mr Briceño, wrote: “As the country faced the global pandemic of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it was imperative that both Government and Opposition work together for the benefit of all Belizeans.

“Fully satisfied that we have contributed to the best of our ability and with Cabinet and the CEO caucus making final determinations on all issues, I believe it is now time for me to return to my full-time duties as Leader of the Opposition.”

After three terms of Barrow’s United Democratic Party (UDP) and the desire for change, especially among young voters, the UDP, from which Barrow stepped aside as leader before the election, the Briceño-led PUP was likely to win.

Briceño’s cooperation with the government in a time of crisis and the perception that he acted responsibly and could be trusted to take the reins of office, may have boosted his electoral prospects.

In the event, his PUP won a landslide victory with 26 of the 31 seats in the Belizean House of Representatives. The incumbent UDP was reduced to five seats.

At home, Mr Davis may have made a strategic error by careening from one flip-flop to the next, endlessly pandering to certain public grievances, offering simplistic policy ideas and engaging in relentless nonsensical criticism, including opposing the extension of an emergency proclamation.

Mr Davis does not appear to have the political acuity and instincts to even feign greater cooperation, which could redound to him and his party politically. Instead he seems stuck in the attack mode, incapable of demonstrating a higher and better impulse.

The long view is best in human affairs and in politics, the ability to transcend the exigencies and vicissitudes of the moment and to envision what the future may look like based on the decisions one makes in a given moment.

With both chess and the Chinese game Go, good tactics and long-term strategy usually are a winning combination.

Those who mostly act tactically in response to the events of the day, usually fail, because they never enjoy a compelling strategic vision.