Today on CBC

Heather Hiscox kindly informed us of the various  conspiracy theories raging around COVID-19. She quoted Vladislav Sobolev — the founder of Hugs Over Masks. Vladislav is quoting as saying that lock downs are unnecessary, as all you have to do is just ‘eat fruits and vegetables and vitamins.’ Heather pointed out that— needless to say, of course — this is absolutely and undeniably ridiculous! Except……well, CTV News tells us that “researchers found that by the end of 2020, global COVID-19 death rates were more than 10 times higher in countries where more than half the adults are overweight.” So perhaps some fruit and vegetables might actually help? And of course it goes without saying that Nils Anders Tegnell — the state epidemiologist of Sweden — is a murderous monster because he refused to lock down his country. But -- although Sweden has a far higher death rate than it’s immediate neighbours-- it has had “the 23rd lowest annual excess deaths out of 30 European countries -- lower than the U.K. (15.1%), France (10.4%) and Spain (18.9%)." (ABC TV) So who in hell are we supposed to believe? We are told again and  again that the choice is between truth and lies, between science and illusion. But how do we know who is lying? Because are you not aware anyone can make a good argument for anything? (Ask a lawyer!) Antonio Demasio (in Descartes Error) contends that we are not essentially rational beings. If we try to make decisions on the basis of reason alone, we are utterly at sea. Demasio studied stroke victims with right brain damage, and discovered his patients were paralysed by indecision; in response to a choice, they would inevitably get lost in a labyrinthian quagmire of conflicted reasoning. Remember the neighbouring farmer on Green Acres — Hank Kimball (Alvi Moore)--  trapped in an endless cycle of rational equivocation: (‘I could come over and help you with your beet crop today, but then I’d have to leave the cow alone, I mean I could leave the cow alone, but if I do, the cow might get stolen, on the other hand it’s pretty hard to steal a cow, but then — now and again, cows are stolen…etc. etc.)? Demasio asserts that though we may consider ‘the facts,’ decisions are ultimately driven by feelings —because if they were not, decisions might never get made. Consider  Gorgias — the Greek philosopher— particularly his On Nature or The Non-Existent. In this eloquent essay he argues quite convincingly that ‘nothing exists.’ Ever the sophist, Gorgias regarded reason as futile, because one can, after all, literally prove anything. What’s wrecking the world right now is the toxic notion that some of us are in possession of the facts and others are not. Well of course we hate those horrible evil people who are spreading lies and misinformation. How easily we might lift the veil of polarization if we came to understand that no one is right or wrong, that we are all driven by feelings anyway. And when it comes to COVID-19 it’s not a matter of science -- as everybody keeps yelling at us -- because everyone has different set of scientific facts that proves a different thing. Those who don’t wear masks are accused of not caring about their fellow man, but they think that they do care, because they possess entirely different scientific information. The problem is not that Donald Trump invented 'alternative facts' — they've been around for a very long time. Covid-19, like everything else, is not a matter of facts, just a matter of emotional inclination. It’s all about the type of person you are -- not what you 'think.' Either you are the type of person who feels, in their heart — damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, either you are one who enters and leaves this earth unafraid to live, ripe for danger, randy for risk — either you chase after love -- dance, sing and make music, make a fool of yourself at drunken parties (you prefer orgies, actually), yearn for situations that involve danger and surprise —or you are one of those who prefers to remain at home, safe, quiet, disturbed only by the faint hum of the kitchen appliances, loved by your family and your dog, a person who will live a very long life indeed, one that will never (hopefully) be plagued by incident. So let’s just say this.  Everyone has a different set of facts, and no one owns the truth, so why go on about it? Covid-19 is simply about whether you are ‘risk adverse’ or not. And how does this help reconcile our alienation from each other? Well of course, because we can have a vote — based on our feelings. That’s why democracy was invented; to help us survive an irrational world dominated by alternative facts. Look at the recent American election. One side believes the fact that the election was rigged, the other believes that the fact that it was not. But the election of Joe Biden stands (no matter how boring and risk adverse Joe Biden is, and no matter how much he loves those humming appliances) because America is still (perhaps?) a democracy. Can we not accept the fact that we are all a bunch of charming, zany, violent, nutty, scary, whimsical creatures, and the best we can hope for is to participate in a democracy which will sort out this mess that is our feelings, by letting the best feelings win? We can of course, argue and persuade, but ultimately, Aunt Mathilda will never be swayed, she will always ardently believe what she knows to be true, deep in her heart of hearts. And deep down, (come on, admit it!) we are all Aunt Mathilda. And if we could just come to terms with the Aunt Mathilda in each of us, the world would be a  better place.