If there is one thing I really hate it is hypocrisy. I cannot stand people who criticise something and then do it themselves.
I have prided myself on not being a hypocrite and, when correctly called on being one, I’ve acknowledged it and corrected my behaviour.
So here’s the thing: I want the footy back so bad it hurts.
I want to see my Green Machine in action, to make good on this incredibly promising team that Ricky Stuart has assembled since returning to the club in 2014.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
And I am fiercely pro-vaccination. It is a no brainer. Vaccinations save lives. The evidence is so overwhelming that I can’t believe that it is at all contested.
I have known people who have suffered through lack of immunisation. One such person has had a profound impact on my life. His name was William Percival Packard.
When my parents arrived at the Australian National University in 1961, Bill and his wife Gerry – both Rhodes Scholars – took them under their wings, just as they did with so many students and staff. This included taking my parents to their coastal retreat at Burrewarra Point in the Yuin lands on the NSW south coast that has subsequently become my family’s spiritual home and the place I met many of the most influential people in my life. I can never thank the Packards enough for that.
In 1950 Bill joined the Royal Geographical Society and London Alpine Club expedition to the Nepal Himalayas. The expedition tackled many of the great peaks. Unfortunately, during a side trip following his passion for geographical study, Bill contracted polio and could never climb again.
Now, Bill didn’t let polio beat him and went on to achieve great things. However, his friend and fellow climber Edmund Hillary was not hampered by contracting polio and went on to be one of the first two people to reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain. Bill would have loved to have had the polio vaccine, an athlete who would have benefitted from them if ever there was.
Vaccines save lives. Things like tetanus, smallpox, measles, mumps, whooping cough, rubella and polio used to kill swathes of people before the vaccines were developed to counter them.
The flu shots have been similarly effective in safeguarding the greater parts of our community from influenza wreaking havoc as it once did. This COVID-19 epidemic is a flashback to a bygone time and should serve to remind us just how wonderful the scientists who have developed these protections are.
Yet some people don’t like vaccines. They don’t trust them and think they are unnecessary. I am dumbfounded by this. It demonstrates a lack of comprehension or mental instability – or both.
However, some people object on religious grounds. I respect people’s right to their beliefs and think that they should be safe to practice those beliefs – as long as that doesn’t bring harm to others.
I know many deeply religious people who are also some of the best humans I’ve met. While I know there are many people and factors that can show that organised religion can be the worst, these are people who demonstrate to me the great value of religion.
While unfortunately I do not share their faith, I ascribe to their moral code and integrity. I watch them constantly do good in the world, putting their faith into action. Putting their money where their mouths are.
One of those people is Sia Soliola. I’m proud to know this man. I’m proud that he plays for my club. I’m proud that he is my friend. He is a wonderful human and anyone who says otherwise has no idea what they are talking about.
Sia Soliola. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images)
Just as I’ve defended him publicly before I want to again defend him now. I want to stand with him.
Even though his stance means he might not be allowed to play for my club. Even though his stance on getting the flu shot is against my own firmly held beliefs.
Yes, that makes me a hypocrite.
However, Sia is a man of incredible integrity and a force for good and light in this world. His preparedness to stand by his beliefs – in spite of what must be massive pressure not to – is to be totally admired. I certainly admire it.
My grandmother was from an Episcopalian family from New Jersey. She was quite religious. Her and my grandfather set the standard for me of what good Christianity looked like. It is a standard I see also set by Sia Soliola.
My grandmother once told me a story when I was questioning her beliefs in regards to evidence of God’s work. She told me a parable about a man trapped in his house as floodwaters raged and rose all about him. The man dropped to his knees and prayed. “God, I’ve been a good Christian all my life and I’ve obeyed all the commandments without exception. Please save me from this fate!”
Shortly afterwards a police boat came through the raging torrent and beseeched the man to get aboard. However, the man refused, saying “My Lord will save me!”
Soon the man was forced by the floodwaters to the second floor of his house where he again prayed to his deity. “Oh Lord, please rescue me from this flood. Have I not been a devoted servant?”
Just then a man in a motorboat came through the torrent and screamed to the man to jump aboard. However, the man once more refused saying “My Lord will save me!”
Soon after the man was clinging to the roof of his house, soon to be swept away. He pleaded “Please Lord! Please save me from this horrible death! I have been always faithful to you!”
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Out of nowhere, a man in a canoe appeared. He threw the man a rope and beseeched him to grab it. However, the man again refused. The canoe disappeared and soon after the man was swept away and drowned.
The man then found himself before Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. He said to Saint Peter, “I was a devout and faithful Christian all my life. Why did my Lord not rescue me?”
To which Saint Peter replied, “Says here we sent a police boat, a motorboat and a canoe.”
If there is a greater power who created the world and everything in it then that power also created the people who made the vaccines to protect us from these awful diseases.
I’d like to think that this logic can show how having vaccines is perfectly justifiable.
However, whatever Sia Soliola decides to do he should know that he can count on my support.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
And Dylan Walker, what a man, standing up for the rights of others, the top bloke he is. P.S, if that didn't register on anyone's sarcasm meter, just give the guage a little tap.
Eelsalmighty
Roar Rookie
To those players that are resisting/protesting the flu vaccination, may I suggest you just roll up your sleeves and “take one for the team”. The team being, your community, your sport, your club, your team mates, sporting fans in general, and even the economy. Millions of Australia’s, and billions of people globally are taking a lot more, making much bigger sacrifices. But if you don’t want to get the shot, for whatever reason, then stand aside because it will give a young rookie a shot (at FG).
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
There are a significant number of ground dwelling marsupials facing extinction from their own killer virus in the form of a cat. Cats should never have been brought here but they were and they turn wild and just look what they've done to my little friends.
Scorching
Guest
My question here is about legality. Can the NRL really prevent players from fulfilling their contracts if nothing has been written into them as I suspect would be the case.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
So when the experts say you are less likely to pick up Covid19 if you don't have the flu you're in the Mrs Cartwright camp and you just shrug it off? I'll run with the experts unless someone can show they are incorrect and you're not doing that.
1.5 metres please
Guest
I’m no expert on any of this ( unlike some contributors here ) but I can’t see how me getting a flu shot creates a level of immunity to C-19. If that was the case , does the flu shot also give a level of immunity to AIDS , Herpes , or any other disease with no know vaccine ? We both know the answer to that. I’d be interested to see the statistics on the number of people who had previously had the flu jab that contracted C-19, but I’m absolutely sure those figures won’t be released. Anyway, I’m off to the vet to get my jab BAAAAAAA BAAAAAAA !
Davico
Roar Pro
To be fair there was more to that situation than religion. 2 children died due to the vaccinations they were given being mixed incorrectly. 2 nurses went to prison for the stuff up. When you have a relatively small, scared population and some of their pastors pointing and saying, see we told you so, it does not take much to put the brakes on people getting their kids vaccinated.
Michael Butterfield
Roar Rookie
So 45 children in Samoa die of measles because of religious beliefs, nice one Tim.
Loz
Guest
Nope. I love Sia and Josh as well but to say their objections are based on religion just makes no sense. They are of Samoan descent so would have seen the destruction of the Measles outbreak in Samoa. I can’t understand it.
gigisup
Guest
This sounds much like those classic tear apart things. Its just creating debate. You agree its bad but you want it anyway. I don't much like being played with. Cognitive dissonance, debate, all the rest. The fellow should NOT be playing. You can think what you like - but its because of such occurances that measles and other deadly diseases are not fully kept at bay.
mark
Guest
One of the worst defences ever this one, Tim.
ppa19696837
Roar Rookie
If they get COVID anytime, the whole game is stopping because the Bio-security measures aren't working. If they get the flu, the bio-security measures are not working. That's the irony in all this!!!
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
If you get the Flu your immune system is battling that and is therefore weaker which means you are likely to pick up something else. It's a bit like a good defender having an ordinary one beside him on the footy field , the system weakens and while he is trying to help him someone else slips under the guard.
The Bush
Roar Guru
This.
Bee bee
Guest
In the dark ages when religion ruled over science intelligent people were ostracised even put to death for refuting religious quackery. So now a few guys can’t play footy because of their quackery. Lucky for them the circle has turned full 360 degrees.
1.5 metres please
Guest
But how are they more likely to get it ? Has it now become discriminatory ? The flu vaccine has absolutely no effect on it . These experts were telling us it couldn’t be transferred from human to human only months ago , and now they’ve a full bottle on the fact that the flu vaccine has an effect on its level of contagiousness. I can understand the argument that a person with a flu my actually get even more ill if the contract C-19 , but the flu vaccine isn’t some kind of imaginary force field against it .
1.5 metres please
Guest
This is where it all comes unstuck in my opinion. The “experts” were telling us it couldn’t be transferred from human to human only months ago , and now they telling us it can hang around on certain surfaces for days and is highly contagious, to the point they have shut down the economy, so as to absolutely minimise human to human contact , and now they’re telling us that by not having a flu shot that has zero effect on this particular virus will decrease your chances of contracting it and spreading it. Yet at the same time , they tell us that having a low immunity increases your chances of becoming seriously ill , but if you’re young and healthy it probably won’t effect you , but you can still carry it without symptoms. So what I get outta all of that is that if you get the flu shot , you’re just as good a chance of contracting the virus as the next guy , but if you’ve had the flu shot , you’re not likely to contract the flu , so therefore if you have C-19 and you are asymptotic, the flu shot is irrelevant, and you’re probably more likely to think you’re AOK , and go about your business infecting others . Are they actually trying to BS now that the flu shot is some kind of force field against C-19 ? So if I’ve had a flu shot , I can pick my nose , chew my nails and lick the handles on shopping trolleys until my hearts content ?
lachlan
Guest
I think this is much simpler than some are making it. Acting on principle because of your religious beliefs (or crazy anti-vax nonsense) requires sacrifice. The players are free not to get the shot. Their decision to stand up for their principles means they can't train or play. Otherwise there is no principled stand - just selfish stubbornness.
Forty Twenty
Roar Rookie
A player who gets the flu is more likely to get the Covid19 as well if I understand it correctly. If that is correct then he is placing himself and others at greater risk as well as the game.
Steven Harris
Interesting article I remember Karl Malden telling that pearly gates story to Martin Sheen in a West Wing episode,these anti vaccine people should not be lauded because they say no when everyone eles says yes.Perhaps they can do something similar to when I want to worm my cat and hide it in their dinner.