BY JEROME C. VARON
“The universe is infinite. And so is stupidity.” – Albert Einstein
WITH the havoc caused by the pandemic, we are being treated to a lot of stupid moves, policies and statements from people we thought could provide us with ample protection and hope against the worldwide onslaught of the virus.
It started with the “I will slap that virus!” Then, the decision to continue allowing incoming flights from China because we didn’t want to offend the Chinese.
In a matter of days, because of the overconfidence, complacency and cowardice, the virus started to spread all over the country like wildfire. Realizing that COVID-19 was a real health threat after all, the entire country was placed under health emergency, employing the various categories of restrictions to almost every facet of life.
A management team composed mostly of retired military men was installed as implementer and policy-maker in lieu of health experts like epidemiologists and virologists fully conversant and familiar with protocols and understanding of the gargantuan problem at hand.
The abundance of medical practitioners and the topographical segregation of the over 7,000 islands in this country never became a factor to prevent us from getting on top among the Southeast Asian countries with the most number of infections in spite of the fact that we recorded the longest and strictest lockdown.
Along the way, a senator sent his donations of protective gears to China instead of giving priority to his constituents. A barrier or separator between the motorcycle driver and the backrider became a compulsory policy, never mind if you are husband and wife riding the same vehicle.
The implementor, nay, inventor of this stupid add-on proudly displayed that “novelty” with a senator as his backrider, both conveniently, if not, inadvertently, failing to wear a mask and a helmet on their test drive demonstration. Both of them subsequently tested positive of the virus!
History is replete with stupid ideas and actions by people who were supposed to possess high standard of knowledge and wisdom. When Galileo and Copernicus declared the earth round and our planet not the center of the solar system, they were branded as heretics. Both men have to suffer by isolation with threats of losing their lives if they continued to preach their beliefs.
Of course, we all know they were correct as their conclusion was science-based on the study of astronomy.
It took years after the Magellan-led voyage circumnavigated the world in the 1500s that the fallacy regarding the flat earth was finally scrapped. And to think that the clergy who forcefully advanced the “flat earth” theory conveniently set aside a portion of Genesis describing earth as a sphere hanging in void space!
Sometimes stupidity is just a result of the narcissistic component of a person. Believing too much in everything about himself drives a person to believe in his infallibility. This is true enough when one holds some degree of control over a large group of people, or has immense power or influence, or just a sheer belief of displaced importance in society. He becomes a demigod, and sometimes believes he holds the world in his hands.
A stupid is interchangeably referred to as an idiot, moron, imbecile (ranking not necessarily applies), nitwit, dimwit, etc. For some, he is just a fool. And almost always, these stupids just believe in no one else.
That’s when the words of Og Mandino really matters: “A man who believes too much in himself has a fool for a master!”
Sadly, we have to suffer the reality of living with stupids in this world. We just have to brace ourselves when some of them rise to the pinnacle of power. For it is observed that an average person directly or indirectly influences 10,000 other people.
Those in leadership positions influence a great lot more. It therefore pays to have a clear discernment of personalities and attributes of people around us to avoid being contaminated with the virus of stupidity.
You cannot disinfect it with gasoline, neither would wearing a surgical mask on top of your face shield can guarantee immunity from becoming contaminated./PN
