The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

It's time to face the truth: the situation is bad - and the public has a very big part to play Israel today

2020-09-22T20:17:00.331Z


| health"Everyone is to blame, just not me" - this attitude is the real plague that led to the disaster • So leave the politicians for a moment, stop looking at other sectors and start looking in the mirror: the key to victory over the corona is there - under our noses • Do not obey instructions for fear of a fine, but To save others We have already blamed everyone, the politicians, the professionals, th


"Everyone is to blame, just not me" - this attitude is the real plague that led to the disaster • So leave the politicians for a moment, stop looking at other sectors and start looking in the mirror: the key to victory over the corona is there - under our noses • Do not obey instructions for fear of a fine, but To save others

We have already blamed everyone, the politicians, the professionals, the scientists, the ultra-Orthodox and the Arabs, etc.

But the question is where are we headed now.

It's hard to know, but without a lasting change in our lifestyle and behavior - of all of us, not just of parts of the nation - there is no chance of returning to our previous lives. 

Gamzo statement ahead of the second closure // Photo: Knesset Spokeswoman

It should be clear - reducing morbidity from corona, in the end, depends on each of us and his personal behavior.

Think of the problem as a "freedom of choice" issue.

Most of us like to think that we have the freedom to choose what we do or do not do.

Many studies deal with a concept called "health control focus", and this focus is divided into two types of control source: Internal control focus - that is, we believe we have the ability to control our health.

The second source of control is external - this is the feeling that control over our health is in the hands of an external factor.

The external factor can be divided into two - the human factor and a higher factor such as Gd or fate.

In some situations it can also be called fatalism.

Most studies show that people with an internal control focus are healthier mentally and physically. 

So let's adapt this theory to the period in which we live today.

It will be of great benefit to us if at this stage we adopt the notion that we have freedom of choice, and that we can prevent the spread of the disease.

We have the freedom to choose whether or not to go to places where we think there will be gatherings, so let's make a brave decision to give up, to get along without. 

We have the freedom to use the mask in the right way (on the mouth and nose).

Freedom of choice is in our hands, anything that includes a gathering is not a matter of life and death, it is possible without it, in other countries and in other cultures life without the great social gatherings that exist in us, and they work out fine, so can we. 

We have already tried the approach of external control targeting when we blamed everyone, and were unable to move forward.

I am not saying that there is no one to blame, unfortunately there is and how, but the question is how at the moment we are progressing and succeeding in reducing morbidity.

If the amputation of the adhesive chains is not exactly activated as we would expect, and many people report that they did not receive a request for questioning even though they received a positive answer to Corona - do it yourself, did you receive a positive answer?

Call everyone you meet and let them know, make sure you avoid a situation where you can infect others.

This is perhaps an extreme example.

Everyone should think at every moment about the choices he or she makes.

It may not be pleasant to sit down to eat alone in the workplace, but you certainly lower your chances of getting infected and contagious, and so on, for everything you do, you have the freedom of choice.  

Thousands of protesters against the Prime Minister in Jerusalem // Photo: Yoni Rickner

The issue of free choice also works in the opposite direction.

It is also a call for absolute individualism, I will only do what is good for me personally, without regard for others.

But I want to believe that we are not like that.

Various factors pull at our strings as if we were dolls.

It is not pleasant to think of ourselves as such, but, I must say that lately the media has been able to cause such a feeling. 

The glorification of the "sophisticated" in the media before the holiday and now conveys a very problematic message, a message that says that "it is possible to be smart", the closure is for others and not for us.

We will find ways to be smart and keep doing what we want.

Obviously not everyone behaves this way, but they certainly hear such voices in public, and the place given to such people in the media paves the way for others to follow in their footsteps. 

So remember, we have freedom of choice.

Choose the right one and stay healthy, not only you but also your environment.

So you too will feel good about yourself and in control.

The author serves at the School of Public Health, Haifa University

Source: israelhayom

All life articles on 2020-09-22

You may like

Trends 24h

Life/Entertain 2024-03-28T17:17:20.523Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.