There is a virus that is spreading across our country, and throughout the world which is much more dangerous and even deadly than Covid-19. That virus is the virus of evil. There is evil everywhere, and it manifests itself in a lot of different ways. Recently, a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for Los Angeles Times, Michael Hiltzik said, that unvaccinated people who die from Covid-19 are “receiving their just desserts.” That statement is evil. A heart that could even entertain such a thought is completely taken over by evil. Wishing ill, and celebrating the death of somebody else because they happen to disagree with you on a certain issue, is evil. This person is so invested in being right about vaccines that he needs other people to die to prove that he is right. That type of thinking is not unique to this one person; it is widespread throughout our country and throughout the world. And it is evil.
Mr. Hiltzik cannot fall back on the argument that the unvaccinated are a threat to others, because the vaccinated can contract and spread the virus just as easy as the unvaccinated, so getting the vaccine does not make you safer out in public than someone who isn’t vaccinated. Are unvaccinated people hoping that the vaccinated start coming down with cancer, or neurological disorders, or heart conditions as a result of taking the vaccines just to prove they are right? Of course not. Would they celebrate if a person died from an adverse reaction to a vaccine? No. That would be evil. But some vaccinated people are hoping for, and even celebrating when an unvaccinated person dies from Covid.
We have known for almost 2 years that people with comorbidities are the ones who have the worst outcomes from Covid. We also know that being overweight is the primary comorbidity for Covid deaths. An overweight person losing weight is much more preventative against dying from Covid than that same person simply getting vaccinated. Are we to say that people who are still overweight, and die from Covid are getting their “just desserts”? Wouldn’t it be evil to mock and ridicule a person who died from Covid because he had the comorbidity of being overweight?
The demographic group with the highest rate of vaccine hesitancy is the African-American community. Isn’t it racist to celebrate the deaths of people who are not vaccinated if those deaths disproportionately kill a much higher percentage of black people than white people? Of course, it is.
One of the reason why there are so many unvaccinated people is because the people who are advocating for the vaccines are either, proven liars, like Dr. Fauci, or evil – wishing death on the unvaccinated, like Michael Hiltzik. If he truly believed that getting vaccinated is the best thing for each person, and for society as a whole, the best way of accomplishing that is not to celebrate the death of the unvaccinated, it is by using facts and evidence to support his contention, but far too often within this debate there has not been very many facts or statistics or evidence to support vaccinations. We have mostly seen mandates, coercion, creating a two-tiered society, mocking and ridiculing those who disagree with them as ways of promoting vaccines, which accomplish absolutely nothing.
Even though I believe that Michael Hiltzik is an evil person, I do not wish evil on him. I don’t wish that he dies. I merely wish that he would change his evil heart, and his evil way of thinking, but I would never wish bad things to happen to him, nor would I celebrate his death.
If a woman dies while having an abortion, pro-life advocates do not claim that she got her “just desserts” even though they believe that abortion is evil. Our hearts would go out to that woman who lost her life.
If an anti-Second Amendment woman is raped and killed by someone who broke into her home, gun rights advocates do not say she got her “just desserts” because if she did have a gun, she would have been able to defend herself from the attack, and still be alive. We would not think her death was a good thing, or a teachable moment. We would believe that it was a tragedy.
During the AIDS epidemic, certain people claimed that AIDS was punishment for the gay lifestyle. Most people saw that comment for what it was, evil. Even if you disagreed with a gay lifestyle, the punishment should not be dying a horrible death from AIDS. Did Freddie Mercury and Rock Hudson get their “just desserts” when they died from AIDS?
We do not dance on the graves of smokers who died of lung cancer. We do not think that the 100,000 people who died of drug overdoses last year, got what was coming to them. Did Michael Jackson, and Prince, and Jim Morrison get their “just desserts” when they died of drug overdoses? If we are decent human beings, our hearts, and our prayers go out to these people who are dealing with tragic loses.
When a guy drives by you going 100 mph, weaving in and out of traffic, do you wish that he gets into a fiery car wreck and dies? We pray that he slows down and doesn’t harm himself or others. Just because the guy is wrong, does not mean that we should wish ill or death on him. We’re not wishing for a teachable moment to show that driving at excess speed is a bad thing. When Henry Ruggs, former wide receiver of the Las Vegas Raiders, was in a deadly car crash last fall while driving drunk at speeds in excess of 150 miles an hour, did we say that’s a teachable moment, and he got his “just desserts”? Even though I believe he’s wrong, my heart goes out to him, my prayers go out to him.
At some point we have to put our politics aside and start acting like human beings; start behaving and thinking like we are part of the human race. Simply because we disagree with somebody politically does not mean that we should wish ill-will on them, or celebrate their demise. How small minded would you have to be to think that way? How evil do you have to be to conjure those thoughts?
We should be able to win the political debate on its merits without hoping bad things on those who disagree with us. But this is where we are in America. Politics have become a zero-sum game where each side wishes and celebrates the worst upon their opponents. I don’t want to be part of the side of politics that wishes ill on other people just so they can win the debate. I want to be on the side filled with good people, filled with people who wish nothing but the best for everyone, whose hearts and prayers go out to those who face tragedy. Jesus said, “love your enemies”. Celebrating the death of an unvaccinated person is not loving your enemies. It is the exact opposite of loving your enemies. It is not virtuous; it is not moral. It is evil.
I’m not vaccinated, but I would never tell someone not to get vaccinated. It’s not my place. It’s not my business. I simply want people to be free to make their own choices, especially about their healthcare. And whatever choice they make whether it is to get the vaccine or not get the vaccine, I hope and pray that they remain healthy and alive. Why is that such a radical thought? Allowing people to make their own decisions and wish the best for them as they try to navigate their lives, is truly an American ideal. We are not fascist. We are not totalitarian. We do not force people to do things that they do not want to do. We are not evil. We do not wish death on people who disagree with us. The people who want to force others to behave exactly like them are the evil fascist.
And who are we to say what people actually deserve? Or who are we to say what is justice? Do we really want ultimate justice? Do we really want to get our “just desserts”? If we were held accountable for everything that we have ever done wrong, our lives would be utter misery right now. We would be in so much debt to the rest of the world that would be hard to go on living. Do we want to live in a world where every time we do something wrong, we’re held to the ultimate account? That is why forgiveness is so very important to people because people make mistakes, people are wrong, they make the wrong decisions all the time. And it is important for fellow human beings to give each other the grace and forgiveness that they need for the mistakes that they make.
Does Michael Hiltzik want everyone to get their “just desserts”, or just the people who he disagrees with? Very few people would not shake in total terror at the thought of getting their “just desserts” for the things that they have done wrong in life. Who has lived that perfect of a life that getting our “just desserts” doesn’t scare the hell out of us?
This is why it is necessary to have a Lord and Savior because we cannot rely on our own goodness for our salvation. We must rely on the grace of God. If we relied on us getting our “just desserts” for our eternal salvation, most of us would end up in hell.
Judd Garrett is a graduate from Princeton University, and a former NFL player, coach, and executive. He has been a contributor to the website Real Clear Politics. He has recently published his first novel, No Wind.