Heroic Western Choice

What is mortality? 20 percents? Emergency! We must act! Lockdown!

What is mortality? 1 percent? And only old men? OK, this is nothing. Let us live with virus. In any case they will die soon. If sooner even better, we'll pay less social benefits.

Of course nobody say this openly. But this is how Western governments see the situation, how they make decision and how they act on both shores of Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic solidarity.

Let us calculate. 1 billion of population. 1 percent is 10 millions of dead men. All of them older than 65 (pensioners). There are altogether about 20% of pensioners (200 millions). Thus reducing the number of pensioners 5 percent. Very good! And if mortality will be higher it will be only better.

Western civilization is humanistic and pragmatic. Sometimes humanistic, sometimes pragmatic. Not always both humanistic and pragmatic. Today the West decides to be pragmatic.

Why did I call this decision heroic? Because the virus puts gun to the West's head and says: "Chose. Life of the way of life you lives? You can chose not change you way of life and I'll kill ten millions of your citizens (may be more, but 10M is an extra-optimistic scenario). Or you must change and start living a different way of life, with other values, other style, less personal freedom, less consumerism, less comfort." And heroic West answers: "I am not afraid. Kill me but I'll not betray my values. I am ready to die for them!". And adds silently, only for himself (and for the virus): "How much of me you said you are going to kill? 1 percent? OK, kill! Deal."

Is this a good strategy? No. Not saying about cynic morality behind, this strategy may not work. Because mortality may increase in exactly same way as it miraculously decreased in April. And the price for unwilling to change may become not 1 percent and all are pensioners but 20 percent of all ages. Do Western Governments understand this? Of course. They are not so stupid. But this is not today. Let this happen and we will think. It may be too late to think when it will happen. OK, what do you offer? Nothing. It is meaningless to offer something when a person already made decision. I don't offer, China offers the alternative. I only want to say that this Western choice is not only "heroic", but erroneous.