“To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” Attributed to Gautama Buddha

As someone with a readership following, I am thankful to each and every one of you who sees this article and finds a moment to read it. Writing a column that you know has the capacity to influence the lives of others is an honour and a privilege, but it also comes with a great responsibility.

A responsibility not to preach, but to share ideas and encourage discussion so that we may live and grow together. What follows are a few heartfelt truths about a very controversial subject.

To the more than forty per cent of islanders who have registered for and received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, I say thank you.

Thank you for your willingness to buy into the idea that we are all in this together, for doing your part to protect yourself and everyone who resides on this island.

To those of you who have not yet registered – from a certain perspective I get it, no one “should” tell you what to do or when to do it.

Your reason for ignoring this call to action up to this point is your business – regardless of whether it’s because you believe you are immune to the virus, because you are afraid the vaccine will harm you, because you are opposed to the vaccine for moral, ethical, or religious reasons, because you believe the conspiracy theories that are circulating online or that you just don’t trust big pharma.

But is this really your final word on the matter?

Have you really considered the far-reaching implications of your decision?

In short – have you actually thought about what will happen to this island (and what your future life will be like here) if we don’t get rid of this virus?

Are you comfortable with having your movements permanently restricted – being told how late you can stay out at night, or whether you are allowed to enter a public park – indefinitely?

Are you comfortable explaining to your children or grandchildren that they can no longer enjoy the same freedoms that you have enjoyed throughout your life (and taken for granted) and that you support the perpetuation of this situation?

Are you comfortable watching your friends and family struggle endlessly to put food on the table and meet basic financial obligations indefinitely because our island economy is too small to thrive without tourism unless we become a “Covid-safe” destination?

Are you comfortable living with the knowledge that previously serious diseases such as smallpox, measles and polio were largely eradicated because the whole world co-operated in inoculation programmes and that the quality of your own life has been enhanced by these initiatives?

More to the point are you comfortable knowing that, by deciding not to register, you are not just putting yourself at risk, you are in fact personally assisting in prolonging the very existence of this virus and the possibility that someone you care about will become sick?

These are uncomfortable issues to say the least, but the more we learn the better we can act.

Note: for the record, not being in a high risk category, I was finally able to obtain my first vaccine last week and look forward to receiving the second dose in the near future.

Robin Trimingham is the chief operating officer of The Olderhood Group Ltd and a virtual presenter, journalist, podcaster and thought leader in the fields of life transition and change management. Connect with Robin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/olderhoodgroup1/ or robin@olderhood.com