I’m in Japan where the virus is not nearly as devastating as in America, so my comment comes with that self-aware caveat attached.

Here goes:

I understand the existential fear – people who have enjoyed life generally want to keep on living – but I struggle with what seems to me to be something akin to OCD in order to stay safe.

Perhaps this is because I have just a different approach to Life – I tend to think we need to get out there, mix it up and get dirty and by doing so we build our immunity and strength.

I know there’s some science to back this perspective but I’m also a person who thinks this over-reliance on the intellectual side of science (“reference your peer-reviewed article to back up your outlandish assertions!”), well, I think it’s making us weaker. Why? Because we are denying that we can ascertain Truth from direct experience.

Case in point: As a child in a rainy suburb of Tacoma, Washington, I often played in mud puddles for hours and yet was rarely sick. Meanwhile the boy who lived across the street was not allowed to play in the rain but was frequently sick. I am positive his mother operated more from fear than mine did and likely justified it with the “latest science.”

Good thing, then, when my mom chatted with her, my mom relied on direct experience and knowledge that her boys may have given her more muddy clothes to wash than this women’s did but they also were vibrant, happy kids.

After all, as a result, at 47 years old, I take baths in local rivers and I only wear a mask inside stores to make my fellow humans feel less afraid. I am nearly positive due to my rigorous bike riding, Wim Hof Method breathwork and cold showers and immersion into Nature that my immune system is strong so if I did catch coronavirus, I’d be one of those 96 percent of people who would maybe get sick for a bit but emerge stronger.

And last, next time I fly to America, I’ll wear a mask most of the time – again for the sake of lowering stress for others – but I won’t be wiping down surfaces with disinfectant and I’ll share smiles and looks of “we’ve got this” with my fellow passengers rather than fearful glares.