Like many (most?) employees, I was ordered to take the vaccine. I resisted. I’m not naïve. I know nobody cares about an employee. I’m probably toast.
Here’s why I didn’t comply:
If there’s a line… a needle in your vein crosses it.
I don’t care what other people do, that’s their choice. I also won’t split hairs about the exact legal definition of “coercion” or “consent”. There are degrees in all things but none of this is on the part of the spectrum labeled “willing” or “voluntary”.
I wound up drawing a line in the sand. It’s almost as if I witnessed a braver, more confident version of myself doing what I knew to be right.
Like many others, I requested a Religious Exemption. “I won’t comply. Here’s why.”
I don’t know the odds of keeping my job. Each day I wait for the other shoe to drop; a carefully phrased legalistic response: “Pursuant to policy XYZ, your heartfelt request was ignored and shredded the hour we received it. You’re denied. You’re fired.”
Like everyone, I don’t have a magical “prepper plan” that’ll save my bacon. (Though things could be worse.) Nobody is adequately prepared to lose their livelihood.
Yet I have no regrets. Society went off the rails at the spiritual level but I didn’t. Your soul comes before your paycheck. Each person is different so if it doesn’t affect you in the same way, that’s fine. As for me, it was a spiritual fork in the road. When you know what’s right, all that remains is being man enough to do it.
In the last month what has happened in my workplace? Nothing.
I’m still not fired. I’m still not vaxxed.
I’m not yet impoverished. I have not died of covid.
There has been no word. Each day is a mystery. I may be fired tomorrow. Maybe next week. Maybe after Christmas. (They’d have to be nuts to fire dozens or thousands the month before Christmas. Folks fired in the shadow of a Christmas tree will not forget that moment!)
I wonder if management is in a corner looking at paint in all directions? It feels like nobody expected things to go this far. They didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect it. Now that they’re committed to a mandate and their workforce isn’t fully compliant do they really want to fire a zillion people? You can wonder if management is bluffing but unvaxxed workers are not. They’ve already demonstrated supreme commitment. When their job was seriously threatened they said “what part of ‘I will not comply’ confuses you?” That’s not a group about to change their mind. They’ve had most of a year getting browbeaten daily. They are not “hesitant”. They are hardened.
The dam is going to break, we just don’t know how. You feel it too. The whole economy is frozen up; everyone in every workplace is waiting for… something.
Everything is uncertain but nothing has changed… save I.
What has happened to me? Something wonderful.
When I was forced to take a stand, I lost the option of evasion. Fate removed my “go to” choice. I’m all about predicting where dramatic things will happen and being somewhere else. I’ll scamper away from conflict like a little bitch. I only want to be left alone. For the last two years as cities went mad, Karens patrolled mask zones, freedoms were curtailed, and whole city blocks were burned to the ground I was safely “pre-bugged out”.
I expected to stay that way indefinitely.
Things changed on September 9th. The President made a speech which specifically targeted me for “correction”! I’ve never before heard any president of either party speak that way about Americans! I wouldn’t speak that way to an errant child! Any man who talks like that in a bar will wind up bloodied in the parking lot. We all just know that! His tantrum lit a fuse when he should have been trying to smooth things out.
The bastard made it personal. He came for my livelihood. Why target my job? I’m pretty sure it’s because that’s the greatest damage he can do. If Biden had enough power to drag me out of my own home in handcuffs he would. (Ask Australia about that.)
After the speech (outburst?), I was forced to accept what is and what is not. Any conciliatory middle ground had been burned flat. I was forced to take a side… clearly. I sent my Religious justification to a callous and uncaring HR. What a goat rodeo! HR spent decades bitching at anyone who mentions God in the workplace. Now they demand I and countless others expound about God’s role in their life? They wanted it. They got it. Someone in HR is probably getting PTSD reading my religious views.
I was forced into it. I wrote it all down. I signed my name on the dotted line. Then something interesting happened. It felt like God smiled; “About time you did that Curmudgeon! You needed it.” A wave of peace came to me.
What a gift! Maybe that was the plan. Biden’s little hissy fit coaxed my reticent self to reaffirm and solidify the spiritual focus I might very well need in the coming winter.
Writing it all out made all the difference. If I once wrestled with doubt, I do no more. I made a choice. My choice is done. The die is cast, the Rubicon crossed; it feels good!
Does this mean I’m free and clear? Heck no! I still don’t know if I’ll keep my job or not. I might be fiscally screwed.
Strangely, it’s hard to care. I don’t control the job situation; which means I bear no responsibility. They will do what they will. I don’t care if they burn the whole economy down; it’s not my fault.
What a relief! It’s one thing to sail the seas of whatever happens. I can do that. It’s another to feel responsible for the gale. That was too much. I didn’t realize how much weight had settled on me until it was lifted from my shoulders.
All things have a purpose. Fate, or God, or chance; or whatever you want to call it, got me to take the next step. I have freewill. I had the opportunity to wimp out. I could choose subjugation. It would have been easy. I would have been applauded.
What would have been my reward for wimping out? A steady paycheck that’s a personal jail cell. A trap where the walls would move in by increments. A short break but then another moment of spiritual degradation. There’s always another step on the path to hell. If two shots aren’t enough to break a man, how about three? Four is already on the horizon. If a third or fourth shot doesn’t do it, then what? Submit my DNA to HR? Blood tests at work? Tattoo my employee number on my ass? Mandatory transfer to Newark? Daily affirmation that my boss is the one true God? Who knows?
Better to do the right thing today when it’s clear and obvious and spiritually right for me than endure a lifetime of wondering what new stupid unworkable degrading mandate they’ll shove up my ass next week. I picked this hill for my career to die on. I’m almost happy about it.
I don’t know if this whole mandate thing was for the best but it might have been a necessary step for me. The world told me to fold… and I remembered this isn’t the only world. It felt good.
If our mad world is getting to you, just do the right thing. The rest will follow. After that you’ll feel lighter. You’ll be able to smile for the ones still in the scrum and say this:
Not my circus, not my monkeys.
I wish you all the best. Always remember; even if you’re the last person standing, you’re never alone.
Thanks, I’m in the same boat and doing more or less the same thing. No doubt easier for me, I’m old enough to retire, so that’s what I will probably do. Doing the right thing, it turns out, is the right thing to do.
We just wanted to be left alone. You did the right thing. (((They))) are willing to burn the whole thing down to rule over the ashes. We will carry on in a diminished, degraded but freer “after”. Fuggem with a pointy something. I will not comply. I believe the Pure Blood, control group are by far the vast majority. Why would anyone believe their stats with their forever record of lying about everything? You’re a good man Charley Brown, carry on. I will.
Still in the same boat here. Moved the deadline to Jan 4th but still say we are covered under the executive order and not the OSHA BS. Got a message HR was ‘processing’ my exemption. The email had odd white space and corrupted HTML. Obviously no one looked at it before sending it.
HR could not answer what process they would use to evaluate religious accommodations, not could they answer what process would be used for those that would not comply. A fortune 500 company, with hordes of lawyers and 2 months to prepare couldn’t even modify and approve a disciplinary policy that you know was already there? One expects hat with 50,000 employees they might have a process for religious accommodation requests already written too. But they won’t even admit firing is a a possibility at this point. I suspect whatever disciplinary process they have in mind will take some time. They have already advertised a grace period after your exemption is denied if needed so you “still have time to comply”:. They can’t answer any questions about vacation time being paid out so far , so I guess there will be a bunch of people pre-emptively burning those balances all at the same time
I took the lack of information as a good sign indicating that some zealot was not in charge and eagerly anticipating using these processes. Another fellow in the same group but with a different manager actually had his manager try to argue vaccine safety with him.. in writing. HR will kill him…More evidence for the inevitable lawsuit I guess. And while I recognize the legal system is compromised and can’t be counted on… it appears now to be a crap shoot where occasionally the right thing happens. So, I’ll find some lawyer willing to take some percentage of the settlement ( 100%? Ok.) and sue them regardless. .
But like you, I have accepted it. Even at peace with it. I was pissed off for a couple of days, but then realized this is why I have been prepping. I have always understood that the time was coming were I would have to go Galt and take black market work. Like you, the preps will help and I am in a far better situation than most, but I am not fully ready to weather a complete loos of income.
But my anger was more at losing the income to help my kids with college and complete some prepping projects I still had on my plate ( like those ever go away ) Oh well. College is crap. Maybe they have to attend a cheaper school. Maybe where we are headed they don’t need some bit of a paper and they are safer at home for a while. One thing is for sure.. capitulating to these demands could in no way be worth it. You will only be asked to risk shot 3, shot 4…shot 15 and immorally bend your knee to tryanny and what actually appears to be the mark of the devil, without which you can not sell your services nor purchase the fruits of labor from others.
Eventually the boss wants to sleep with your wife too. You have to allow it in order to keep your job! And that job? How much longer is it going to be around with the powers that be causing rampant inflation , supply chain failures and forcing small landlord and businesses under and firing millions. Purging the military of any non-woke individuals ( and creating ranks of angry men who succumbed to the medication and will have nothing to loose if they find themselves terminally ill ) ? When they are deliberately causing millions – including children— to risk injury or death – which I can only assume is to cull the population, but maybe that is just an unforeseen side effect of being 100% focused on making a profit while impoverishing everyone else in a “great reset” ( which make no mistake, will eventually engulf all of these idiots who thought they were with the protect “in-crowd”. Useful Idiots are always purged right after the reigns of power are secured.
So make some moonshine and toast to “doing the right thing” and come what may. Draw your lines in the sand and get spiritually ready to defend them. This was just the first line they crossed. They will cross others when they think the people are sufficiently starved, cold and desperate. Perhaps as early as next Spring. Perhaps as late as next winter. But they are committed and all in. They too have cast their lot come what may; CRT and forced vaccination in schools, , ANTIFA riots in the streets. Forced Job losses. Confiscatory wealth and carbon taxes. Draconian “Green” regulation. Lock downs.
This is coming.
Plan accordingly.
Be ready to keep that apportionment with your maker, but don’t ever let that be Plan A.
Don’t sweat it if you do lose your job. This is a very poor time to be irritating capable, hard to replace people. Where I work we have a hard time keeping forklift operators. Polish up your resume and don’t worry.
I put in my religious exemption request earlier this month too. I see this as just giving them a way out. I don’t have any details, just a letter from my pastor stating I wanted it. It will be interesting to see what they want to do about it.
Oh, and OSHA nixed the requirement for now, or so I’ve heard. So any company pushing this has no one to blame but themselves if they shoot themselves in the foot.
Sometimes a man has gotta do, what a man has gotta do.
I have been homeless and broke and I sure as shit don’t want to be there again, especially now that I am married and have dependents but fuck you if you think you can tell me I have to subject myself to your Death Jab just to keep a fucking job,
I’ve also had lot’s of jobs too.
Thats one good thing about owning your own business, you get to make your own rules.
I wish for you, but the very best. I belive that you will prevail.
Truly inspirational, and once again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. I am in a very similar place right now, although most of my colleagues have succumbed to the pressure and given in. It’s always financial circumstances that does it. They _have_ to keep their jobs and have unhappily submitted.
We’ve just had a massive restructure and voluntary redundancies followed by forced redundancies. For the survivors, it’s now submit or get fired.
Imagine how humiliated and furious these jabbed people will be with themselves and with their ex-employer when they are made redundant in the next restructure.
And exactly how long will us “lucky” serfs who have kept our jobs then be forced to submit to the useless boosters?
I think I will be fired no matter what I do – even if I submit. The sneaky rat bastards will find a way to target me and fire me just because I have respectfully said NO. My card will have been marked.
I think there are incredibly tough financial times just around the corner, any second now. The economy is absolutely about to fail – we can all sense this.
Never been a better time to sell our house, clear the mortgage, and buy large acreage in “bum-fluff-nowhere” and live completely debt free. Be tough as hell, and will guarantee an impoverished retirement & dotage, but its absolutely possible. Few neighbours too.
The other alternative is to rent the house, and take off in the boat and go long-distance cruising. It’s a life-long dream, and if I was single, I’d be gone already, off to the wild & remotest parts of Australia for a year or two or ten. It’s a great time for a career break.
Good luck AC, and to all.
KA
AC,
Your ability to put into words those things so many of us are feeling is greatly appreciated. In times such as these when it seems all hell is set against us it’s important to remember we are not alone in our thoughts and convictions. This is a spiritual war. Win or lose we must stand for our beliefs. Sad it has gone this far, now we will be forced to deal with it as it crosses the fence line. Many thanks!
Old Al
I hope all goes well for you; financially and health wise. I believe you will make the best choice for YOU. I believe in the right for individuals to choose.
I had the Wuhan last December and choose the two jabs in March and April. I had leg clots in July and will not be getting boosters. I’ve known otherwise healthy people succumb to covid and elderly people greet it as a cold. I had 10 days of 102°F fevers and pains in places I didn’t know I had every 4 hours between Tylenol doses; it sucked, but I still stand.
I am of the opinion that if the government really wanted the maximum number of people poked they would set some arbitrary end of free vaccinations. People of free choice and clear mind would ignore the deadline; however those on the fence will panic (That they will have to pay, which ironically they already are as taxpayers.) and get the jab.
Maybe I’m consigning my fellow man as sheeple, but that is my take of the collective population and their mentality. If anyone is offended, go to your safe space and read the prophecies of Fauci until you are whole again.
It comes down to a personal decision, period. You have made the decision to not get any vaccines, I have made the decision that I will not get the booster(s). It’s a bit suspicious that the CDC card had a place for 1st and 2nd shots as well as two blank spaces below; it seems they already planned for boostera from the outset.
Honestly, there would be nothing funnier than the government announcing an end to “free” vaccines followed by a stampede of unvaccinated folks voluntarily chasing the dwindling supply. I would absolutely love to see that because it would be a hoot. Plus I would be off the hook “gosh darn, they ran out, guess I’ll have to go without”. Alas, everyone is hardened in position now. I certainly am.
The worst part is that we (collectively) didn’t have to get this spastic. This summer the US (and most other countries) hit a point where everyone who wanted the vaccine had it and everyone who didn’t want it was free (free-ish) to abstain. That point of letting citizens choose their own path would have been an ideal place to stay. Forcing the issue just made a miserable population even more stressed.
Sorry you got so sick. I’m sure it sucked. I’m glad you recovered.
It’s 2008 on heroin and looking for a fix.
I worked for a cargo airline for 24 years. We’d fly peak and lay 10%+ of the company off immediately after Christmas. Recalls would start 2 months later after Chinese New Year. While we all knew it was coming it sucked every time. On the plus side we purged the poor performers and folks with a bad attitude ruthlessly. Anyone who had survived 3-4 years in that environment was dependable and competent. In 24 years I only regret two of the folks I terminated – while not a bad track record it still gnaws at me. Company eventually went tango uniform but high esprit de corps amongst the alumni association