Tantric Massage in London and Coronavirus
Never before, in the history of humankind, has wiping your butt become such a crucial question of survival.
When one person sneezes, one hundred people shit themselves. Toilet paper is the new currency.
Our attention has shifted from Brexit to coronavirus. Media obsession will always find the perfect weapon with which to bombard our lives and, what’s worse, spreading panic, lies and conspiracy theories is its best specialty. We live in the Era of Misinformation, media is undeniably corrupting the masses, is the new terrorism, and the consequences—economic, political, social and psychological—are here to fear. The damage is visible, in all sectors of life, and the world of tantric massage in London is no exception. The media has generated an unnecessary epidemic of panic.
As a tantric masseuse in London, I am more fearful of journalists and social media than coronavirus. Believe me, I have been exposed to deadly STIs (heard of HIV?), parasites and other serious illnesses—such as the flu—for a number of years. Here I am, alive and in good health, discussing the madness of social behaviour from a standpoint of relativity.
Coronavirus is currently receding in China. In London 101 cases have been confirmed at the time of writing—which represents an estimate of 0.0010% of London’s population—with 1 case in the City of London, where I live. Should Londoners be panicked by the spread of coronavirus? Firstly, it is important to note that claims to certainty and truth appear to be pervasive in society, whilst information is generally incomplete or imperfect. Secondly, as with anything else in life, any analysis should be based on precedents. I would like to argue that questioning and analysis should always be founded on the basis of two premises: evidence and objectivity.
There is good evidence of precedents in the fight against epidemics in the history of humanity. Epidemiology gives insight into the natural history and causes of disease and can provide scientific evidence on the ability to combat disease from observance of precedents and the nature of the disease itself. There is no denial that the risk of inter-individual transmission increases as infection becomes widespread. However, in the context of coronavirus mortality, a relation between individual circumstances such as age, health condition, local prevalence of the disease and quality of healthcare systems should be born in mind.
Let’s present some facts in relation to coronavirus:
Sars, which is considered similar, had a mortality rate of more than 10% when it was active in the early 2000s; coronavirus mortality estimates are still contested, but they seem to be in the range of between 0.7% and 3.4%. It is less deadly than Ebola, Sars and Mers. Furthermore, it appears to be slightly more deadly than the flu.
Although the flu might not seem like a deadly illness, on average it kills around 17,000 people in England a year. Should we also panic over this fact?
The World Health Organisation has declared coronavirus a pandemic, nevertheless, ‘pandemic’ does not refer to the lethality of a virus but to its transmissibility and geographical extension. Remember the 2009 flu pandemic or swine flu?
According to Dr Jeremy Faust, statistics on coronavirus fatalities are misleading. He explains that the data sourced from the Princess Diamond cruise ship are more reliable than the data published by the WHO. Refer to the interview below where he presents some facts. (1)
Stockpiling is preventing equal distribution of resources and access to crucial equipment for health carers. Refer to the video below where a surgeon explains why masks do not offer any protection. (2)
We need to keep the issue in perspective. There is good reason for concern, but do not allow the media to terrorise you. Below is a link by a microbiologist that gives many reasons for not losing optimism. (3)
You may have come across various sources that put forward some conspiracy theories. Well, it happens every time there is an epidemic—again, heard of HIV? Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad and Trump are some of the ignorant puppets who have done so. There has been a case of some researchers presenting scientific papers in a website claiming the stark similarities between coronavirus and HIV. These studies are not peer-reviewed! There is a theory that the Chinese started it deliberately to undermine and test the West; Wuhan is after all their main centre for biological research! Apparently, if they turn out to have an antidote we are into a whole new world of non-military warfare. And the numbers of new infections in China are falling fast, even if the figures are exaggerated. Science does not support the possibility of manufacturing epidemics in a lab. First of all, it is not scientifically viable, secondly, if that were the case, science is able to decode the genome and know where exactly it comes from. Coronavirus (Covid-19) comes from bats and pangolins.
Please, refer to this source from France Culture. I am sorry that you may not be able to speak French, but face to face interviews with scientists is a more reliable source of information than only relying on journalistic articles. Listen to what one of the figures at the forefront of science, Professor Olivier Schwartz, director of the Pasteur Institute has to say:
Personally, I do not believe I need to stop providing my service in tantric massage unless there is a lockdown in London. At this point of writing, the statistics in the City do not represent a high rate of contagion. However, I have stopped going to the office for my day job, I am working from home, therefore, I am probably less exposed than the average Londoner as I do not use transport or come into contact with co-workers. I am aware this situation may not last for long, but in the meantime, no panic, no stress. Be tantric, be zen.
P.S.: On a funny note, please, do check the video below. A police officer resorts to an ingenious way to solving the problem of lack of toilet paper. All I can say is, the rate of madness surpasses the rate of all causes of human fatalities all together.
(2)https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=218000772914341
(3)https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-ten-reasons-not-to-panic/?fbclid=IwAR20Q4Zo7SJBZFbz1T2JBP-DqXDH5ER92zMXJ6xytONPU_xa5DKjopvmhKM
Nerea, an Independent Tantric Masseuse in London
