OPINION:
Once in a great while, a book comes along that clearly defines the time and earth-shattering events into which the book is released. One of those books is “Transcend Fear: A Blueprint for Mindful Leadership in Public Health” by Harvard-trained physician and Ph.D. Joseph Ladapo.
“Transcend Fear” is one of the few must-read books that I have ever reviewed — and I have reviewed copious books over the decades.
Having served almost half my 42-year professional career in a large metropolitan public health department — including at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — I can attest that the observations and guidance proffered by Dr. Ladapo are practically spot on.
In sum, “Transcend Fear” posits that the pandemic response was dominated by fear-fueled decision-making. Fear and politics then apparently produced the result that lockdowns and mask mandates achieved very little in tackling the spread of COVID-19. School shutdowns ultimately harmed children, and there was dubious practicality and much questionable morality in the proposal and use of vaccine passports.
As an aside, undoubtedly, the failure of masks can be largely attributed to the incorrect donning of such a preventive. Properly worn cloth masks were likely effective against the spread of large aerosols that contained COVID-19, while the extremely tiny virus itself would more likely be restricted by the proper wearing of N95 masks. To be completely effective, both the cloth and N95 mask would need to be firmly sealed around the wearer’s face. Observations of mask wearers quickly confirm that all too often proper application of masks was quite sloppy and thus quite ineffective.
Regarding fear, Dr. Ladapo asks the reader: “Imagine how the last two years would have gone if public health leadership in the United States had rejected fear, embraced reality about the limitations inherent in stopping the spread of a contagious respiratory virus, and respected the autonomy of each human being to make decisions about things like whether to leave their family business open, attend school in-person, or receive a new vaccine?”
The way through such future outbreaks requires “rational decision making that considers costs and benefits and keeps sight of the countless things in life that matter.”
Profound insights and solutions abound in “Transcend Fear.” For example, Dr. Ladapo’s observes that for a much better outcome in dealing with novel health situations, tackle fear first and foremost, since “fear is the most important emotion to investigate, to explore to its deepest roots, and to (hopefully) become free of. Fear is pervasive in our society, can be found at the center of most — if not all — social and political conflicts, and is second to only love in its power and ability to move hearts and minds.”
Furthermore, fear is “an emotion to be rejected because it [is] anathema to life, love, and freedom.”
“Transcend Fear” does not exclude the spiritual dimensions important to meeting the challenges of a deadly pestilence. So, certainly, a solution to the fear-vs.-love dilemma can be found in the fact that perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18) and the spiritual person has not been given a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
“Transcend Fear” incorporates numerous op-eds, mostly from The Wall Street Journal, that Dr. Ladapo had published during the pandemic, including a few in his not-to-be-missed chapter on “COVID-19 Vaccines: Ideology versus Science.”
“Clear thinking is never more critical than during a crisis.” And “Transcend Fear” gives valuable points on communicating in a crisis, such as speaking plainly, with clarity and rational thought, about the circumstances of the crisis; acknowledging uncertainty and limitations; proposing “sensible plans that are presented as works in progress” that may need modification in the future.
“Transcend Fear’ delivers a perspective largely overlooked and shunned by the legacy media, public health officials, doctors, and of course politicians. But the grand message and beneficent guidance found in “Transcend Fear’ will likely be vindicated by history.
• Anthony J. Sadar is an adjunct associate professor at Geneva College, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and co-author of “Environmental Risk Communication: Principles and Practices for Industry” (CRC Press, 2021).
• • •
Transcend Fear: A Blueprint for Mindful Leadership in Public Health
Dr. Joseph Ladapo
Skyhorse Publishing, Aug. 23, 2022, 168 pages, $22.99
Please read our comment policy before commenting.