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This is a short fiction story taken from one of my classes this past semester. It a part of a bigger project focused on the ethics surrounding censorship, but with a particular look at the outspoken voices of Covid-19. I wanted to highlight some of doctors, scientists, and journalists, who I feel have been wrongly censored over there claims of Covid/vaccine hesitancy. If you want to checkout the research component of this project, you can find that here: Censorship on the Outspoken Voices of Covid-19: More Harm Than Good?.

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THIS POST HAS BEEN REMOVED

“What do you mean it’s been removed? I just read the thing yesterday.”

“I don’t know, sir. But it’s not up here anymore.”

“I can’t believe this. There was so much gold packed into that article and now it’s just
gone? Duncan, make me a promise.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“No matter where your career in medicine takes you, always follow the truth and don’t
ever bend to the forces that try to dull that truth. You may be in unfavorable positions or even put
your career on the line, but this is the job of any good doctor. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir, I understand.”

“Good. If you don’t mind, I’d like some time to think.”

“Of course.”

Dr. Wilder knew that this was a turning point in history and had feared that this time
would come one day, but not this soon; and what of his own research that he had been working
on? The research he had slaved day in and day out over? He knew that this paper could cost him
everything, but it could cost the world even more if he didn’t publish it. Was this what being a
doctor meant? No, it couldn’t be. This wasn’t what he had signed up for. Dr. Wilder was just a
normal guy born in Kentucky who had went on to study medicine at NYU. While his life had
drastically shifted from that of the farm boy that he once was, Dr. Wilder lived a pretty normal
life as far as being a doctor in NYC goes. Married to his college love, Shelia Wilder, the two
enjoyed their days with their two-year-old son, Eli. This was what he had signed up for, but that
was all about to change as the world headed into lockdown from an unknown disease, N151-X.

The beginning days were frightening. People had been dropping like flies from this
mysterious illness and it sent the world into a mass hysteria. No one quite knew exactly what was
going on and lockdowns were ordered globally to try and contain the outbreaks. As if being a
doctor didn’t already come with ill-advised work hours, Dr. Wilder had been thrusted into
around the clock work.

Days morphed into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months became two years. Dr.
Wilder had a hard time telling those days apart and had an even harder time accepting the fact
that he essentially missed the first two years of Elis’ life. He thought back to his days on the farm
as a little boy when all he cared about was how he could one day serve people on a grander scale.
But at what cost? It took Dr. Wilder everything he had to suppress thoughts of this nature. He
had to if he hoped to keep his sanity in check.

And so, he did what the world was asking him to do.

It was almost two years of on and off lockdowns when Dr. Wilder noticed a chink in the
armor of N151-X. The hospital visits had drastically slowed down. It was as if the deaths slowed
down as a result of the hysteria slowing down, like the two were linked in some way. People
started realizing that this may not have been the absolute death sentence that they thought it once
was, and that’s when Dr. Wilder dove into deep research into what he believed was really going.

N151-X was a very much new disease in the world. There was nothing fake about it,
despite all the conspiracies theories that ran rampant on the internet. But what people couldn’t
seem to separate was the idea that new, was not synonymous with danger. Maybe in the
beginning when the unknowns were at an all-time high, but the truth of the matter was, the
correlation that Dr. Wilder picked up on seemed to be that the ones who were still having major
issues almost two years later were the ones who got N151-X and let fear and anxiety consume
them. Rather than N151-X being the issue, Dr. Wilder noticed it was the catalyst for fear to come
in and wreak havoc on the body in a way that’s never been possible. Fear fed off of N151-X, but
if there was no fear present, N151-X was about as annoying as dealing with a cold.

Many tried to speculate that the people who did better with N151-X were the ones who
were healthier or younger. This is what the news preached, but that wasn’t the case. Gender,
health, or race didn’t seem to matter as long as the person didn’t give into fear. It seemed like a
grand master lesson in letting go of fear and Dr. Wilder was becoming more and more sure of
this as the days rolled on and he lost himself in his research. But every time he tried to bring this
notion to light, he was immediately laughed at or dismissed. This ultimately led Dr. Wilder to
keep his research private knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere.

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“Hunny, are you sure you want to do this? There’s going to be a lot of upset people out
there.”

“I know. But I can’t let that stop me. I can’t let my emotions get in the way. I have to
follow the data and science even if that means bringing unsightly truths to light. To not put this
out for fear of what will happen to my reputation, or my career would go against everything that
I stand for. That’s not how science works and that’s not how I work.”

Later that evening, Dr. Wilder published his lengthy research paper bringing everything
he had been studying to light. The findings were unavoidable; it was clear as day that if the
person was able to not get let anxiety and fear consume them, then N151-X had virtually no
effect. Instead of shelling out all this money on vaccines for a disease that a vaccine had no
purpose for, Dr. Wilder proposed that the effort and resources should be redirected towards stress
management. He suggested the opening of more meditation centers; grant easier access to yoga,
massage therapy, acupuncture, and talk therapy through health insurance; and he also presented
the need to implement mindfulness-based programs in grade schools. He argued that the vaccines
were only poor archaic attempts to treat symptoms, but the root––fear––is what needed to be
made the main focus.

“Ok it’s done. It’s out. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared, but I feel good. This
research is airtight. I combed through every line and tried to prove my position wrong multiple
times and I couldn’t. What this will do to my career, I can’t say. But I know it was the right thing
to do.”

Dr. Wilder turned his phone on airplane mood earlier than usual that day. Whether it was
good news or bad news, it could all wait until tomorrow. Right now was solely for spending time
with the family.

---

Over the course of the next week, Dr. Wilder immediately found himself getting pulled
into a world of chaos. Each day his body took on more and more stress feeling every ounce of
the gravity of the situation at hand. By the end of the week he was spent. Night after night, Dr.
Wilder found himself dealing with extreme spasms; the body exhausted from dealing with
involuntary muscle contractions day in and day out. As if the weight of the week wasn’t bad
enough, Friday morning had finally reached a turning when Dr Wilder woke up to 50 text
messages, 25 missed calls, 15 voicemails, and there were another 3 articles put up about his
research––nothing good.

“What do the articles say?” asked Shelia.

“They’re complete bullshit. ‘Loon doctor threatens to dismantle two years of hard
work.’ ‘Why Dr. Wilder has got it all wrong.’ Are you kidding me? I can’t deal with this right
now though. I have to get to the hospital. There’s a message from Miguel Ruiz telling me I need
to come in immediately.”

“Isn’t that the Dean of the hospital?”

“Yeah . . . I have to go.”

Dr. Wilder arrived at the hospital not quite sure what to expect, but he knew he needed to
be on full alert. As he took the elevator up to the third floor, he could hear the thud of his own
heart beating as if someone was blasting it over the speakers. No part of him felt one hundred
percent in that moment, but the second the elevator doors opened, Dr. Wilder had flipped “the
switch” ––a mental override trick he had picked up over the years when he needed to silence
doubt.

“Dr. Wilder, please come with us.”

Dr. Wilder was led into the conference room by the dean of Marcy hospital, Miguel Ruiz,
and one of the head administrators, Jack Wright. Waiting for him in the conference room was a
collection of the who’s who. You had Dr. Sandy Cohen and Dr. John Lashley, both leading
immunologists and colleagues of Dr. Wilder. Then there was Susan Walters and Corey Grant,
head administrators alongside Jack Wright. But what Dr. Wilder couldn’t make sense of was the
fact that the U.S. Senate was positioned at the end of the table staring back at him over a Skype
call.

“I know this paper was a big deal, but this seems a little much,” Dr. Wilder thought to
himself.

“Dr. Wilder, do you know why we are all gathered here today” Miguel commanded in a
calm but stern tone.

“I have a pretty good guess, Mr. Ruiz. But nothing in that research is inaccurate. Dr.
Cohen and Dr. Lashley can easily verify all of the data presented.” Right then and there, Dr.
Wilder knew things were not good. Dr. Cohen and Dr. Lashley couldn’t even lift their heads to
meet Dr. Wilders eyes; like dogs who knew that they were in the wrong.

“Well doctor, that’s where you seem to be misinformed. Both Dr. Cohen and Dr. Lashley
have gone on record stating that this research is a stretch on all levels. Not only have you put out
harmful research at a time that can’t afford even the slightest tug of misinformation, let alone
from a respected doctor, but you have greatly bruised the name of this hospital. We have spoken
with the board of the U.S. Senate and it has come to an agreement that your article is to come
down immediately––matter of fact, it has already been pulled from the internet and you will be
put on indefinite suspension without pay until this matter is further discussed.”

“What?! You guys can’t do that! I have an oath as a doctor to serve the people first and
foremost and this research is doing exactly that. These vaccines aren’t doing anything to help the
people and any doctor can look at that data and confirm that what I have put out is 100%
verifiable. I don’t give a shit about what Sandy and John have to say. So be it if they won’t have
my back, but they know damn well N151-X isn’t what we think it is and that fear is our real
killer here.”

“Mr. Wilder! We will not have another outburst from you again.”

“But where’s the objectivity! Emotions aside, these are the facts. Right here in front of
your face you have the truth, yet you’re willing to stuff that into the shadows? And for what? A
broken model within the healthcare system? Treating the root is our way out of this mess, not the
symptoms. Is the point of working towards a better future not to hear from all sides of the
discussion? I mean, for crying out loud, this is common knowledge, guys. Why are we censoring
all the other alternative ways of working with N151-X solely if it doesn’t fall in line with what
the mainstream narrative is talking about? Is it precisely that? Are there backroom deals that
would be hurt if we realized that the cure was in stress management and not in the crap were
pushing so hard for? Tell me Miguel, is this what you stand for?”

Just as Miguel was about to lay into Dr. Wilder, a voice boomed from the other end of the
table where the Skype call was being held.

“Jason Wilder, this is Roger Florez, President of the U.S. Senate. We are hereby ordering
that Marcy hospital security escorts you from the building immediately. All of your work is to be
collected by Mr. Ruiz and sent to us for further investigation and if you try to republish this
paper, you will be heavily fined. Is this understood?”

Dr. Wilder was in shock. Surely, this wasn’t what he had signed up for. But rather than
let the weight of the situation take him over, once again he had flipped the switch.

“Yeah, I understand. And I hope you understand me when I say that I’ll see you guys in
court.” With that, Dr. Wilder turned his back on the room and headed for the elevator.