Friday, June 26, 2020

Why no mask?

This might be silly but there has been a lot out there about wearing facemasks and somebody posted why won't people just wear them? tonight and this was my response: I want to give a simple answer but let me explain it like this: If I were to say, "I don't believe they help" and leave it at that, you would think, "well, actually, they do help. I've seen statistics from This Credible Organization or listened to the science from This Trusted Person" but what if I have seen just as compelling information from sources I trust? If we are both using information and personal experience to make a decision and act on it, aren't we both right and doing something good? I have seen many posts on here (Facebook) about giving dirty looks or making snarky comments to somebody without a mask on and everybody cheers. Are we really treating a fellow human being with disdain after knowing only one fact about them (they don't have a mask on) and it's not only acceptable to do that but it's applauded? Many things in the world today are dividing us more than ever and giving us an Us vs. Them mentality. The longer social media is around, the less admirable it is to do your own research and form your own opinions and the more pressure is applied to be like everybody else. For example, it's not enough just to be opposed to racism and to act accordingly but now you have to attend a protest or contribute to some organization or publicly declare your thoughts on the matter X-number of times, etc. There is this most amazing Podcast, called The Happiness Lab. All the episodes are good but if you listen to The War for Kindness, it talks about the Us Vs. Them mentality taking over right now and they are more fun & eloquent than I can be. I do not wear a mask very often. I do on some occasions but not all the time just because a bunch of people tell me I should. I wash my hands a lot, don't go to the store very often (it turns out milk is NOT actually a necessity-ha ha), and practice social distancing to the best of my ability. When I'm at the store without my mask and find other people (probably the same ones giving me those angry looks for not wearing a mask) cannot seem to grasp the concept of social distancing because they brush my arm and seem to be all up in my face as I get a few tomatoes on a trip to the store I've delayed for 2 weeks, my first instinct is to think, "You idiot! Don't you know what social distancing is?" and then I look at them and realize that's somebody's sister and somebody's daughter and somebody's friend. They are my neighbor really and we might not be doing everything the same way but we are probably both doing the best we can.

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