This year has held quite a few challenges for pretty much everyone. I could name them all but I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of most of them unless you have lived under a rock (and if that’s the case, you’re lucky). As you probably know, we are facing a pandemic with a virus that is being spread through secretion droplets. There are some people who believe that wearing a mask to prevent COVID19 from spreading interferes with their rights and are extremely adamant about these rights.
Rights are extremely important to Americans, and rightly so, as it was the subject matter for which this country was built upon. When looking at rights, however, maybe we should be looking at them not just for ourselves but from the perspectives of others. Does someone have the right to be healthy? Does someone have the right to feel safe? If your “rights” supersede keeping someone safe or helping them feel that way, it’s hard not to look at the motives behind your thoughts.
Masks can’t hurt you. There are so many examples that your oxygen intake is 100%. Think about the doctors and nurses that have worn them for years and are fine. Think about soldiers who have to wear gas masks and run in them for miles. It’s a little different but the point is, a cloth mask can’t impede your level of oxygen intake. So what are anti-mask wearers so afraid of? If you saw a child that was terrified of a clown, wouldn’t you do your best to ease their fear? If you saw a person who may have cancer walking down the street, they have to trust that others are willing to care enough to keep them safe.
At the end of the day wearing a mask may have nothing to do with you. You may not believe you need to wear it, but if you care enough to lower someone’s anxiety about a virus that could potentially kill them; if you care enough that your actions could hurt someone; or if you just plain care about humanity, you should act as if you do. That has nothing to do with rights, and everything to do with human kindness.
Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash