Living Unmasked
In case you missed it yesterday, President Biden announced that the science states that vaccinated people can now gather in small groups outside without masks. If you live in the middle of the country, this announcement seems like a strange, out-of-touch, slightly crazy declaration. For many of us, we never knew we weren’t allowed outside without a mask. We showed some caution last spring, but who can afford to stop living due to a miniscule risk? Politics aside, the economics of it is just impossible.
Does President Biden, or his ilk, really think that farmers are out on their land, fixing fence and feeding cows with a mask on? Does he think that road crews, carpenters, plumbers, and welders are wearing face coverings all day and cowering in corners? Of course not. The show must go on.
You see, there is a breed of people in this country that WILL NOT succumb to fear. They are the ones that have always fought our wars, persevered through dust storms, drought, and hard times. The ones who don’t WANT a handout stimulus check. Now, this same commendable work ethic and strength of character is to be feared, shunned, and rejected as dangerous.
Ask yourself what the purpose of masks is, other than to stop a small percentage of virus particles you may come in contact with. Incidentally, viruses in general are much smaller than the weave in your average mask sold at Walmart. In fact, most of them are labeled as such. Where did this attitude of “for the greater good to protect my neighbor” come from? Certainly not from the ones that do not even know their neighbors. The ones who cower inside their houses, waiting on salvation from high places?
You see, it isn’t about a piece of cloth — it is about rending the cloth of our society into shreds. Community is based on sharing — grief, worship, food, gossip, fun, sorrow, and work. It is a tapestry of good and bad, woven together into a piece that is greater than the sum of its parts. How do you destroy that? You remove the togetherness, stitch by stitch. You remove the ability to share a meal, a beer, a pot of chicken soup. The community unravels and those who once loved their neighbors now fear them.
How do we sew it back together? Will it ever be as strong, once patched and repaired? Your government and the powerful hope not. They would prefer you cover your voice, breathe stagnant air, and watch others in fear, rather than looking towards the future with clarity. America was founded on individualism, not collectivism. Ayn Rand and George Orwell can be banned for a lifetime, but it will not erase history. This individual chooses to remain a part of the community, attend church, shake hands, smile, and move on.
