Please think of someone other than yourself

                I’m at the most apprehensive time I can think that I’ve ever been in my life. My kids are about to go to school. I’m not upset that they are going to go away or not need me anymore. I’m not afraid that they are going to be scared, or that they are going to miss me. I’m scared because there is a raging pandemic, one that has been increasingly affecting children. I’m scared because adults are returning to work, which means more contacts for them to potentially contract the disease and spread it to their children. Which in turn means that those children can infect my children.

                I’ve always been one to avoid a conversation with someone, but that is because I need a “script” to follow. I need to know how the interaction is going to go. How am I supposed to know that my family will remain safe if I interact with someone? Understandably, this is something that has come up time and again in the last several months. People from all walks of live have questioned whether they can trust someone not wearing a mask, or someone wearing a mask. Seemingly both are out kill the other. It would seem that each and every one of us is out to ensure the other dies.

                We’ve gotten to a point where common sense and health are correlated with politics. We no longer think about what is best for everyone. No, we think about what matches our opinions the most. Something that has been synonymous with medical care for years is now seen as idiotic, something only sheep would wear. Wearing something that we believe could protect those around us is stupid. In fact, many people who see people wearing masks think that they are fools, bamboozled, imbeciles.

                Who cares that these people actually care more about those around them than people who don’t think there is a problem? Who cares that that people who refuse to take very minor steps to protect people around them won’t? Who cares that the more people who don’t take the current situation seriously will ultimately affect my children?

You can believe whatever you want to believe… you damn well better believe that your beliefs affect others. You can think that everything over the last 2 years is because of politics. You can believe that the mortality rate is very low.
                What you can’t deny is that people catch this virus from others. Steps to prevent that spread are common sense.

I’m apprehensive about sending my kids to school because I know that there are people who are against protecting themselves from us.

There are those that think this virus that has claimed 600K American lives is either non-lethal or something dreamed up by politics. I’m somehow supposed to think that my kids are safe co-mingling with these people. Not to say that these are evil people, but if they aren’t willing to take the bare-minimum pre-cautions… how can I ever trust these people?

If they aren’t willing to protect my children, how can I think that they would ever be trustworthy? How would I ever ok a sleepover? How would I ever accept a scout leader? I’m supposed to allow my children to like who they like, regardless of my opinions.

But really? I’m supposed to let my kids lose with people who think that public health is outreach? My kids are supposed to fraternize with people who think that caring about someone other than themselves is fascism?

I don’t know what to do right now. My kids need to go to school, I can’t possibly teach them what they need to know. The only way they can learn what makes them essential to society is to go to school. However, going to school right now, leaves them vulnerable to the worst of America and I’m sure that they will get sick.

That is my biggest fear. My children getting sick of something deadly and preventable. Also knowing that the most likely place they’d contract this disease is school.

I can’t imagine being so heartless that you’re against masking. I just don’t know how you can be against something that medical professionals have used for decades to keep us alive, but apparently that doesn’t work for this particular infection. Apparently, all other airborne viruses can be held in check by masks, except COVID…cause I guess that’s political…I don’t know…it’s dumb.

If you even remotely care about anyone other than yourself, you will wear a mask and get vaccinated. I don’t know how there got to be a debate around this. I get being hesitant, and feeling that its overwhelming. I do, but the world is more than you. It always has been, it always will be. You can do your part, you can make it a better place for others. You can ensure that others live…all you have to do is care about someone else. Pretend that if they were sick they would care about you, and protect you from them.