It is not a me issue, it is an us issue. This is the mask debate. I should not be writing this so far into the mask debate as most of the country has issued mask mandates. Yet, here I am. My wife and I recently took a vacation up to the Upper Peninsula. The nature was beautiful, the water was cold, and everyone wore a mask. Glorious, all the way around.
Yes, one of the small towns I was, no one in the shop wore a mask, but the worker wore his mask when he saw I wore mine. Not the case in Iowa. This is what we should all be doing, but for most who oppose masks, this is about “personal rights.” The lamest excuse in the book. I get America is a very individualistic country but come on.
Wearing a mask has never been about me. Masks suck. I wear my glasses, and they instantly fog up when I mask up. This is a failure of not a perfect mask. I also hate making conversations harder with a mask, but in the end, I do not want others to get sick. This is my only reason for wearing a mask.
I have heard of and had conversations with people, who do not wear masks, who say they are not worried about getting sick. No duh. Me too. I do not believe I will get deathly ill from COVID-19. I also do not want the guilt of knowing I spread the virus to a bunch of different individuals because I chose not to wear a mask.
This is not some huge movement where we do not see the effects until twenty years in the future. The proof is in the pudding. The statistics have shown places with mask mandates have seen cases gone down. Put away those personal grievances and wear a mask. This is almost too easy. In fact, it is.
The only way this pandemic ends sooner than the arrival of a vaccine if we mask up. The economy has not done the best because people are afraid of getting sick. If we all mask up, social distance a little, we will get healthier. Look at most other countries, they got through it, and yet, the most developed country in the world struggles.
Credit is due to most of the country doing better than we were in July, but Iowa is still middling along. Mask up, Iowans. Care about others and let’s beat this virus together.