COVID 19, It’s Not About Mask Mandates or Vaccines, It’s about GIVING A DAMN about your fellow human beings

As we approach 2022 and all of the challenges we will undoubtedly face, I think it’s important to take our temperature as a nation. Since March of 2020, we’ve been fighting a double pandemic of the COVID-19 virus and a culture of self-centeredness that’s developed around it. While the information and reporting on the subject can be confusing, as science unfolds in real-time, at least two certainties we know to be true: masking and vaccinations slow the spread of the virus to others.

Even though these simple protections have been tested, approved, and authenticated by an overwhelming majority of the world’s scientists and researchers, there are a significant number of people who refuse to wear a mask or get a shot because they view it as an attack on their personal freedom. This type of thinking fails to address the fact that individual liberties are protected by all of us working together, not by one person alone. Those who GIVE A DAMN understand that protecting others from catching a potentially deadly virus is supporting the right to “life,” which is required before you can even begin to exercise “liberty.”

I’m sick and tired of people discussing constitutional rights when it comes to the topic of wearing a mask or getting the vaccine. Do you want to know the real reason why mask mandates are being enforced? It’s because people cannot move past their self-interest. They don’t seem to care enough about others to take simple, freely available measures to keep the virus from mutating and bring case numbers down. Instead, they use this so-called “violation” of their constitutional rights as an excuse and stage to perform their arrogance and ignorance.

The reasoning I’ve heard from this crowd for their inaction is, “We won’t wear a mask because we don’t want the government telling us what to do; It’s in our constitution.” This group fails to realize that this type of thinking is evidence suggets that they do not Give A DAMN about others, which exemplifies their self-centeredness and selfishness. If most of us insist on acting selfishly, then the representative government we’ve elected must mandate masks because you couldn’t be bothered to take community action and protect the rights of others by protecting their health as they should yours. The idea that the government is infringing on personal liberties is a false justification because someone can’t think about or get past doing the right thing, such as wearing a mask and getting vaccinated. Not everything is about you; it should be about the people around you. It’s as simple as that.

This attitude is yet another stop on the road that our country is currently traveling down. It’s a toxic stew that is one part disregard for our fellow human beings and two parts more of a concern about our rights, privileges, and feelings. What happened to our social contract with one another or the duties and responsibilities we have as human beings? When did that suddenly go out the window? Yes, we must take care of ourselves first, but it’s about what we can do to save lives and protect others through wearing masks and getting vaccinated. I don’t buy the excuses for not wearing a mask or refusing the vaccine; I know it’s the right thing to do. The facts are there: a combination of protective masks and higher vaccination rates slows the spread of disease and saves lives. It’s as simple as that.

Maybe we would see some improvements in the world around us if we all opted to do the right thing instead of trying to justify doing the wrong thing because we refuse to think of anyone other than ourselves. If you GIVE A DAMN, then you do whatever you can to act outside of the self-centered domain and always consider what’s best for everyone. People working together with this attitude is the only way this world will flourish, and I think it bears repeating: it’s as simple as that.