Meanderings ~ Not all who wander are lost: Rock-tober 05, 2020

Andrea has a close friend who's a counselor by profession. She recently told Andrea that by her observation, one's personality type determined how you were dealing with the social distancing and isolation brought on by the pandemic. Gregarious socialites were having a particularly rough go, while introverts were taking the respite from community in stride. She asked Andrea how I was doing, smiling the entire time, as she already knew the answer.

"Are you kidding? When Governor Hogan announced he was locking down the state of Maryland, Wayne jumped up into a goofy superhero pose and yelled, "THIS IS MY TIME!"

I'm a Gen-X latch key kid from the '70s. Starting in 3rd grade, I walked home from school every afternoon to an empty house, prepped my own after school snack, knocked out any homework, and happily entertained myself with Sesame Street and Speed Racer on TV until Mom and Dad got home. As an only child, there were no built-in playmates to relieve the isolation. But to me, it wasn't isolation; it was solitude. Apparently, I'm one of the rare souls that actually looks at Tom Hanks's Castaway scenario rather wistfully - but I'd let Andrea hang out on the island if she wanted.

Now I have the governor mandating I stay home and avoid people? Pfft. Who do you think you're talking to? I've been in training for this my entire life.

It's a few months later, and restrictions in Maryland are easing. We're able to venture out provided we wear a mask. I was very surprised when a simple face covering threw a significant portion of the population into a tailspin. They presented a long list of arguments against masks.

They're uncomfortable. Yep. Even Mom doesn't like wearing the N-95s required at her clinic, but she does so to protect herself and her coworkers. She's in that critical age group and her medical history puts her more at risk. Andrea and I discussed this. We both have a fairly high risk tolerance and would be OK not wearing masks. However, our risk tolerance drops when we consider other people. We don't want to be the infection vector that puts a friend or family member in the hospital. We wear masks not out of fear for ourselves, but out of concern and respect for other people in our lives.

It's Unconstitutional. No. It's not. A Google search will turn up countless instances of individuals railing against and even assaulting employees of businesses that require face masks to enter the premises. This is puzzling since as a society we've already accepted the declaration of "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service". Why are some people suddenly stymied by a small face covering? As a private business, these companies can set ground rules to protect their employees as well as their clientele. If one disagrees, I firmly believe they have every right not to patronize them. However, they don't have the right to be a jackhole about it.

They don't work. Granted, the full efficacy of face masks is in flux. That's not necessarily bad. A few centuries ago, the basic medical understanding of the nature of pathogens was rife with errors. These flawed presumptions would stand for years, sometimes decades, until proper, systematic studies provided a course correction.

Today, all aspects of COVID-19 are being studied and peer-reviewed by scientists the world over. Because of technology's reach and modern hyper-connectivity, the data stream on this topic is enormous. The faster and more abundantly new improved data comes at you, the faster and more frequently you may have to revise your stance.

I personally have no problem with wearing a mask. Mom is a healthcare professional and I've seen her in masks my whole life. On multiple occasions, I've even seen dad sporting '70s era, military issue full-face gas masks, once scaring the hell out of me when he woke me up wearing full combat headgear. Maybe these experiences inured me to any awkwardness in wearing them on a daily basis.

I would also note wearing a mask in public gives you a certain amount of anonymity. I would think this would be a big plus to certain segments of mask detractors. Besides, when I'm out and about, I derive a sizable amount of personal satisfaction knowing I can stick out my tongue at jackholes I encounter without their knowledge.