coronavirus

Just last week, I heard the story of a young man who was denied entry to an establishment because he wasn’t wearing a mask. “It’s a mandate!” he was told. “You have to wear a mask to come inside!”

“I can’t wear a mask,” he replied. “I have an exemption. I have CFS.”

Legally, one isn’t required to disclose a medical exemption (see Amendment IV to the Constitution of the US.) However, this young man wished to make a point. “I have CFS! CFS!”

When someone asked him what this dreadful sounding condition was, he replied “Common F***ing Sense!”

He was admitted to the establishment.

Rules about wearing masks, while certainly not the only example of common sense (or the lack thereof), can be quite amusing. Let’s put aside the questions about the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of illness, and just look at some of the head-scratching rules and regulations.

For example…

I recently attended an outdoor event. As always, there were parking attendants. However, we were directed to park SIX FEET APART! Hm. I didn’t know that cars could contract CoVid. However, the traffic I was in this afternoon was bumper-to-bumper, and moving very slowly. I can only think that you can’t catch CoVid from a moving car, but a parked one could be dangerous.

My husband and I went out recently, and ran into a couple of old friends we hadn’t seen in a while. As we stood talking by the bar, we were asked to move because…CoVid. So, we moved a few feet away from the bar, which was fine. Apparently, you can catch CoVid right next to the bar, but not in the middle of the room.

I was at an outdoor event listening to a band. Benches for seating were marked off – “Don’t sit here!” Because – CoVid. So, the crowd stood behind the benches. There was a nearby tree with a planter around it, offering a great view of the band and unmarked seating. We sat shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone else, because obviously the tree provided CoVid protection.

Photo by Yaroslav Danylchenko on Pexels.com

We enjoyed an excellent brass ensemble. The band members were properly attired, and kept their masks in place for the entire performance. Luckily the masks had little flaps so they could play their instruments. No doubt the structure of the horns (tuba, trumpets, trombone) cleansed the air of CoVid. Further study should be done; can we find some funding for this?

You can catch CoVid from chopped salads in Texas. I ordered a salad at Subway, and asked for it to be chopped. “We can’t do that,” I was told, “because of CoVid.” Huh. OK, so the act of chopping the salad invites the CoVid virus into the lettuce. Or spinach. Or whatever.

Happily, chopped salads do NOT transmit CoVid in Louisiana. I ordered a salad at Subway last week, and I was asked “regular or chopped?” Wait – no, never mind. Chopped, thank you.

McDonald’s used to serve breakfast throughout the day. No more. Because, you know, CoVid. I could understand if they were just to tell me “we have to cut back because this CoVid merde is killing our business” – I get that. But don’t make it sound like eating an Egg McMuffin after 10:30 is dangerous.

Yesterday I saw a lone bike rider outside on a country road. Wearing a mask. I can’t count how many times I have seen a lone driver in a car…wearing a mask.

I heard someone say that expecting a fabric mask to stop a CoVid particle is like expecting a hurricane fence to stop a mosquito. Based on what I’ve read, that sounds about right as these particles are so tiny. What happens if a CoVid cootie gets caught in your mask? And what about those “valve” masks? You know, those edgy looking ones (often black) with the round valve on the side that allows your breath to escape. Is the valve magic? Do they trap the eensy-weensy CoVid particles and allow your breath to escape?

I can wear a mask, and my glasses still fog up. This should tell you something.

We do know that we should n’t touch our faces so as to reduce transmission of ANY virus. So what do we do? Fiddle with these obnoxious, irritating things on our faces. I must say – they do come in handy when I start to sneeze.

I think that I, too, may have a case of CFS. I read the outcome of the Danish mask study recently completed. 6,000 people, and no evidence that masks make any statistical difference in disease transmission. Luckily, CoVid has an extremely high survival rate, since these masks don’t really make a difference.

Now, if people would just quit throwing them away in the parking lot. Yuck.

The gospel scheduled for this coming Sunday is that of John 14. How especially appropriate is this, as we are surrounded by an almost hourly dose of fearful statistics and more stories of a virus with mysterious ways! We are inundated everywhere we turn by calls for reopening the economy / staying shut down / we will have to wear masks forever / people will die!! / suicides on the rise / businesses are failing / etc.

It seems that every utterance is one of fear or one of derision towards one school of thought or another. I hear and read comments that are diametrically opposed: We Should Already Have The Economy Opened up versus We Need To Stay Shut Down Until They Find A Vaccine. The irony here is that most people agree that this virus should not be taken lightly and we need to understand what will be the best approach for the greatest number of people. There is a point of diminishing returns, and everyone has different opinions on it – and those different opinions fuel the fires of fear.

I can’t help but wonder: If we follow Christ, then why do we fear?

Of course, we fear for our loved ones who may be more vulnerable. We fear for ourselves, our family, friends, coworkers, those in the medical field, the folks who work at the grocery store, the baristas at our favorite coffeeshop, the folks who own and who work at our favorite restaurants and businesses, our country, and the world.

But it seems that we are forgetting the most critical thing: God’s got this.

Take a breath. God’s got this. We have a responsibility to do what we think is best – and then, let it go. Not everyone is going to agree on the same approach to this.

I keep hearing comments like “I get so angry when I see people running around without masks! They are so inconsiderate!” (Maybe they have a breathing or sinus problem that wearing a mask exacerbates. Maybe they’re trying to practice social distancing, so stay out of their way.) I also hear comments like “where are all these people going? Why are there so many cars on the road? They need to stay home!” (Maybe they’re just getting out of the house for a ride. Maybe they’re running an errand for someone who’s vulnerable. At any rate, their cooties are in their cars with them.)

Take a breath. God’s got this. All we can “control” (and I use that word lightly) is what WE do. We’re in charge of our own choices, and the rest is up to God.

Isn’t that a relief? Why are we forgetting this?

But people will die!

Well…yes. I hate the idea that I may lose someone (or my own life) to this virus, and I know we all feel that way. But have we forgotten that we all die anyway? Sure, we don’t want to go before it’s our time, but again…our time is in God’s hands.

There’s a lot of fear and disagreement about “opening up,” and I get that.

But when we fuel fear, we separate ourselves from God, and we encourage others to be separate from God.

We focus on the fallacy that we can control this, and we can’t. Sure, we can be cautious, wash our hands, and do what we can to “flatten the curve.” Let’s not forget that yes, there will be more deaths attributed to this virus. (There will also be more deaths attributed to auto accidents, cancer, influenza, heart disease, suicide, war, violence, etc.) As people begin to move around more, there will almost certainly be an increase in infections. Don’t forget the idea of the shutdown was to not overwhelm the medical system, and we’ve been successful with that.

We don’t have to live in fear. Importantly, we don’t have to wield fear as a weapon to “make people behave.” We don’t have to judge others or make them examples of our righteousness if they don’t behave as we (or some expert) thinks they should behave. We might do well to remember that the models we’ve seen have been wrong, and that logic tells us we should be cautious – but not panic.

Be not afraid. Let not your hearts be troubled. God’s got this.

a samaritan woman

Meanderings and musings on & off a Spiritual path

Exemption: CFS

Let not your hearts be troubled.