For those of you that have been following along for the past couple of years (thank you, by the way) you have heard me share my perspective on wearing surgical masks before (2/26/18 - 9/15/19). Current Covid circumstances being what they are, I feel compelled to offer one more observation on the matter. IMHO we are witnessing a fascinating study in the shift of societal norms that now, almost overnight, the idea of wearing a mask for protection went from overkill to lifesaving. And that got me thinking (oh great, here he goes). What other norms that we practice today, were once considered unnecessary or the over-reachings of a mommy state?
Seat Belts - There are many among you that recall a distant time when we romped around in the way-back of a station wagon without a care in the world; or a seat belt. And even my younger followers might recall sitting on the "bump seat" (front-seat armrests of their grandparents' overly-large car); restrained by nothing but the loving right arm of a doting grandfather. Car Seats, restraining belts and air bags have all come into acceptance - and are all saving lives.
Smoking - Not so recently, smoking was just what everyone did; almost like a right of passage to adulthood. It was so assumed and prevalent that cars came standard with an ashtray and built-in lighter. Now you can't even get that as an upgrade. Movie ratings even come with "Contains Scenes of Smoking" as a cautionary warning along with sex and violence. And as a mere anecdotal core sampling of my immediate family, there is not one smoker among the ten of us.
Sunscreen - Yous may not be willing to admit it, but some of yous went to the beach, slathered on baby oil (to increase the sun's browning ability) and then laid out with a reflector in order to further intensify the solar rays - creating nothing short of a human microwave oven. Now we know better and exercise more caution. I for example drink several shots of Banana Boat SPF-50 before venturing out for a sunny day on the Joizee Shore (under an umbrella ella ella).
And now wearing a mask has joined the pantheon of protective practices. They can be homemade, they come in all your favorite sports teams colors/logos, and they are as accepted or expected as wearing gloves on a cold winter day. And maybe, just maybe, when this is all over (which it will be), we'll remember the value of this practice and carry it over to any time when we are sick and respectfully don't want to share our germs with the world around us. Mask up and Save lives.
