self·ish /ˈselfiSH/
Medical experts have told us that wearing a mask and minimizing contact with others will greatly impact the country’s effort to reduce the spread of Covid 19. There has been a movement in this country submitting that the suggestion and enforcement of mask wearing in public spaces is an infringement on their rights.
When I first saw this I was dumbfounded. I am not a medical expert but it made perfect sense to me that the wearing of a mask would reduce the spread of the virus. After all, medical professionals wear PPE which includes masks, gloves and gowns for their protection and for ours. I could not understand why anyone would be opposed to the stoppage of the spreading of Covid or any other illness if it were possible. I have concluded, that the root cause of this defiant pushback against wearing a mask is rooted in selfishness.
Selfish is defined as lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure. When we are selfish the spotlight is squarely on us and there is no room for anyone else. When selfish, we make choices based only on what either benefits or ensures our comfortability. If you are a Christian and are a part of this anti-mask movement, think about your neighbor. Whether or not you believe Covid is a threat, simply honor your neighbor by wearing a mask.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” - Philippians 2:4.
Think of all of those people who have lost loved ones as a result of this virus. The insensitivity found in the refusal to do something as simple and basic as putting on a mask in public spaces is disheartening. It costs you nothing to simply place a mask on your face when you are interacting with others in a public space.
To all of you who believe that your freedom has somehow been infringed upon because you feel the government is telling you to wear a mask in public spaces, you sound so small in light of the fight for freedom that black and brown bodies are fighting. You cry that you can’t breathe while wearing a mask while George Floyd’s breath was consistently pressured out of his body for eight minutes and 46 seconds. You present yourself so petty to launch an entire movement because you cannot go to the beach. I understand that you may feel that it speaks to a larger issue of the government telling you what to do in a “free” society, but the same reason why most reasonable, decent folk cover their mouths when they yawn, cough or sneeze, is the same reason that our medical experts are asking you to wear a mask when in contact with others in public.
People are dying from this virus, daily. Even if you believe this virus is a hoax and don’t understand the logic in wearing a mask, wear one anyway for your neighbor. Covid is shining yet another light on the fact that we really care very little about one another. Your choice to not wear a mask puts others in danger. Do something that puts others interests before your own. You will see that in so doing, you are also protecting yourself in the process.
"True freedom is not the liberty to do whatever we want; it is the strength to do what we should. That is also true bravery. May God grant us that strength."
—Ravi Zacharias
I am praying that your heart changes. I am praying that God softens your heart to be sensitive to the well being not only of yourself, but of others. I am praying that you accept that your actions directly affect others and could have an adverse effect on others. In the name of true freedom and Christian love, show some grace and stop solely thinking of yourself.