It’s safe to say I lost the bet.
When this whole shit-storm started in March 2020, we started discussing at work how long this would last. And in the beginning, you had so many opinions – even at the top of the political spectrum – on what was going to happen.
All any of us truly had to go back on were the things that had happened over the past decade or two that never resulted in what we are currently going through.
We had just had schools closed down when this discussion took place. Heck, there weren’t even mask mandates or anything in place yet.
Several people thought the schools would be shut down through the end of the year. Me, being an optimist, said there was no way they’d allow graduations to not take place. So I thought … meh, mid May or so. We’ll be back and spring sports will go on.
Little did I know.
Here we are nearly two full years later and we are still in the middle of a pandemic. The cases go up, we all freak. The cases go down, we all relax.
Well, maybe not all.
The problem with COVID is there’s not a lot of middle ground. One side thinks we should be living as free as possible – it’s just a cold. The other side thinks we should be living in a bubble and shutting things down until this virus goes away.
We can’t get along well enough to compromise. I mean, hell, political people’s careers are on the line! They have to cater to their people!
So here we are. And who knows when this will end. I mean, it’s never going away. So there has to be a point where we realize we have to all just do our own thing.
I know this – I’m pretty good about wearing masks. And being I work in two school districts – and schools are cesspools for germs – those masks have kept me healthy. I don’t care what people say. I know how long it’s been (knock on wood) since I’ve had a cold. And it’s been a truly long time. So they work for me.
I’m also vaccinated, with the booster. My choice.
So, if you don’t want to wear a mask – your choice. But it’s also the choice of a business if they don’t want to serve you. Remember, it goes both ways. Businesses can also choose to refuse to serve people who wear a mask. So don’t complain on either side of the fence. Private businesses are just that. Private.
If you don’t get vaccinated – your choice. Same for me wanting to be vaccinated. But again, in the world we are in … if a private business (remember, places that hold sporting events and concerts usually are private companies) decides to mandate the need for a vaccination, that’s how life is.
No matter what you choose, please don’t be a hypocrite.
The “my body, my choice” argument is fine. But remember that same argument when there are other controversial issues with the “my body, my choice” argument. I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. You are allowed your opinion and I fully agree with the “your body, your choice” argument. But you can’t then turn around and try and tell people what they should do with their body.
This pandemic has really divided society. We were on edge before this as it was with the political spectrum. But add this to the mix and we’ve gone really over the edge.
I’m sticking with my “May” prediction for when this ends. But, please note, I never truly specified a year! I’m ready for this to be over though, with the hopes that maybe people can get along again.
How about all of you? What do you think about all of this as it still goes on?
This post is part of the 2022 20 Days of Chill Writing Challenge hosted by A ‘lil HooHaa. Please check out the links (intro I themes) if you’d like to see the setup and themes! You don’t have to do every theme if you don’t want to! And for those participating, take a moment and check out the other participants!
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