In 2014, I had "routine" surgery for Graves' Disease. It turned out to be not-so routine. I was re-intubated shortly after my surgery when I suffered an unexplained, unexpected laryngospasm. I spent the next twelve hours afraid and in a type of misery I would never wish on anyone. By God's grace, the ordeal left me with vocal paralysis, but able to breathe and able to speak. That being said, Pennsylvania's current recommendation of wearing face coverings to stop the spread of COVID-19, is a bit unnerving for me. To say it brings back some terrible feelings is an understatement; to say it makes it difficult for me to breathe, even more so. Add to this, seasonal allergies and a deviated septum, and masks of any kind are not my friends.
My husband and I operate a small business. By God's grace, we have been allowed to operate during this pandemic. I work as an essential employee in the transportation industry. We have not gone without a meal. In fact, we have been able to provide financial help to some of our children during a time in which they have been unemployed. We are blessed.
Even putting all of that aside, I am not at all in favor of the way this "quarantine" has been handled. Quarantine is, by definition, a period of isolation for those who have been exposed to infectious or contagious disease. If, in this country, a police officer kneeling on a man's neck for nine minutes (an act resulting in that man's death) is considered innocent until proven guilty, why am I and millions of others considered infected until proven otherwise? And if I have observed quarantine for the recommended days (14) and then some, why am I still being forced to wear a mask and stay at home? Why has abortion been judged to be essential, but mammograms and knee surgeries are still being postponed? Why is Home Depot's garden center essential and my child's education is not? Why can I go to a job which receives non-essential merchandise from all over the country, sending it far and wide, but neighborhood dress shops, dinettes, bakeries and hardware stores are forced to shutter their doors, leaving friends and family without a paycheck -- for months? I can't imagine what shape we'd be in if one of us hadn't worked for months. Some of those Mom and Pops employ, quite literally, Mom and Pop!
When was the last time a stranger walked up to you, deliberately hacked in your face and darted off? But it seems as though we are supposed to see this as an everyday occurrence, and the breath -- the very existence of others -- as the enemy. Sounds to me like we are dangerously close to being divided and conquered. I care for two children under the age of eight, and Mom, who will soon turn ninety. I wash my hands frequently and require others in our home to do likewise. I remove my work clothes at the door. I have adopted new practices, maintained those I observed during cold and flu season, and no longer do some of the things I would have done prior to this outbreak. I am using what I believe to be common sense to ward off an enemy -- illness. My neighbor is not my enemy. I have a problem with the media that tends to cultivate that type of mentality and the authorities who allow them (if not exploit them) to do it. And yet...
Christians -- and others, but Christians?! -- fighting it out on social media. Dropping F-bombs and hoping others "will suffer for being so damned ignorant." Turning peaceful protests into gun-toting "I dare you" events. Name calling and accusations. Are you kidding me?! We all have different opinions. We all have different and vested interests in what happens in our communities and in our nation. We can all learn from each other, provided we are willing to listen. We can all encourage and educate others, provided we are willing to learn. What are we doing to ourselves, people? Please, I am begging everyone:
Know your enemy. It is NOT your neighbor.
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