@Shop-et-al wrote:
Remember Benjamin Franklin? He once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
This was issued in a different time, but the essential principal is the same.
It is good for censorship, surveillance, and other intrusions. Over time, people become desensitized and will no longer mind being owned pawns of their governments.
If you dislike smoke, stay at home and let the smokers smoke. If you fear covid, stay at home. If you don't like pee-ey water, stay out of swimming pools. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen... and clever ones remember that Truman was fond of the little saying.
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But the problem is not that I dislike smoke, but it has a harmful effect on others. That is why no smoking laws were created. It is not about you (the smoker) but other people. So that line of reasoning is backwards. If you have to smoke, stay off the plane, stay out of the restaurant, stay out of the church, library, and stay out of the office. If you have to smoke, you stay home.
Mask work the same way. It's not really about you (the no mask proponent), it's more about others. If you are positive the mask hinders from you passing it on to the other person. Is it 100%, probably not. However, think of it this way, using the smoking example again. If you had a mouth full of smoke, there is a lot less chance of you blowing smoke in my face if you were wearing a mask or if there was some barrier between you and me. Mask wearing is the main mitigation that has prevented the spread of Covid to the extent that it has. As people have grown tired of following the guidelines, the spread has increased. The states that did not have a lot of Covid initially and had relaxed guidelines at best are now becoming the most significant hot spots. It was only a matter of time. The populace has grown weary of well doing, and is letting their guards down. And now we live and die with the consequences.
It is not about the "fear" of Covid. It's about the awareness of Covid. The NBA was aware of the Covid and followed strict guidelines being aware of what needed to be done to prevent the disease from penetrating their bubble. Not one case in nearly 4 months, the rest of the season. We, individuals, have to create our own little bubble so to speak. Follow guidelines. Wearing a mask is major component of our own individual bubble. Wearing a mask has not affected my life. I shop, I hike (with a group of friends), eat outside at restaurants (with friends), my normal day to day stuff, bike ride,walk, and can be found in the mountains, near streams, or by the ocean at least once a week.
I have made some adjustments regarding mystery shopping. I did nothing from mid April to the end of September. I discovered I like that. Presently, I just do relatively quick shops. In and out, and preferably outdoors a lot of the time. I am as busy as I want to be and have all the work I care to handle. I will probably never negotiate the price of a car, tour an apartment, or talk to some financial advisor again. With the holidays approaching, I have about 10 days I'm mystery shopping for the rest of the year. Covid is rampant, and I'm hearing about more and more people that I know testing positive. I just intend to take it easy, be safe, and enjoy the rest and relaxation.