American Outrage

Enough was enough. I had some strong emotions after leaving a store and to top it off, this sign was still up on my way home so I needed to write about it. It's Story Time...

So today I went to the grocery store and I watched this woman walk straight in with no mask. There was no fidgeting through a purse, no pivot back to the car, no sign at all that she was doing something wrong. She just went in. Can you imagine the confused look I had on my face? I know, I know, perhaps it truly did slip her mind. I mean, I was just thinking the other day how often I've unintentionally left the car with no mask but at some point before entering a building, I remember, and I go back and retrieve it. ALWAYS. It feels completely weird now to almost walk in a building with no mask on. I always get that signal to my brain saying, "Hey wait a minute. You forgot something". But okay, maybe she truly didn't have that moment; I could be tripping. But there was something about her smirk that made her actions seem very intentional. 

I watched her as she entered the store and chose to go the opposite way of the regular flow of traffic when you enter this store; as if she was trying to walk in unseen, just to see if she could actually get away with it. But okay, maybe I was tripping. Seeing EVERY other shopper still gave her no inkling that she was missing something. Okay! And the fact that absolutely no one said anything to her? In 2020? During a pandemic? If people do get that far to the door without a lightbulb going off in their brain, an employee will kindly remind them that they need a mask, and depending on the store, they will have some to offer you. But that didn't happen here. No one else is concerned? Okay, maybe I'm wrong. 

Maybe I was just upset with her because she was the same lady that weaseled her way into a parking spot that I was going for just a minute ago. Or maybe I was still furious because a few moments prior, I stopped at a fast-food restaurant and witnessed a worker walk out of the bathroom without washing her hands (pandemic or no pandemic, this is really still happening?) So I could have just been letting my frustrations build up. Either way, I took a moment, I prayed for her, for myself, and every person in the store. I prayed that none of us would get sick, that none of us were currently sick, and get this...I prayed for my heart because I did not want my outrage for this woman's actions to cause me to show hate towards her. So I asked God to help me. And I realize that it's bigger than her. Even with prayer, I still was perplexed; was it better to show mercy on this person and excuse her neglectful behavior? So what if she didn't have on a mask. She may have forgotten, she may have been too far from home to have to go all the way back for a mask. Or was it okay to be upset with someone who neglected to follow rules mandated by the mayor, neglected to be a responsible adult, and neglected to accept consequences that she shouldn't have been able to go into the store? 

Am I wrong for being tired of people still getting away with not following rules that will help keep everyone safe, and then going the extra mile to scream to everyone that they shouldn't have to follow the rules? Here I am doing everything that I possibly can to not be infected. I often feel alone. There are so many things that matter: family, community, faith. Yet it seems that everyone assumes that these priorities cannot be simultaneously prioritized with staying safe and being wise. If I choose to take extra precautions, then I must be living in fear and doing the most. Why? 

Why isn't it understandable that I DO NOT WANT IT? Why isn't that enough? Do I now have to explain to everyone that I have high blood pressure, that I have two young children at home, that I'm prediabetic? Is that enough for you to understand or will that shift the conversation to talk about how if I do get sicker than others with the virus, it is my fault for having underlying conditions? The real question is, is it my poor choices or the poor resources afforded to my "urban neighborhood" that brought on the issues to begin with? Some have had Rona and got over it and went back to their regular activities. That's amazing! But I don't want it. Period! I don't want to play Russian roulette with how it would affect me and my household. Let me be clear. I love the Lord, I trust Him and I know He's a healer. But I do not want it. I trust God AND I don't want to expose myself. AT THE SAME TIME! Listen, I'm going to live and I pray God heals the land. But I'm tired of everyone trying to go "back to normal" and ignore all the problems that Covid shined a light on. 

Back to normal? Yeah, it's starting to sound real M.AG.A.-ish to me. What was normal about it? The achievement gap in a system where resources are skewed, curriculum is biased, yet somehow all students are held to the same standard(blue)eyezed testing? Normal that before handouts and stimulus checks, the rich were fine and the lower and middle classes still had struggles. Black people were dying unjustly at the hands of the police during a pandemic...let's go back to normal when Black people were dying unjustly at the hands of the police before the pandemic. Should we keep the normal where people are more outraged that they can't have a party or attend a graduation and fight so hard against wearing a stupid mask that is supposed to keep us safe, these so-called infringements upon their rights are more outrageous than a WHOLE people fighting for their mere lives to matter? It was normal to not have to wear masks, but remember when some people wore masks and everyone thought they were dangerous looking? They can't take away our rights right? How dare they tell us we have to wear a mask, or tell us to wear it over our nose, or tell us not to be close to others? But yet those other people get to have protests to fight for their lives? The nerve! What seems like "rights" sounds more like "privilege". And the ones who have it, don't care to know the difference. Other countries have overcome Covid but we can't seem to get it together. We're fighting the wrong fight and our states are not united. Perhaps because we won't admit to the true viruses plaguing America, therefore the masks/band-aids aren't enough to cover up the deep-rooted diseases.