Itās a bit late for this but itās still a topic that comes up and I havenāt said this to anyone other than my buddies vincentnijman and @ryivhnn. Vincent would probably prefer that I didnāt tag him for this topic š
I used to consider myself fairly radical, non-violent, but relatively far leaning to one side. These days, I find myself in a moderate position on a number of issues. I donāt think Iāve changed much actually. Itās more like the world has changed, everyone pushing further and further into different directions.
This whole mask thing.
The level of paranoia and even policing in some countries is definitely extreme. I get why some people would be unhappy about it. I get why some people would wanna fight against it. Nobody likes being pressured to do things.
At the same time, I canāt help but feel that a fear of masks is just as unhealthy as a fear of illness. A mask isnāt going to hurt you. It isnāt going to stop oxygen flow to your brain. If that were true, everyone in Asia would have brain damage already. If youāre not wearing it at home or while you sleep, I honestly donāt see any reason to fear a mask.
āBut itās part of a plan to control us, take away our freedom, and symbolically cover our mouthsā
Maybe? Could be? I mean, I hear you. I think this needs to be discussed. It is very possible that we are being manipulated. But I also donāt know for sure what is manipulation and what is just reaction to fear. Itās really easy to blame the bogeyman. There are always powerful people thinking of their own interests, and itās impossible for us to see everything that they have their hands in. But at the same time, I find it much more common that what we experience is due to our collective fear manifesting.
Overwhelming fear of an illness, fear that interferes with our thought process will hinder our decision making abilities and likely caused us to make the illness spread. Overwhelming fear of the powers that be and their plan to get us all wearing masks all the time would likely have the same affect on our freedoms. It will only give them more power over us. The more we indulge our fear based thinking, the more we hurt ourselves. It doesnāt matter what it is we fear.
First and foremost, I believe in the power of the human body to heal itself and to fight off illness. Obviously our habits and lifestyles will have an impact on our ability to do this. If you donāt get enough sleep and eat a bunch of chemicals, get depressed and worried all the time, well, Iām not sure your body will be able to fight off most illnesses! But Iām also not judging people for not living the healthiest lifestyles. Itās hard in the world we live in.
Everything in its right time. Health is a process that never ends, and we can only be as healthy as we are ready to be.
So for those who arenāt health-conscious, constantly meditating perfect beings, a mask could probably help you avoid a rather inconvenient illness. Not only the one that has been going around the news recently, but also a common cold or the flu.
As someone who still eats a bit more sugar than I should, a bit more meat than I could, and sleeps a bit less than Iād like, Iād like to avoid putting myself at extra risk. I meet elderly people frequently enough and many of them arenāt in the best of shape. Iām cautious for their sake.
So I wear a mask.
Itās not out of fear. I donāt wear it all the time. I still go out. I still meet people regularly. I never stopped. I just do little things to minimize the risk of infection without making huge compromises to my daily life for something that, at its very worst is just a tad bit more dangerous than the flu (and may be less dangerous than the flu). 100 cases a day in a city of millions (considering the low death rate here) is not enough for me to make drastic changes.
The mask is really not a big deal. People in Japan have been wearing masks forever, not as a rule but as a courtesy. If your habits are crap, it doesnāt really seem to do much because your immune system will be such a mess that even a tiny particle could get you sick. But if you have a good habits, seems to make a big difference. One particle vs whole mouthfuls of other peopleās breath can make a difference. Washing hands and wearing a mask really seems to make a difference. Itās not as good as really healthy habits, but itās something.
Iām not gonna get on peoples ass for promoting the wearing of masks. Iām not gonna rant and rave about how stupid it is, when it could clearly help some people.
The mask is not the problem.
The hysteria is.
And hysteria on one side tends to feed hysteria on the opposite side. So I really donāt think much about this in my every day life. On an empty street you wonāt find me wearing a mask, but as soon as I get to the Main Street, I put one on. After 9 or 10 when things die down, I put the mask away for the day. I donāt wear it when Iām with friends. I donāt avoid all physical contact with them. But I will wash my hands a bit more. Why the hell not?
Am I being controlled? Have I been manipulated? I really donāt think so. Iāve made one or two tiny adjustments to my life, and if I can put aside those paranoid thoughts of some nefarious plan to control people (Iāve had them too!), those habits feel totally alright to me. The extent to which others take those habits is a totally different story, I do think a lot of people are being too extreme. Sitting outside for a nice meal inside of a plastic bubble for example. Checking the news three times a day for example. Shouting at people for not having the same level of paranoia that they have, for example. Thatās too much!
All of this being said, I do have to admit that Iām lucky. Iām in Japan, and while the hysteria certainly ran itās course here, and the 8 oāclock soft curfew and later 10 oāclock soft curfew on businesses was utter nonsense, Absolutely nothing has been enforced. It is this freedom that allows me to say all this. On the other hand, the death rate has been extremely low here which is probably why nothing has been enforced.
This also feels like a sign that not everything is part of a plan. If it were all part of a plan to control us, I feel like the situation would be similar in most countries connected to the western finance system and political influence, but itās not, at all. Why control some people and not others?
For all those who donāt want to be forced to do anything, I empathize. Iām with you. But like I said, the mask isnāt really the problem, the hysteria is.
You are stronger than all of this. Just try to be positive, find what life is trying to teach you, and none of this will hurt you.
