The resurgence of COVID-19 in the form of the Delta Variant means people are returning to mask wear, and vaccinations are ramping up. But the anti-mask, anti-vaccine voice in American society is still loud.
Vaccinated people can still contract the virus, and while this usually does not lead to hospitalization for them, the effects can still be staggering. I know people who have COVID despite being fully vaccinated and are struggling physically and psychologically.
So what does wearing a mask, or not, REALLY mean? We can answer this by drawing on religious, patriotic, and ethical teachings.
Religious Lessons
Every major religion has some version of "treat your neighbor as yourself" or "love thy neighbor." This means legitimately caring for the people around you and not being selfish.
Mask wear is maybe 10-15% about protecting yourself from the virus, and 85-90% about protecting others, on the chance that you might be infected.
The religious implication, in this case, is that we should do everything we can to keep ourselves from infecting the people around us, if we happen to get the virus ourselves and don't know it yet.
Patriotic Lessons
Patriotism is "love of one’s country, identification with it, and special concern for its well-being and that of compatriots." Compatriots are colleagues or people from your country.
So like religious teaching, patriotism includes special concern for the well-being of people around us.
The patriotic implication, in this case, is that we should do everything we can to keep ourselves from infecting the people around us, if we happen to get the virus ourselves and don't know it yet.
Ethical Lessons
Ethics refers to the well-founded principles that guide what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. The determination of right and wrong is called "morality." Actions taken based on these judgements are "values."
Actions that overtly cause others to become infected with a sometimes-deadly disease would be widely held to be immoral and thus unethical.
The ethical implication, in this case, is that we should do everything we can to keep ourselves from infecting the people around us, if we happen to get the virus ourselves and don't know it yet.
Putting our religion, patriotism, and ethics into action means doing what we can to keep others from being infected. Governments and scientists are working on this, but where the rubber meets the road is our personal behavior.
That means accepting the minor inconvenience of wearing masks indoors (and in crowded outdoor venues), social distancing, and getting fully vaccinated.
Remember that the most vulnerable people around us are grandparents, children too young to be vaccinated, and those with pre-existing conditions that preclude vaccination. Isn't it worth a minor inconvenience for them?
Isn't it also worth a minor inconvenience to avoid the possibility of getting a disease that at least causes impossible fatigue and depression, that may lead to paying out a ton of money, and sometimes leads to hospitalization and death?
In a way, it's like recycling. One plastic bottle recycled doesn't make much difference, but everybody recycling does.
My wife and I have returned to mask wear in public, particularly indoors. We are both fully vaccinated, and we strive for social distancing with others we encounter.
The best way to get past this pandemic is the concrete values/actions that suppress it. Our religious, patriotic, and ethical teachings all say to get vaccinated, wear a mask, and socially distance.
