Opinion: Wearing masks isn't about fear but responsibility

People wear masks when they mow the lawn, work on home projects, refinish furniture, when they paint. All in the name of safety.

So, what’s the big deal about wearing a mask now?

We have a two-person household unless you count the critters. When we, the two-footed critters, venture out for grocery or pharmacy runs or doctors’ visits, we wear masks. I am just this side of claustrophobic, so I have to talk to myself a bit each time I put it on.

But I do it.

I do it because my husband is over 60 and asthmatic. He does it because I’m immunocompromised (fancy talk for having a chronic condition that messes with my immune system).

We do it for the grocery folks who help us each trip, so that they’ll feel a little safer while they’re doing their jobs out in the public. We do it for the pharmacy clerks and the healthcare professionals who are out there on the day-to-day, taking care of us. We do it for anyone else we may see when we’re out and about.

We do it for people we know — and those we don’t know — who are cancer patients, who are heart patients, or who are otherwise vulnerable. We do it for the greater good because this isn’t just about us. Our local businesses have taken the steps to ensure the safety and health of their customers. We honor their commitment to keeping staff and community safe when we follow what they’ve put in place, like following the one-way aisle markers or keeping two cart-lengths apart.

Do I think my rights are being infringed? No. It’s my responsibility to behave in such a manner that I don’t put others at risk because of my actions. More than that, it is putting my faith in action. We have been commanded to love one another as God loved us, to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It is an act of love, no matter my comfort level with wrapping my face in a mask and dealing with that anxiety, for my neighbors. My faith journey, at its most basic level, is to walk in love. And if that means walking about wearing a mask, so be it.

We can support local businesses while keeping each other safe. I am learning to smile with my eyes, so that people who are out and about, many of whom are nervous, won’t be when they see me.

I do it not because I’m stupid (heard that before) or because I have a spirit of fear (heard that, too), but because it is the smart thing to do. The respectful thing to do. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life. And depending on the decade, I’ve made some terrible fashion choices (hello, bell bottoms?). But wearing the mask isn’t one of them. I wear it out of love for my fellow travelers on this life journey. I do it for the essential workers who are out there in the public daily when I don’t have to be. I owe it to them to be mindful and careful of their health as much as I owe it to my family.

Living in a spirit of fear? No. I’m living in a sense of personal responsibility, but bigger than that, I’m doing unto others as I’d have them do unto me.

Patti Dobson writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at:

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