One doesn’t have to look very far to find a news story about a disaster somewhere. One day it is a flood, another day a hurricane or a tornado. Somewhere there are people who need help and it seems that there is no shortage of people who are willing to help. We hear the same refrain, “We are America Strong.” or “We help our neighbors in their hour of need.” We pat ourselves on the back for doing good works.
Well. Here we are in the middle of the worst situation in a hundred years and we can’t come together to help out our fellow man. A lot of people probably don’t know about small pox and measles and especially polio but I remember school mates that had polio and it was no fun to see someone living in an iron lung. I can also remember living with the possibility of my young children contracting polio in the early 60s and when the vaccine became available we did not hesitate to get them vaccinated. There was never any discussion about whether or not we would do it. Everyone did it because it was the right thing to do. Small pox and measles and polio were conquered because everyone got vaccinated. The keyword here is “everyone.”
We are all in the same boat. It’s about time we all start rowing in the same direction! Maybe we should stop listening to all of the conspiracy theories and the misinformation floating around on social media. The science and history tells us that vaccines work and masks work and staying away from people who are sick works. Some people have been wearing masks in their work for years and it hasn’t harmed them. Some people are required to wear safety glasses or safety shoes and it hasn’t harmed them. These things are required to save injuries. The idea that some people don’t like to be told what to do is just silly. We are told how fast we can drive or how many fish we can catch; that’s life in the real world. The sooner we start working together – the sooner this thing is under control.
Ronald J. Oster, Sr.