In a news video recently, I saw an anti-mask protester holding a sign that said, “My Freedom Doesn’t End Where Your Fear Begins”. While some of us may live in fear that we’ll contract the virus, most of us don’t fear the virus. We realize that risk is a part of life, and we should do what we can to limit it. His sign is correct, but not relevant. Wearing a mask isn’t about my fear or his freedom, it’s about protecting everyone’s freedom. It’s about our right to be free from risks to our life and health caused directly by another person’s selfish and disrespectful behavior.

Personal Freedom ends when it infringes on another’s rights and puts other people at risk. That’s why freedom doesn’t mean that I am free to yell “Fire!” in a crowded theater. And it doesn’t mean that I am free to run around as an asymptomatic Corona Virus carrier without a mask. This current pandemic with spiking infection rates in the US just demonstrates that no one knows if they’re a carrier or not; and because they don’t know, they have the responsibility to protect their fellow citizens as if they are carriers. And if you think wearing a mask doesn’t make a difference, just look at the actual data from those countries that have required masks far longer than we have.

Too many people take the freedom we enjoy in this country as a right to live with total disregard for their fellow citizens, to disrespect their rights, to act selfishly and without regard for the results of their actions, “I’m free to do whatever I want to do within the law (or outside of it), and you can’t stop me!”

Demonstrating a little respect for our fellow citizens by wearing a mask and keeping our distance to try to control the spread of this virus isn’t too much to ask, is it? And if your doctor says you should not wear a mask because of breathing issues, I’ll respect your right not to wear a mask. Just carry a note and keep your distance, please.  Demonstrate a little kindness and compassion folks!

Your freedom doesn’t end where my fear begins. But it does end where my freedom and right to life begin.

Protecting your freedom by wearing my mask and keeping my distance … Pops