Covid19 Rate Recovery Is Greater Than 98.5 Percent: Why Aren’t We Back To Normal? by Robert Socha

I am appalled at the tepid response we, the people, have delivered in the face of authoritarianism. What happened to our resolve, our yearning to be free? A variety of the novel coronavirus 77% similar to other strains with a 99.9%+ survival rate of those infected and known treatments has thrust us into timidity and blind acquiescence. That old diluter, Satan, has blanketed the world with fear, and governments which once purported liberty have responded tyrannically. Why Aren’t We Back To Normal?

In New Zealand and Canada, the governments are forcing their uncooperative citizens into coronavirus quarantine camps. From what I have read (1), the one in Quebec City is in an undisclosed location.

In Australia, an anti-lockdown Facebook post urging a lock-down protest (2) resulted in the offending woman’s arrest, and police wrestled a journalist to the ground (3), arresting him for covering the same.

I learned over the United States’ Labor Day weekend that beachgoers from Miami Beach (4) to Houston (5) to Los Angeles (6) received citations and fines for not wearing masks. Many other countries, from Brazil to South Korea to the UAE, have implemented similar penalties.

The biggest problem I have with these measures isn’t the trampling of human rights and dystopian enforcement measures, but the robbing of our individuality and masking (pun intended) our image.

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

We see a reflection of God Himself when we look in the mirror and look at one another. When that reflection is covered, especially for extended periods, how might that affect our self-image? When our neighbors’ faces are covered, and we no longer see their smile, how might that affect our relationships? How might the covering of the Creator’s image affect our opinions of God Himself?

I don’t have an answer to the questions above; they are sincere.

I am an ardent opponent of the dictatorial mandates that the general population should be isolated and masked. Six feet apart. Cover your nose and mouth. And I adamantly oppose being forced to do something which until 2020 had many studies questioning their effectiveness (7).

That said, I have had a bit of a shift in my willingness to mask up when entering private property. Through conversations with many friends concerning the efficacy of mask-wearing and the submission to gubernatorial decrees, it is notable that private establishments should be respected if they choose to require compliance with things that I am in disagreement with; as I would expect them to honor my private guarantees. However, I will be hard-pressed to be wearing a facial covering in the open air or premises where enforcement is lax.

Another point of contention I have with the overreaching orders is the requirement in the great state of Michigan for our athletes to wear masks while in the throes of competition. And when I call the institutions providing the updated requirements to voice my opposition, they direct me to the governor’s office, which, when called, leads me through a variety of menus ultimately to a voice mailbox. Where is the justification for such far-reaching decisions and accountability to those who affect the general population by executive order?

When did the national discourse devolve to heterodoxy where one side is absolute, and dissent is maligned and chastised? Can we have civil arguments postulating opposing sides of a theme without cascading into a wormhole of name-calling and insults? Is it possible that the people in powerful positions are acting presumptuously and not considering the long-term ramifications of their impetuous decisions?

I am not an authority on the efficacy of masks. I am not a scientist or politician. I do not have all the available information. I do have churning in my spirit that things are not right, causing me to pause, reflect, question, and pray for wisdom and understanding.

 

1. https://rairfoundation.com/breaking-canada-forcefully-removes-and-imprisons-uncooperative-coronavirus-positive-citizens-at-secret-location-video/
2. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12567495/australian-woman-arrested-facebook-post-lockdown-coronavirus-protest/
3. https://nworeport.me/2020/09/08/australia-riot-police-drag-journalist-to-the-ground-arrest-him-for-covering-anti-lockdown-protest/
4. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/os-ne-coronavirus-miami-beach-fines-mask-violators-20200812-grlu2zdh3navbfvlp3hq6romra-story.html
5. https://abc13.com/legal-expert-mask-order-250-fine-for-not-wearing-houston-police/6354262/
6. https://abc7.com/face-mask-fines-california-n95-newsom-mandate-shield-vs/6339362/
7. https://www.technocracy.news/masks-are-neither-effective-nor-safe-a-summary-of-the-science/