For the past month, my eyes have been dry and irritated with the constant to wipe my eyes. Some moments have been worse than others, and knowing that your body constantly gives you signals to something that mentally or emotionally doesn’t feel right, made me delve into the cause of my eye irritation.
When eyes are being affected, I know it’s related to the ability to see. The eyes represent your perceptions of how you see life, and recognizing what your true feelings are. I reflected on when my eyes first started to feel irritated and what was happening at the time. What came to me was witnessing an ongoing shift in the division of those who are deathly afraid of COVID-19, and those choosing to live life in lieu of the widespread fear of a second wave of infections.
The perpetuation of the ongoing pandemic, continued shut down, and tight restrictions in how to open society back up, has further added to my disappointment and irritation. It literally bothered my vision to see how the world went from people living their lives to shifting into a world with fear and awaiting horrible things to occur.
It feels like we are starting to go down a very slippery slope, with most of the population adhering to wearing face masks, and a growing population of people tired of covering their noses and mouths all for the hope of not spreading the virus. Those that aren’t wearing their masks are being shamed for putting everyone else at risk and being the main cause of the spread of this coronavirus.
However, I do recall that initially the masks were meant to be worn by people who were infected and to prevent them from spreading the virus. They were also for first responders assisting those who were infected. How did we get to this current state of where it’s mandatory to wear face masks whenever you enter a store or business, but not required when entering a banking institution? One of the many things that make me go, hmmm.
Now we are living in a society where people are wearing their face masks and protective face shields even while driving their cars, when they are not at risk of getting infected or infecting others. I am not downplaying the fear that a lot of people are experiencing due to all of the unknowns, but at a certain point one must step back and take a look at what we are becoming.
The challenge is to respect one another for where they are at: in fear or having a desire to live. Why all this vitriol towards those who choose not to wear a mask and condemn them for causing the perpetuation of this pandemic? Just like flu season that comes every year and other childhood diseases, COVID-19 is now in the environment and here to stay. You can choose to be overly cautious and sanitize everything and everyone, but at a certain point you have to experience the world. The only way to stay sterile is if you unrealistically live in a plastic bubble, which may protect you, but will prevent you from connecting. The loss of true physical connection and facial expressions, along with distrust, and stopping your lives because of the possibility of getting infected and ultimately dying, is becoming the norm.
When I was young, I remember whenever there was news of a child that had chicken pox or measles, my mother would send me to school in hopes of me getting the chicken pox or measles. Call Child Protection Services for sure right? No. The general train of thought at the time was herd immunity, and by getting infected, it would insure that my body would create the necessary antibodies so that I would be immune to it in the future, and not have to worry about the suffering it would bring.
Now the call for universal vaccination of COVID-19 is being pushed to be safe, and my fear is that in order to live in this society you must be vaccinated or prove that you are. Freedom of choice is slowly being taken away, along with all the restrictions that are being enforced all for the sole purpose of keeping us safe.
Life is about growth, change, and evolution. As a society and world, the majority will decide which path we will take. Will the need for humanity that allows for growth and expansion be the the path we will take, or will it be one of fear, the need for guarantee and security, with the loss of freedom and choice be it?
Take time to question the news that you hear, and take a look at what drives your thoughts and choices. You are in control of your perceptions. Know that you have the power to determine how you want to live your life and treat others as well. Instead of shaming others, take a look at what is driving you to shame another.
By understanding what motivates your actions, you can make a conscious choice of how you want to be, instead of just reacting, like the Golden Rule says, “do unto others as you would have them done unto you.” Let’s not lose our humanity to fear, but step into a space and envision a world of acceptance and love.
