Invincible?  Invincible is a teenage adjective.  Driving too fast, jumping off a cliff into the sea, sky diving?  None of us are invincible; none of us are going to leave the earth alive. None of us are the President and/or Vice President of the US who get tested daily for the plague.

Frankly, I’m disgusted by this ludicrous and selfish objection to wearing face masks in public places.   COVID is a mysterious disease that is asymptomatic in some, while others lie in ICU fighting for their lives.  Yet, we do know it spreads from human droplets in the air.  And we do know that masks can forestall the spread from one person to another.

Given my recent health episode, I wear a mask.  My youngest wears a mask because she’s a cancer survivor, my eldest wears a mask because she’s a nurse practitioner.  Don’t judge us as fear-driven, weak, purveyors of the COVID hoax.  It’s about our safety and the safety of others.  And by the way, COVID is no hoax; bravado doesn’t trump a ventilator in ICU.

As a fifty-year veteran of public education, I’ve had to enforce student dress codes.  Boys were made to cut their hair, trim their sideburns, and shave their beards.  Girls could not wear clothing that didn’t cover their best assets.  T-shirts with profanity weren’t permitted, and the list of no-nos went on.

Dress codes rules have long been in place–for golfers, for church goers, for fine dining establishments.  So why the objection or the Russian roulette of not wearing a mask?  Because I’m an American; I have rights?  Curious.  Tell that to the police officer who issues you a ticket for speeding.  Tell that to a police officer when you’re walking down a busy street nude.  Tell that to a priest or a minister who asks you to leave the sanctuary for smoking a cigarette.

What happened to: I am my brother’s keeper? My right as an American.  Remember that when one of your loved ones is ill. Remember that (if you can) when you’re on a ventilator.