What If The Mask Was Love All Along?

Who would have ever guessed that masks would be so politicized and so filled with judgment and hate? Medical professionals have worn masks for years, both to protect themselves and to protect their patients. Many cultures have individuals who wear masks when they aren’t feeling well so that they don’t get anyone else sick. No one asks them to do this, but rather they do so because they know it is for the greater good of society.

When the pandemic first started and I took my first trip to the grocery store with my mask on, I felt a wide range of feelings and emotions. The mask wasn’t particularly comfortable. I rarely wear one so it felt stifling and uncomfortable to me. When I walked into the grocery store, I felt sad and scared that the pandemic had spread so quickly and that we all needed to wear masks because that was one of the few ways to stop the spread. It was scary to see everyone in masks in that it felt like I was in a bad, end of humanity, apocalyptic movie.

Yet something else really hit me when I saw so many people from my community wearing masks…gratitude. I felt surrounded by love and caring people who wanted to keep themselves healthy, but even more so wanted to make sure to keep their neighbors and their community safe. I have a favorite cashier at my local grocery store. I wanted to wear my mask to make sure that she didn’t get sick. I know some of her story, and life hasn’t always been easy for her. Her customers who dutifully wore their masks showed her that she mattered and that they cared about her safety and her health.

Fight Fear with Love, Not Hate

A friend recently showed me a hateful Facebook post by a man in our community. It was a cartoon that showed a bunch of face masks with sayings such as, “I live in fear.” “I do what I’m told.” And the rather funny, “I heart Bill Gates.” Obviously to this man, the mask is anything but love and his anger and judgment kept him from seeing the beauty of so many people working to care for each other. He wasn’t alone. I’ve seen so much hatred and judgment around mask wearing that one would think wearing a mask is akin to killing each other. Politicizing and judging a method of keeping our fellow citizens safe is certainly an interesting way to try and prove that one isn’t afraid.

Doing what scares us in order to help others is a form of love. #COVID #masks #love #fear #hate #community Click To Tweet

When the day comes, and I hope it is soon, when we don’t need to wear masks to protect each other, I will look back on the friends and family members who put masks on without complaint and with the true intention of caring for each other and the thought of them will sustain my faith in humanity for years to come. As far as the nasty Facebook poster and others who have called mask wearers names and deluged them with judgment, we wore the mask for you too. Although I find your behavior hateful and cruel, I would never want to be the one to get you or your family members sick. The mask to me will always be love, whether others choose to receive it that way or not.

Love,

Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC