Disclaimer: I am 50 percent Ashkenazi Jewish on my Mother's side of my family. So-- please don't tell me I am employing " cultural appropriation". Thanks. :)
I live in Florida-- where the COVID virus is spreading like wildfire among { mostly} the unvaccinated.
Many people have argued that they don't think the " need" to return to masking, since they are vaccinated.
First of all, thanks to all people who have rolled up their sleeves. I know many people for whom this was a no-brainer choice , and others had to think about the risks of an " experimental" vaccine versus the benefits.
Folks I know who are " breakthrough" cases of COVID-- vaccinated but tested positive for the virus anyway-- report little to no symptoms. On the other hand, reports from hospitals all around the nation say that the ICU beds are filled with patients who were not vaccinated.
Furthermore, since the FDA has yet to approve vaccinations for people under age 12, children are getting sick with the variant that is worse on younger bodies.
In the Jewish faith , a mitzvah is defined as such:
1. a commandment of the Jewish Law.
2. a meritorious or charitable act.
Christians need to remember that Our Savior, Brother, and Friend was a Jewish rabbi. He knew the Hebrew scriptures backwards & forwards. The Gospels, the sacred stories of His life and teachings, lean much on His Jewish upbringing and education.
Whether we like it or not, we humans are communal creatures. Our actions-- especially our actions during a worldwide pandemic-- have consequences for others who are waiting for their turn for the vaccine. The modern American archetype of the "Lone Wolf" is a dangerous one- not to mention terribly inaccurate, as wolves are pack animals. I cherish the freedoms that our Constitution grants us, but there are times in human history where the survival of all of us-- including the weak-- requires us to be uncomfortable .
I am the first to say I HATE MASKS. I hate wearing them, I hate seeing other people cover their smiles with them. But, until there is more of a control of this illness, I will wear the darn, hot, glasses-fogging masks when I am indoors in public.
I wear masks for myself. I'm vaccinated but the last thing my mental health needs right now is a two-week quarantine. After spending most of last spring and summer with only my spouse as company, I am ready to mix with vaccinated people again.
More importantly, I wear masks to make sure I do all I can to NOT SPREAD the virus . We who have been vaccinated still can be asymptomatic carriers.
Vice-President Kamala Harris, in her memoir _ The Truth We Hold_ has this to say about corporate responsibility { Stop right there. No partisan mudslinging on my blog please. I adore Madame VP Harris-- and it is okay if you do not like her. Just scroll on...} VP Harris writes: " ... being a good person means standing for something larger than yourself; that success is measured in part by what you help others achieve and accomplish."
It is true that the actions { inactions} of people who chose to not get vaccinated are now affecting everyone. People who had gotten the vaccine can and are getting milder COVID cases. This is not fair-- but rather than digging in my heels and refusing to wear a mask because I did my part and got vaccinated will not help us accomplish a COVID-free nation. More adults need to get on the vaccination train before we can think about claiming ' herd immunity'.
I am willing to look at masking and curbing my social interactions as a mitzvah-- a charitable act done to benefit others. I can't force anyone to wear the mask and/or get the vaccine, but people of faith { and not just Christians} should seek ways to make the nation and planet safer for all people.
Like it or not; true freedom means that we are free to choose the better path. I know I cannot make choices for other adults-- but I can do my best to remind people of faith that both the Old and the New Testaments in the Bible command us to care for others.
In the Name of the Holy Three,
~Sarah McCarren
6 August 2021
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