By Karlta Zarley
Dear Ones—
Covid has shown us many things that we didn't fully see or appreciate before: how over-scheduled we were, different ways to do business, that we really are all in this together, to name just a few. Now we stand on the cusp of another change. We are getting the message that those who are vaccinated can go without masks.
For those who have been vaccinated or are to trying to be, and for those who have willingly worn masks, it feels like a reprieve, but it also makes us wonder if those who are unvaccinated will “abide by the rules.” For those who think the virus is made up and that very grudgingly have worn masks, it feels like freedom from something that is unnecessary. There is still a lot of mistrust between these two groups. Those who willingly wear masks wonder if they can trust others and often try to pressure those who don't want to be (or who can't be) vaccinated to get vaccinated. Those who think masks are unnecessary wonder if they can trust others to not pressure them to be vaccinated or to limit their participation in society (travel, entertainment, etc.) in other more draconian ways.
Over time we have, as a society, become more sensitive to the needs and issues of some large groups through the “Me Too” movement, “Black Lives Matter”, Ageism, Gender identity and sexuality...all groups that were vulnerable in various ways. I would urge us to continue to be more and more sensitive to other, smaller groups of similarly vulnerable but perhaps less visible issues—those that can't be vaccinated because of allergies to vaccine components or with health conditions that make it dangerous to be vaccinated; those who not only have a hard life but have more of a hard life than the “usual Joe or Joan.” I'm talking about people that seem to live under a black cloud—those for whom over a long period of time it seems “if it can go wrong, it does go wrong.” These are folks with multiple, multiple health issues that force them to not be able to work and that spend most of their waking time trying to figure out what is wrong and then get better. Folks that are allergic to everything and can truly only eat 6 foods. Folks that are so alone in the world that they have only one support person (if that, and that person might be a paid professional) and have no physical or emotional safety-net anywhere. They are out there in smaller numbers than the other groups listed above, but they are out there. They are no less vulnerable and deserving of our thoughtfulness and kindness than any other group, but we tend to not see them because there aren't as many of them or because they simply do not have the resources to get out of their homes.
For that matter, if we are looking at smaller groups, let's look at individuals! We ALL have been traumatized directly or indirectly in some way from the pandemic and the fallout from it in society as a whole. I challenge each of us to look at our lives for where we have been traumatized and find new ways to be sensitive to that on others' behalf and exercise compassion, patience and kindness towards ourselves and towards others...all the time...every day.
We ARE in this together! This is how we get out of this, by being kinder and more compassionate towards ourselves, we become that very thing in the world around us.
