Many of you may remember watching the old television program Zorro or you will remember the famous masked man from the movies. My brother and I both had black masks like the ones Zorro wore and would ride our stick-horses around our front yard. We especially liked dashing down the driveway or up and down the banks on the side of the driveway.
He is polite, but the wicked take flight
When they catch the sight of Zorro.
He’s a friend of the weak
And the poor and the meek,
This very unique Señor Zorro…
Little did we ever imagine that masks (not the black eye masks of Zorro fame) but the face masks that properly cover our mouths and noses) would become part of our daily wear in the 21st century. But here we are.
Here in Asheville, we were enjoying a few blissful months of going mask free here at the retirement community where we live as 99% of all the residents here are vaccinated. We still donned our masks to go into stores and other public places but what joy it was to be free of face coverings for a period of time.
Then here comes the Delta variant, on top of too many people NOT getting vaccinated. Three cases of Covid-19 were detected here where we live, so the mask mandate (for indoors) is back in place and all residents and staff must once again wear masks in indoor settings. In addition, now all staff will be required to be vaccinated.
Sigh.
If you are familiar with Godly Play or Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the children’s curricula used by many churches, you know that one of the key phrases used with these story-based curricula is this:
I wonder…. Rather than give answers, the teacher/leader asks a question to encourage the children to discover their own answers.
So I have been wondering.
Wondering about what would have happened IF…
I wonder what would have happened when the corona virus first appeared if a mask mandate had been instituted immediately? If our leaders had said, as of right this moment, we will all wear a mask anywhere outside of our homes…and the leaders modeled this behavior immediately and consistently.
I wonder what would have happened when these miraculous vaccines were first available if our leaders had announced that nationwide vaccination clinics are opening tomorrow and everyone has 30 days to get their first vaccination? Everyone of the identified ages for which a vaccine is approved must be vaccinated unless there is a documented medical reason why they cannot. Period.
No whining, no delaying, no boo-hooing, no gaslighting, no pretending that you know more than the medical experts, no spread of misinformation, no negotiating…just immediate direction and action for the good of all: everyone needs to be vaccinated and will be vaccinated. Now. This is not a personal choice issue: this is a public health issue and it is the right thing to do.
Long ago a very wise minister counseled a good friend of mine about a relationship my friend knew he needed to end. It was an extremely unhealthy relationship for both people involved and the unhealthiness of that relationship was already spreading and deepening. My kind-hearted friend did not want to immediately end his relationship as he knew it would not be easy; he suggested to his minister/counselor that he would like help in gradually bringing the relationship to a close. He felt that ending the relationship gradually over a period of time would be a better, more respectful choice.
The minister listened and then quietly and calmly responded: “Do you think it is more compassionate to chop off a dog’s tail with one swift chop or to chop it off an inch at a time? Which will cause more pain?”
Even though I have never been faced with making a decision about chopping off a dog’s tail (keep in mind that tail docking is still done today for certain breeds of dogs) I certainly understood the wisdom of this message.
Docking a dog’s tail is painful. It is usually done (if it is going to be done) when a dog is two to five days old. It is not done one inch at a time but in one bold, complete action. The pain is still there but the pain is over relatively quickly.
Back to masking and vaccines and the pandemic…
I wonder how things might be different if we had leadership that was willing to have taken the dramatic action of just doing, saying, enacting what really needed to be done to protect people from illness, from death, from the immense grief this pandemic has caused?
I wonder how things might be different if people instead of politics and money were put first?
We will never know because it did not happen. We live in a time when every day feels like the tail is being chopped off one millimeter at a time and each chop hurts and causes more pain, more emotional bleeding, more sickness, and more death.
I cannot help but wonder….
I wonder how things might be different if we had leaders a little more like Zorro?
He is polite, but the wicked take flight
When they catch the sight of Zorro.
He’s a friend of the weak
And the poor and the meek,
This very unique Señor Zorro…
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The wise minister I mention in this blog post was the Rev. Dr. Brooks Ramsey. It is worth your time to read this article about a truly incredible minister, counselor and human being.
https://dailymemphian.com/article/13118/brooks-ramsey-memphis-minister-dies
I remember Zorro and used to watch him on TV and also the masked Lone Ranger. I never thought I would be wearing one myself but have become more used to it. I read the tribute on Brooks Ramsey and really liked his quote “any group that calls itself a church should be open to all.” I absolutely agree but not sure whether some churches today are open to all without restrictions. We need more ministers like him.
Love your essays Jeanne - so on point. This one was especially interesting because of the Memphis connection.