[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by MDLNB

"Masks has been a normal in some parts of the world for decades. No one gives it a second thought. "

Normal??? If you count Muslim countries as "normal" then I guess you may have a point. Some in urban areas of Japan wear masks, but I do not know if that would be considered "normal" for Japan. I have heard of many things in THIS country that are deemed "normal" by a few folks, but not the majority which would define "normal."

The rest of your comparison is not really a valid argument, but I do get what you are suggesting.

And nope, I do not think that I have had the virus in the past year of shopping at many stores. I have lived my life as normal as possible and do wear a mask ONLY where it is posted. I am seriously considering whether I intend to continue to wear one in those places after observing many folks that do not. I know of many folks that have had the virus and shrugged it off easier than a cold, and I am in better shape than them.

As for the post requesting that someone "stay away from me" I have stayed my distance from most people as much as I have been able, for many years. That is my norm. That has been my habit in order to protect myself from other illnesses. But, like I have said several times in the past, it is not up to me to protect anyone else. The responsibility for protection is on the person wishing that protection, not everyone else around that person. If one gets the vaccination and still worries about catching the virus, perhaps they should think about why they bothered to get inoculated to begin with. If a person comes around me that has refused to get vaccinated, it is not up to me to "stay away" from them when they have the choice to be near or not. I take responsibility for myself and only those I choose. It is not a moral, ethical or patriotic imperative that I assume responsibility for someone else's careless behavior. I do believe that I am mostly considerate of others....but not responsible for their welfare.

The principle of social security and other modern government programs IS that we are ALL responsible for each other. We SHARE responsibility for roads, bridges, and national defense. It is just like one big giant TEAM. You get the benefits of that teamwork. The John Wayne-like frontier hero is long gone.