Monday, January 24, 2022

Who is that masked man? And why did he toss it?

As a child I loved The Lone Ranger radio program. He did great things but no one knew his identity because he wore a mask. It made him mysterious and particularly admirable--the anonymity of good deeds. But there's nothing admirable about how many of us are with masks.

Yesterday I made a quick car trip to a local shop. As I threaded my way through the relatively small parking lot to the store's door, I counted thirteen (13) trashed masks on the ground! Several were cloth, but most were disposable. Many looked like wadded up and discarded tissues or handkerchiefs on the asphalt. Some may have fallen out of the car or from a sleeve and have not been noticed by their owners, but most were most likely intentionally discarded, ripped off and hurled down by people feeling annoyed or suffocated by them. I totally understand the urge to remove my mask when returning to fresh air, but hope I never even accidentally leave one on the ground. Today I walked on our local bike and walking path and noticed several masks on it, too (although not nearly thirteen in the 1.5 mile loop). I stopped to take this picture and a woman walking toward me said, "Is that your mask?" Her question was appalling. If it were mine, wouldn't I have picked it up? What have we come to that even a question like hers could come to mind?

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