Thoughts on ‘The Mask’

Let me first say, I am not political, though heaven knows I can say, ‘I ate a banana for lunch,’ and somehow someone will manage to turn it into a extremist political affiliation. Let me also say, I believe in kindness. I don’t honestly know what I believe about the efficacy of masks, the virology of Covid, etc. There are as many ‘expert’ opinions out there as there are humans on the planet, and even those with credentials seem to have widely varying viewpoints. So this is not a debate about any of those things. Feel free not to make it thus. I truly understand why people are angry, frustrated, confused, scared, tired. We are all doing the best we can with what little we’ve been given. So I choose to be gentle of heart and kind of word, even to those I disagree with. Novel, right? There’s enough hatred in the world already…do we really need to add more fuel to the fire?

This is what I do know. Every day I communicate with tens upon tens of aviation families who have been downgraded, have had their airlines permanently close shop, or have been furloughed. It’s heartbreaking in a way that I cannot begin to express to you. It’s destroying finances. It’s breaking apart homes. It’s caused suicide numbers to rise. There are thousands upon thousands more who stand to be furloughed in the coming 60-90 days, my husband amongst. The realization of the cumulative number of lives that are being negatively affected by this pandemic is quite frankly devastating. I am weary. My heart has fallen into a state of heaviness for the men and women who invested their all into this dream and are watching it crumble. Our families are hurting.

So do I like wearing a mask? No, not particularly (as in at all). I find them hot, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. Do I believe they are effective? The jury’s still out for me personally on that. But if wearing this strip of cloth over my face has even an inkling of a chance of stymieing WHATever this nightmare is we are living so that people can travel again…if it makes other people feel comfortable enough to get back on a plane…if it checks whatever smoke-and-mirrors box that makes the powers that be happy so that they stop pandering fear and let aviation get back to some semblance of normalcy…if it has even the remotest chance of stopping this pandemic and/or saving a life…

If it will keep your spouse and mine from losing their jobs for any or all of the above reasons (no matter what I do or do not personally believe to be true)…then I’ll do it. Hands down.

I am an opinionated, free-thinking, outspoken, person who does not like to do what I’m told just because I was told to do it. This is not submission. I’m not afraid to stand in the fire for what I believe when called to do so. This is not fear. I simply care more about the wellbeing of humans than my own opinions, minor discomforts, or political statements. This is kindness. Wearing this mask is infinitely less painful than watching the people I care fiercely about wallowing in career, financial, and marital crises as their lives continue to implode because of this pandemic.

So yeah, I wear the damn mask.

~Angelia (a fellow Pilot Wife)

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