From: Jerry Maulin
Columbus
I read John Foster’s column in Saturday’s Republic about fear and COVID-19.
After talking a lot about fear and adding many fearful quotes, the column, for me, came to to one basic point as he summed up with, “So that’s why I’ll wear a mask around you if you are fearful.”
I wear a motorcycle helmet for safety, although except for a few very large bugs banging off like ricocheting bullets, I have never really put the helmet to proper use by smashing my head into something like the pavement. I, likewise, wear a seatbelt while driving and have yet to really be saved by doing so.
Both of these are done, not out of fear, but a common sense practice of safety. Sometimes safety is more powerful than fear.
While there is certainly a lot of fear caused by a pandemic that continues to kill and damage so many people and to shut down our world as we know it, that is not the reason I have been wearing a mask.
Since August, specifically, I have worn a mask daily along with my students so we can safely keep our school going.
We are not afraid, and in fact I think teachers and students have been brave. We have been mindfully safe.
In the converse, I do wonder how much of this dreadful pandemic might have been slowed and lives saved by people who would wear masks for safety and not “ bravely" gone without.
But this is not my sharpest discontent in thinking the column left out a concerning and ongoing fear that is prevalent for some today: the column blatantly never mentions vaccines. The fear of vaccines is now hurting our community and country. The column failed to tackle or even acknowledge this fear of vaccines.
In the end, I was left to wonder if he has joined in with other brave and safe Hoosiers to help our community be getting a vaccine? If so, thanks and, if not, face your fear, believe the science, and get a shot is my heartfelt advice for reluctant citizens everywhere, including Mr. Foster.
