On Monday, at least in regards to our behind the times city of Calgary, the mask mandate was lifted. Due to a high number of vaccinations this became a reality. I immediately went to Sobeys to fill up our water jugs but mainly to experience this given-back simple freedom of not having to juggle one’s car keys, wallet, water receptacles and apply the bloody mask.

It was glorious. I almost felt overwhelmed and brought to tears. Having to endure this traumatic, useless muzzle over my face everywhere public including work for the past year and now it’s done. It’s over. We don’t have to wear them any longer! No one is forcing us to put them on!

So why then are like 90% of people still wearing them, in stores and even on the street? Did they genuinely not get the memo? Are they simply carrying on under the false pretense that this is what they are to do? I wish that was the case and for some, maybe it is true. But in regards to the greater population one must assume they are so comfortable, so far gone into the media whipped up hysteria that these face coverings are truly either keeping them safe or protecting their fellow man from disease?

It comes across as truly sickening as though they have been so very brain washed that this is their “new normal”. In their minds this is simply the way; this is what we do now regardless of it being mandatory or not. In their brains the common cold and the flu have been eradicated by washing hands, social distancing and wearing the almighty face diaper so why deviate from that? And are these people, like I said in the vast majority, looking down on me as some mass germ spreader in the same way I look down on them as mentally psychotic?

I keep reminding myself “to each their own” as though some sort of mantra to help convince myself that, in this regard, everyone is entitled to how they interpret our current state of pandemic/post-pandemic affairs. But it’s impossible to stay neutral. Like almost everything in this life you’re on one side or the other, and your side is right and the opposite is wrong. This is no different.

So onwards we go into the great unknown. Momentary freedoms for those of us that indulge and then other times of strapping the godawful chin g-string back on because someone deemed it “healthy”. This is not health. This is mental illness personified. And on it goes. God help us all.