Part 3: It's Time To Stop Being Part of the Pressure
Or, "Why informed compassionate people resist masking"
This is Part Three of a three part series on masks. Part One covered the research on how masks have been proven to not stop spread and how cloth masks even dramatically increase respiratory infections, and Part Two and Three cover the social and moral reasons why mask-wearing is harmful to society and yourself, and should be avoided.
YOUR PARTICIPATION CREATES THE PRESSURE
Stepping out of the crowd exerts your authenticity and helps others think for themselves
In his influential 1978 essay against communism in Czechoslovakia (what he called post-totalitarianism – a totalitarian system enforced by pervasive ideology and peer pressure rather than primarily by brute government force), Vaclav Havel presented the below account. He was living in the system he describes. As you read it, consider the signs and symbols that the government has demanded people post up over the last 30 months of “two weeks to slow the curve.”
The manager of a fruit-and-vegetable shop places in his window, among the onions and carrots, the slogan: "Workers of the world, unite!" Why does he do it? What is he trying to communicate to the world? Is he genuinely enthusiastic about the idea of unity among the workers of the world? Is his enthusiasm so great that he feels an irrepressible impulse to acquaint the public with his ideals?...[No]...
…The slogan is really a sign, and as such it contains a subliminal but very definite message. Verbally, it might be expressed this way: "I, the greengrocer XY, live here and I know what I must do. I behave in the manner expected of me. I can be depended upon and am beyond reproach. I am obedient and therefore I have the right to be left in peace."
…Let us take note: if the greengrocer had been instructed to display the slogan "I am afraid and therefore unquestioningly obedient;' he would not be nearly as indifferent to its semantics, even though the statement would reflect the truth. The greengrocer would be embarrassed and ashamed to put such an unequivocal statement of his own degradation in the shop window, and quite naturally so, for he is a human being and thus has a sense of his own dignity. To overcome this complication, his expression of loyalty must take the form of a sign which, at least on its textual surface, indicates a level of disinterested conviction. It must allow the greengrocer to say, "What's wrong with the workers of the world uniting?"
…Ideology, in creating a bridge of excuses between the system and the individual, spans the abyss between the aims of the system and the aims of life. It pretends that the requirements of the system derive from the requirements of life. It is a world of appearances trying to pass for reality... This is why life in the system is so thoroughly permeated with hypocrisy and lies... Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics. It pretends not to possess an omnipotent and unprincipled police apparatus. It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing.
Individuals need not believe all these mystifications, but they must behave as though they did, or they must at least tolerate them in silence, or get along well with those who work with them. For this reason, however, they must live within a lie. They need not accept the lie. It is enough for them to have accepted their life with it and in it. For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.
…not only does the system alienate humanity, but at the same time alienated humanity supports this system as its own involuntary masterplan, as a degenerate image of its own degeneration, as a record of people's own failure as individuals.
We must not present ourselves as supporting a policy that we know to be incorrect, harmful, and debasing. To conform is not an act which we accept for only ourselves, but which we then, by our participation, impose upon others. We “confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.”
We should maintain showing our faces, and we should do so with respect for our inherent human dignity, with conviction of character, and with compassion for the souls that have been brow-beaten and convinced or shamed into wearing useless and harmful things on their face. Let no one despise you, but be an example of sanity, God-given human dignity, courage, compassion, and well-reasoned liberty.
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Most stores do not actually enforce masking. Many simply mount signage because they feel forced to comply with local mandates.
The reality is that it will almost always be a minority of people who are willing to engage in ethical, civil non-compliance. The good news is that it does not take many committed people create larger social changes - 1% is often enough.
Some people feel intimidated to begin civil disobedience or to simply not go along with the crowd. To those I say, take heart - there is a spectrum of non-compliance: you can choose to begin non-compliance gradually and build your courage. You could walk several feet into a store unmasked and then put a mask on under your nose, for example. This is a way of easing into non-compliance.
But many people will choose to forgo the masks completely, and in the context of the situation, this is an ethical and virtuous choice.
If asked to wear a mask, you can say, "No, I don't participate in that," and walk away into the store. Many times they will let you be and perhaps even respect you for your choice - they did their due diligence of asking, and you said No thanks like any reasonable person should at this point.
If absolutely enforced, you might choose to:
Wear it incorrectly,
Simply leave if they make it an issue,
Perhaps discuss the point briefly if you feel conviction to do so,
Decide that you will wear it, becuase it is absolutely enforced and you need to make your purchase.
Make up your mind beforehand how you will handle it. Choose stores that respect your right to show your face, and avoid ones that you find do not respect the well-reasoned exercise of human dignity.
There may also be some occasions (such as in hospitals) where droplet containment is a valid concern for other illnesses, and where non-cloth masks could serve a valid purpose (although even in surgery, masking of surgeons is not correlated with a reduction in patient infection).
There are some scenarios where masking is enforced by armed agents (airports and courts), or by your employer when you are at work, and you will have to make a wise assessment of where resistance vs obtaining service fits within a proper hierarchy of virtues in your situation. Even in these situations, resistance may often be shown by wearing it improperly, such as under the nose.
There may also be times when for whatever reason your conscience (or God himself) seems to tell you: This time, mask. Yet this should be the exception, not the rule, and motivated by conscience and wisdom, not peer pressure.
How should we think of and treat people who continue to mask? There is no need to mock others who mask: even though their actions are generally harmful and based on lies, mockery is not helpful. It is likely that they are well-intentioned but badly informed, or perhaps they do not understand the harm inherent in masking. When you can, seek to educate them about the dangers of cloth masks and the dangers of showing alignment with a radical political agenda.
Encourage fellow Faces when you see them - "Looking good today; appreciate you." Be kind to everyone as well as you are able. People need to see smiles to encourage their souls, and yours may be one of the few they can see that day - so try to share a bit of emotional sunshine during this dark time.
For Christians, there is a hierarchy of values that must inform our actions. While we should seek to honor government and private property rights operating within their proper sphere, there is also a time to “obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29), which can include sharing the truth and living according to the truth.
On that note, ten out of ten people die - eventually. Our most fundamental act of purpose and self-care must be to align ourselves with eternal truth, and obtain spiritual and eternal life from God. To rescue us from our mortality and sin, the “radiance of God” became man, conquered death and sin on our behalf, and urges everyone to be reconciled to him eternally rather than separated from him eternally. Check out this message in depth via spoken word at LifeIn6Words.com .
In a time of foolish, harmful, and unhealthy mandates, non-compliance must at times become our new normal. But this should spring ultimately from a deep-rooted sense of eternal principles - seeking and following the truth, respecting our God-given bodies, and not conforming ourselves to the powers of the age. If we act in this way out of a desire to follow these principles and thus honor God, we can joyfully orient ourselves toward truth and live according to it.
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Some sources and additional links:
Vaclav Havel “Power of the Powerless”
https://hac.bard.edu/amor-mundi/the-power-of-the-powerless-vaclav-havel-2011-12-23
Brownstone article on the true meaning of masking:
https://brownstone.org/articles/the-true-meaning-of-masking/
Video of Birx admitting vaccine promises were basically lies, based not on evidence but based on "Hope."
https://rumble.com/v19lnvp-rep.-jim-jordan-our-government-has-been-guessing-hoping-or-lying-and-not-te.html
NIH and CDC scientists quitting agency out of frustration and shame for how politicized it has become, failure to actually follow scientific method: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11015235/Health-experts-quitting-NIH-CDC-droves-embarrassed-bad-science.html
We should allow for scientific discourse, not censor research: https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/27/hear-scientists-different-views-covid-19-dont-attack-them/
Keep up the good work, Micah! I look forward to reading more of your work. The Lord bless you.