La Mascarilla En La Que Vivimos / The Masks We Live In

- La Mascarilla En La Cual Vivimos - J. M. Aranda Jr. Perezchica

Hace una semana escribí mi primer blog para la pagina oficial de KEEP THE WORLD POLITE donde os mostré la introducción de mi libro que promueve los valores a los cuales se ciñe KEEP THE WORLD POLITE. Si tuviste la oportunidad de leerlo, pudiste apreciar que sera un libro basado en la lógica y la razonabilidad. Un libro que no te hablara en términos prepotentes de mucho conocimiento con palabras estrafalarias y excéntricas sino como una persona normal, con problemas reales, que tiene poco tiempo para si mismo porque tiene muchas cosas a las cuales atender, sus familias, sus empleos, pero que el poco tiempo del que dispone quiere mejorar, quiere saber que puede ser diferente, ser mejor y vivir en un mundo mejor donde hay mas gente que piensa como el. Quiere reír, quiere conectar, quiere sentirse entendido y eso es lo que propongo no solo para mi libro sino en términos generales. Si no has tenido oportunidad de leer el blog, aún sigue ahi y puedes leerlo cuantas veces quieras.

En el blog de esta semana, no me ceñiré tanto al libro aunque si extraeré alguna que otra lección vital que el libro también explicara en mas detalle. En las ultimas semanas ha habido mucho debate en cuanto a las mascarillas que la mayoría del mundo porta incluso en sus propios coches y casas cuando están solos. Yo lo entiendo. Antes una amenaza tan canalla y tan incierta como esta resultando ser este virus que ha paralizado al mundo de forma histórica, nunca se puede tener demasiado cuidado y no sere yo quien cierre ese debate porque antes de leer este blog quizá ya tengas una idea muy clara de lo que quieras hacer en cuanto a la mascarilla y después de leerlo, quizá también. Pero busco aportar un gramo de sensatez y humanidad a este asunto que ambos lados del argumento pueden disfrutar y meditar.

Antes de hacerlo, déjame decirte que tengo una prima que lucha con todas sus fuerzas contra los confinamientos masivos y las mascarillas y que cada post suyo en facebook es una guerra abierta hacia cualquier orden de llevar las mascarillas porque viola, según ella, sus derechos como ser humano y ciudadana estadounidense de salir cuando quiere, a donde quiere y con quien quiere y decidir poner su vida en peligro o no. Hasta cierto puedo entender lo que argumenta y respeto mucho su lucha por colgar todos los datos y estadísticas ademas de videos censurados por YouTube y el gobierno estadounidense para demostrar que se nos quiere controlar y que las mascarillas son una herramienta de sumisión por parte del nuevo orden mundial. Por supuesto, respeto su opinión y su criterio aunque creo que hay mucho más de lo que sí se puede hablar y razonar y a la vez, no es para tanto.

Qué quiero decir con esto? Bueno, hoy al recibir la mascarilla que la comunidad de Madrid estaba regalando a los ciudadanos a través de las farmacias, me entró en la cabeza la imagen de sumisión a un gobierno. Me entro la idea de que a lo mejor si tiene razón y quieren un vayamos como esclavos y súbditos y la mascarilla representa sumisión, silencio y aceptación a las ordenes. Aún así, era imperativo que pensase en lo que esa mascarilla representa para la gran mayoría de la humanidad. Y que representa sino salud, bienestar general y supervivencia ademas de consideración y sentido común?

Veréis, esa mascarilla puede ser la diferencia entre la vida y la muerte. Viendo un sinfín de vídeos tratando los virus y bacterias, en especial unos cuantos de un medico español que trata todo con mucha dignidad y respeto, he llegado a la conclusion que además de significar la diferencia entre vida y muerte para uno mismo, también es la diferencia entre demostrar que somos solidarios, corteses y considerados. En especial esta la consideración hacia nosotros mismos primero y después a nuestros seres mas queridos como nuestra familia o amigos. Es justo decir tanto o resulta un poco exagerado?

Bueno, considera que sigues todas las pautas que los gobiernos mundiales y la organización mundial de la salud han establecido. Respetas la distancia de seguridad, llevas la mascarilla y te quedas en casa como se nos ha pedido que hagamos. No te cuesta obedecer porque entiendes que si se ha decidido paralizar la actividad global que redunda en la paralización económica global, debe ser algo muy importante, muy serio y por nuestro bien. Los lideres del mundo no les gusta que sus economías sufran y se paralicen pero ante la muerte inminente de miles o millones de sus ciudadanos, tomaron esta decision. Ahora, imagina que vas a la tienda a hacer la compra para tu familia y su supervivencia. Cómo eres quien lógicamente sigue las pautas, vas tu solo o sola a la tienda, con todo lo que eso puede implicar como dejar a tus hijos con alguien o incluso te aventuras a dejarlos solos un momento para hacer esa compra. Llegas a la tienda y te pones en fila con un metro de distancia entre tú y cada persona, delante y detrás de ti. Al entrar en la tienda tienes que frotarte las manos con desinfectante y ponerte guantes de nítralo para no tocar nada y probablemente infectarlo o infectarte por si alguien que si tenia el virus se paso algo por alto y lo tocó.

Como no puede faltar, se acerca una persona que pasa de ponerse los guantes, no lleva la mascarilla y, por supuesto, no respeta la distancia de seguridad e invade tu espacio para coger esos garbanzos o esas patatas fritas. De repente y sin esperarlo, aunque en un ambiente tan caldeado e incierto, si hay algo seguro, es que hemos de esperar y sospechar de cualquier cosa, esta persona estornuda. Como tiene algo en mano, apenas le da tiempo para taparse la boca y estornudar a su manga. Como es de esperar, ese virus y microbios van por todo el aire porque no se caen al instante, como bien han explicado varios medicos y epidemiologos del mundo. Lo que es cierto de este suceso es que igual te entre por los ojos pero es mucho mas probable que te entre por las vías nasales u oral y vaya directamente a tu sistema respiratorio. Ahora, imagínese que no llevaba ni usted ni esa persona la mascarilla. Qué posibilidad habría de infectarse debido a esa violación de la distancia de seguridad y el estornudo que acompañó? Pues, si con la mascarilla hay un 50% de posibilidades, doble esta cantidad y ahí está su respuesta.

Después, ira a la cajera y habrá una interacción y también un intercambio de gérmenes entre usted y esta persona que tiene familia y amigos también. Después, ira a casa y hará la comida para su familia, les hará mimos, habrá contacto entre usted y ellos. Tanto si es de una escuela de razonamiento en cuantas a las mascarillas u otro, podemos estar de acuerdo de que ha incrementado las posibilidades de que usted y su familia se vean de repente infectados con este virus que aún no tiene cura y no la habrá hasta próximo aviso? Otra pregunta que se me ocurre es, porque expondríamos a nuestros familiares y a nosotros mismos tan libremente cuando solo hacia falta ponerse una mascarilla un ademas se estaban dando gratuitamente?

Se ven amenazados nuestros derechos y libertad por pedirnos que las llevemos cuando salgamos? No más que nuestra vida, salud y la de nuestros familiares y entorno por no llevarla. Es incomodo llevar la mascarilla? Sí. Lo es un poco. Pero creo que más incomodo que nos metan unos tubos de respiradores artificiales para intentar salvarnos y mantenernos en el hospital rodeado de personas que sí tienen el coronavirus y luchan por su vida, no puede ser. Nos subleva y nos somete a un puesto de ovejas controladas? Bueno, esta pregunta tampoco es fácil de responder sin complicarse. Es decir, de alguno forma u otra, aunque creamos que somos libres y tenemos toda la libertad del mundo para decidir lo que queremos hacer y demás, lo que es cierto es que todos somos esclavos de alguna forma u otra. Por ejemplo, quién se libra de cometer un error? Quien se libra de tener que trabajar para comer y pagar sus facturas, alquiler e incluso algún vicio u otro que en sí nos hace esclavos a él. Quién se libra de hacerse mayor? Quien se libra de los impuestos para mantener los sistemas que tanto defendemos y decimos que nos hacen grandes como nación? Quien se libra de tener que seguir las normas sin tener que pagar una penalización por romperlas de alguna forma u otra? Quien se libra de la muerte en sí? Visto desde otra perspectiva, no creo que mi libertad se determine por llevar una mascarilla o no. No creo que mi independencia sea determinada por llevar o no una mascarilla. Tomará bastante más para silenciar a cualquiera. Tomará algo más para sublevar a las masas. Tomará bastante más para domar a una civilización global que ve la incapacidad de los gobiernos, unos mas que otros, en resolver sus verdaderos problemas. Pero, ante algo tan sencillo, hemos de darle la misma importancia que damos a los impuestos e igual que seguimos otras normas, esta es otra más a seguir.

Lo que si podemos hacer es mostrar un poco de sentido común con una mezcla de consideración. La primera persona a quien hemos de considerar es a nosotros mismos. Es decir, todos hemos de morir pero no sé si es lo mismo morir de vieja edad habiendo vivido una vida plena que morir casi por accidente cuando pudimos haber alargado esa vida un poco más al llevar esa mascarilla sublevadora. Las próximas personas con quién hemos de ser considerados es con nuestras familias y amigos. Porque, todos hemos sacrificado tiempo sin nuestras familias, sin trabajo, sin salir, intentando sobrevivir de alguno forma u otra, quedándonos en casa. Y de que sirve o de que habrá servido si nosotros, por negligencia, por ignorancia, porque a nosotros nadie nos dice que hacer y por esa falta de cortesía tan distinta de este sistema, vamos y nos infectamos para luego ponerlos en peligro cuando si podamos verles y estar con ellos? Y decir esto es ligero porque tal y cómo están las cosas, si ellos están decididos a sobrevivir y se quedan en casa para hacerlo, a cal y canto, no serán los primeros en ir corriendo al hospital y después a la morgue a despedirnos. Mucho han de querernos para arriesgarse así. Con lo fácil que hubiese sido llevar la mascarilla. De nuevo, puede darnos de una forma u otra pero la mascarilla disminuye las posibilidades donde no llevarla las incrementa. Por lógica. Las próximas a quienes hemos de considerar es al prójimo, nuestro vecino. El que si esta haciendo un esfuerzo por sobrevivir, por incomodo o incluso difícil que le sea hacer ese esfuerzo. Al fin y al cabo, todo lo que va vuelve y al ser nuestro vecino, si esa persona se infecta, las posibilidades de que tú también lo hagas de nuevo habrán incrementado. Tanto si su familiar o compañero de trabajo rehuso ponerse la mascarilla, se infecto y al final volvió cerca de nosotros. Cada uno es libre de hacer lo que cree conveniente pero no es libre de infringir en la libertad o decision de los demás de protegerse e intentar sobrevivir. Nadie tiene esa libertad y todos tenemos la capacidad de ser considerados con los demás en cosas pequeñas como esta que es gratis y no cuesta absolutamente nada. Qué impere la lógica y la consideración en estos momentos tan difíciles. Se habla a menudo de el cuidado de uno mismo pero, dadas las circunstancias, hemos de cuidar de los demás también y eso solo se consigue siendo responsables, lógicos y considerados con nosotros primero, nuestros seres queridos y el prójimo, tanto si le conocemos como si no.

- The Masks We Live In - J.M. Aranda Jr. Perezchica

A week ago I wrote my first blog for the official KEEP THE WORLD POLITE webpage, where I gave you a taster of my coming book by purposely publishing the intro to it which promotes the values that KEEP THE WORLD POLITE holds dear. If you had a chance to read it, you probably saw that it will be a book based on logic and reasonability. It will be a book that speaks on no arrogant and pompous terms with big eccentric words and deep thoughts but, rather, as a normal person, with normal problems, who probably has very little time for self and has to tend to many matters, your families, your jobs, etc. The book will be for normal people who aim to be better in everything they do, aim to be better and live in a world where others think and feel as they do. One in which RESPECT and COURTESY reign by logic. Someone who wants to laugh, wants to connect, wants to relate and feel understood. If you haven’t had the chance to read it, you’re more than welcome to. It’s not going anywhere.

In this week’s blog, I’ll try to stay away from my book but I will use the same line of reasoning the book will follow and draw up some lessons the book will expand on more. You see, in the last few weeks there has been a huge debate as to whether we should wear the masks we are being told to wear that some people wear even in their own cars or houses. I get it. With such a cheeky and compromising virus as COVID-19 which has paralysed the world in such a historic manner, you can never be too safe and it won’t be me to end this debate ( I certainly won’t fuel it more if there’s any space for it to be fuelled even more) because before reading this blog, you probably had your mind made up about whether you would wear your mask or not, with or without arguments and scientific data. What I do want to accomplish with this post is sensibility and humanity to the heated argument which both sides can enjoy and hopefully give careful consideration to.

Before I do, allow me to say that I have a cousin who fights and posts with all she’s got against the mass confinements and mask wearing regulations. Every post of hers in the last 2 weeks has been very intense and wages an open war against the lockdown and mask law as, according to her, it seriously violates her rights as a human and an American citizen to come and go where she pleases, when she pleases and with whom she pleases as well as deciding if she wants to put her life in danger or not by not wearing a mask. To a very large extent, I could understand what she’s arguing and I respect her fighting through posts that present very interesting facts, stats and videos that are being censored by YouTube or the American government in order to show that we are being controlled and manipulated and that the masks are nothing more than the New World Order’s instruments of submission. I respect what she’s doing as well as her opinion even though I must say that I do not agree with this idea as I feel there are more important things to talk about and reason on and, at the same time, I don’t think it reaches that height or depth.

What am I trying to say? Well, in receiving the masks that the autonomous community of Madrid was distributing through pharmacies in the city, of course the thought and images of the governments submitting us. The thought crossed my mind that maybe she’s right and they want us to walk around as silenced slaves with which the mask represents submission, silence and acceptance to the order as sheep would. Even so, it was imperative that I also reason on what that mask means to the grand majority of the global population. And what is it if not health, well-being and survival as well as consideration and common sense?

You see, that mask means the difference between life and death. After watching and considering plenty of videos that argue in favor of one thought or another, especially there is one Spanish doctor who treats the subject with much dignity and respect which I really enjoy, I came to the conclusion that besides being the fine line between life and death for me, it is also the difference between showing that we are cooperative, reasonable, courteous and considerate. I want to focus on consideration in itself and that consideration we should show should be towards ourselves and then to those we say we love most, like family and friends. Is it fair of me to say that or is that a stretch?

Well, let’s assume you’re one of the ones who follows the rules that world leaders and governments and the World Health Organisation have set in motion. You keep a safe distance from others, you wear the mask and gloves and you stay at home as much as you could as we have been asked to do. It literally requires no effort or sacrifice on your behalf as you understand that if world governments have decided to paralyse global activity which will lead to global economic paralysis, i must be important, it must be for good reason and that good reason is our well being and own good. I may not know a lot but I do know that world leaders hate to their economies suffering and their countries shutting down but before the imminent death of thousands if not millions of their citizens, they made this very difficult decision. I won’t go to into whether it was pre-meditated and this is all part of a plan, etcetera. I just know that sort of decision is not one that can be taken lightly and it requires a greater force to oblige any government to do that. Now, imagine you go to the store for your family to survive. Because you’re logical and prudent, you go to the store by yourself, with all that may imply, especially if you’re a single parent, just to make that buy. You get to the store and line up, 6 feet from the person in front of you and the one behind you, eyeing anyone who encroaches that very vital space. When you go into the store, there is some hand sanitiser with which to sanitise your hands and then are given gloves to avoid touching anything to not infect or get infected in case someone touched the product before you and they failed to sanitise for whatever reason.

Because there’s always that one person who is above the rest and can’t be told what to do, someone who is neither wearing the gloves or the mask and, what is more, they totally invade your lane and that safety distance to grab that canned legume or bag of chips. Suddenly and unexpectedly, although in this state of alarm where nothing is trustworthy and everything is suspicious and guilty until proven innocent, this person gets an urge to sneeze. Because they are holding something they don’t quite make it on time to sneeze or cough into their sleeve or elbow space. As is to be expected, that virus and those germs are now up in the air because they don’t just fall to floor as many doctors and epidemiologists have over-explained since we started this quarantine. Now, you may say, “well, yeah, you could still acquire that if it were to get in your eye.” True, but it is even more probable that it will enter your respiratory system through your nasal passage or your mouth, which are the two we normally use to breath and take in air. Now imagine that neither you nor that person were wearing your masks. What is the likelihood of you getting infected because of that thoughtless act of violating your safety space and not wearing a mask? Well, if with the mask which is not infallible, your chances of contracting COVID are 50%, take that amount and multiply it by two, you and that person. There’s your answer. It’s simple math.

After this episode, you’ll go to the cashier and there will be some interaction and an exchange of germs and things between you and this third person who also has family members and friends that he or she love. What’s happens next? You’ll go home, cook for your family, you’ll cuddle them and there will be inevitable contact between you. Whether you are of one school of thought or the other on the masks, can we agree that your chances, as well as those of your family, of having picked up COVID hace increased exponentially and there is still no known or approved cure for it? Another question is, why would we expose our loved ones as well as ourselves to that when it was as simple as wearing a mask as a preventive measure especially considering that most places are giving away at least one FPP2 mask? There really isn’t a reason for it other than negligence and outright refusal to do so.

Are our rights and freedom being threatened for being asked to wear masks when we go out? Not more than our very lives, health and those of our loved ones for refusing to wear them. Are they uncomfortable? Yes. Just a bit. But I think that it would be even more uncomfortable to have tubes stuck up your nose, down your passage, oesophagus and to your lungs for an artificial respirator to keep us alive as they try to save our lives whilst we’re in a hospital surrounded by people who do have coronavirus and are fighting for their lives. Does it submit us and make us look like dominated sheep? Well, it’s not easy to reply to this without over-complicating things. To some extent, whether we think we are totally free and we are free to choose what we want and not, we are all enslaved somehow, to something. For example, who’s free from sin and is free of committing any mistakes? Who is free from working to earn a living, to eat, pay bills, rent, even a habit or another which, in itself, enslaves us to it? Who is free from ageing? Who is free from gravity? Who is free or exempt from paying taxes which help us keep up the systems we pride ourselves on which make our nations great? Who is free from having to follow rules without having to suffer the consequences for breaking those rules one way or another? Who is free from death? Seen this way, I don’t think my freedom is robbed or determined by a mask on my face. Nor is my independence. It would take a lot more than a mask to silence anyone. It would take a whole lot more to silence the masses. A whole lot more to tame a global civilisation which is clearly not happy with how things are being done and knows their real issues and problems aren’t being dealt with. But, with something as simple as wearing a mask, we should give it the same importance we give obeying laws that protect us and paying taxes that keep our streets clean, safe and habitable.

What we can do is show a little bit of common sense and a dash of consideration. As the world normally does, and I don’t agree with ever nor do I condone but, this isn’t a popular message so I can expect it to be done anyway, we just can’t help it and this time you’re right in not doing so; the first person that you should consider is yourself. We are all to die sooner than later but that doesn’t mean we should be in a haste to do so and I hardly think it’s the same to die of old age, having lived and enjoyed life to the fullest until you don’t anymore, than it is to die ahead of time when we could have extended that lifetime a little bit longer by wearing that ever so submitting mask. The next set of people we should consider are our family members and our friends. Because, we’ve all made real efforts and sacrifices with this inconviniently necessary quarantine. We’ve all spent time away from family, without work, without going out, trying to survive one way or another, by doing all we can to #stayhome. What have we done this for if we, because of negligence, ignorance, or because we can’t be told what to do, go and get infected and put their lives at risk when we are finally able to see them and hold them? Saying this is actually an understatement right now as it’s best case scenario because if these individuals are so determined to live by respecting the quarantine rule and wearing a mask when going out, I promise you they’re not going to be the first ones running to the hospital to save you or even the cemetery to say their last goodbyes. If you’ve not seen the news lately, most are just thrown in a coffin and buried and the sick have their friends and family waving at them from their window but you never see anyone rushing in to embrace them at all cost. Sadly, everyone knows better. They’d have to really really love us to put their own lives at risk that way. All this would’ve been totally avoidable had we just put on the mask and not encouraged others to not wear theirs. Because, think about the effect you can have on someone by putting it on even if you’re totally against it and then think of how you would feel if the person you inspired to not wear a mask dies because they were so touched by your message. Not a medical or a scientific one. Just a really passionate one. Again, we could acquire it anyway but wearing the mask decreases those possibilities whereas not doing so, increases them. By logic. The last set of people we ought to consider when pondering on the mask is our neighbor or friend. That one who alone or along with their family is making a real effort or even sacrifice at a great loss to him or her just to stay alive. Just think that what goes around comes around and if your neighbor picks up COVID, your chances of also picking it up have once again increased. Maybe because their family member or coworker refused to wear their mask, they’ve now brought it close to you and you may not even realise it at first because we incubate it before it’s full blown. On this note, everyone is free to do what they deem convenient but, no one has the right to infringe on the freedom or decision of someone else to protect themselves and stay alive. The one thing we don’t have is that freedom but we all have the ability to be considerate with everyone which literally costs nothing. Let’s let consideration as well as logic reign when it comes to staying alive during these trial-some times. We often speak of self care but, given the circumstances, we are also obliged to care for others and we do so by being responsible and considerate with ourselves first, our loved ones and, expansively, with neighbor, whether we know them or not.