Masks and Flannery O'Connor

To wear a mask or not to wear a mask ... that is the question. I am unsure about what to think about mask wearing. You can quickly Google and find half a dozen articles that "prove" that mask wearing is ineffective, and you can find equal numbers of articles supporting the benefits of wearing them. Regardless, of what side you land on, most of the pro-mask arguments concede that wearing masks is more to protect others than to protect yourself. This was one of the first things that I heard about masks.  Along with the mask requirements, we were implored to "Don't wear a mask for yourself", but do it for others (The Atlantic, April 22, 2020). 

I think that may be the problem. Let me explain.

Our culture in 21st Century America is very self-centered. It is difficult to get people to act unless there is a direct self-benefit. 

I wonder if we would be more inclined to wear masks if the opposite was true; what if wearing a mask was a guaranteed protection from contracting COVID-19 (or any disease)? I bet we'd see a higher percentage of people wearing masks in public. However, we are asked to wear a mask to protect others, and that argument just hasn't been embraced by some (most) in our country. Although this can be (and has been) presented as a way to "love your neighbor" (Jesus' second greatest commandment), many Christians refuse to wear a mask ... I know that the issue is complicated, but the act of putting a mask on is a simple one.

Americans deeply value our freedoms and wearing a mask, for some, has turned into an attack on those freedoms. This is not new; we've seen this with protests against seat belt laws in the 1980s ("Before Face Masks, Americans Went to War Against Seatbelts") and, more recently, against motorcycle helmet laws ... and both of those are intended to protect the individual wearing the safety item. Knowing that about America, of course, we are going to see objections when required to wear a mask that protects others. Of course, it doesn't help the cause when high profile public figures refuse to "mask up" in public. 

This debate reminds me of Flannery O'Connor's short story, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own." The title is the key to unlocking the themes in this story, and it comes from a road sign in the story that reads, "Drive Carefully: The life you save may be your own."

                                                    

The genesis of this story title comes from a safe driving billboard campaign in the 1950's that targeted our human nature towards self-preservation. Those charged with promoting public safety knew their audience, i.e., more people will drive carefully to protect themselves than to protect others.

You need to read this classic O'Connor story (pdf linked above), so I won't spoil it for you, but as you read, remember the title and its not so subtle hint about our sinful human nature and our bent towards self-centeredness and away from self-sacrifice.

I'm not sure how helpful this blog has been to answering the original question of "to wear a mask or not to wear a mask." However, as O'Connor would suggest, because of our human nature, "mask laws" will be difficult to enforce unless definitive evidence comes out that face coverings protect the person wearing it. 

Regardless of your personal or political position on masks, we should all reflect on how, in our time (like in O'Connor's time), we can deny our natural self-centeredness and make sacrifices for others.