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Let’s Start Working Together

Collective cooperation and consideration is what got our country through other difficult times

By Ann Schoonover

We, as community, should empathize with every single business that has experienced hostile clientele over their objections to a governor’s mask order. We’re dealing with a worldwide pandemic and these orders are intended to keep us all safe. They aren’t intended to “oppress” us. There is no tyrannical behavior by these governors and officials. Wearing a mask is part of a measure to get us back to work and back to some level of normalcy, to ease the burden off our front-line workers, mostly the medical community and to prevent the death toll from rising. Certain businesses have tried to comply, but when their employees were hassled (and in some cases threatened) they opted out of complying, dealt with complaints and faced legal retribution from the state. Businesses everywhere have been dealing with hostility over a situation we’re all in. Unfortunately we’re working against each other instead of doing what we can to get through it and get our lives back to normal. In spite of those “alternative facts,” wearing a mask is indeed proven to be an effective, simple (not to mention considerate) thing to do. It contains our breath and droplets, which carry the virus.

Collective cooperation and consideration is what got our country through other difficult times, including World War II when people were instructed to do things in an effort to keep us safe. During air raid drills people were told to close their curtains and turn off their lights. Oppressive? Ya, a bit. Folks had to sit in the dark and be inconvenienced. They couldn’t read. They had to make their meals by candle light (if that was even allowed). But, alas people just did it. There was none of this righteous, indignant behavior. If someone didn’t comply it wasn’t officials they faced. It was their community. These days our lack of collective cooperation and consideration have cost a lot of people their lives, literally and economically. The longer we remain divided on the matter the longer this pandemic continues and it is slated to get a lot worse during the cold months which are upon us.

While two drug companies have developed a vaccine it will still take a year or so for it to be safely rolled out due to the time it takes to clinically test it for safety and side effects. I don’t remember the last time a “flu” killed five people among friends and colleagues. I don’t remember a flu laying people out for days on end. I don’t remember a flu leaving people with severe fatigue and health issues weeks after recovering. Please people. Lets start working together instead of against each other. That goes for a lot of things …

Ann Shoonover
Kalispell