(This is a continuation of this previous post.)

Walking back to our van after attending the 6:30 am mass, my 13-year-old son challenged me on my mask compliance behavior at church.  

Despite the sixth month data in our area, our elected officials continue with the mandated mask ordinance. The top (unelected) health official in the county indicates that his view is that the mandated mask ordinance should continue until there is a vaccine. This official continues to announce “executive orders”, which ruffles the feathers of the elected county commissioners.  

The multitude of examples of over-reaching of power across all levels of government during this Coronavirus alarms me. Some of the most egregious violations include the unequal application of health policy in business as compared to churches and synagogues, challenging our right to religious freedom. I don’t ignore these dangerous public actions.

Every cell in my body resents being forced to wear a mask in defiance of my own critical thinking process, understanding of truth, and definition of true charity. I follow the understanding of the local mask ordinances to the best of my ability. I wear a mask when I enter into any business, restaurant, and organization. And I remove my mask when I am sure that I am socially distanced from any other person in the building. 

For example, I remove my mask when I am sitting at a table with people I know at a restaurant eating, and I remove my mask when I am exercising at the gym at safe distance from any other member. I also remove my mask when I am seated in a pew at church, six feet from any other person seated there. I put my mask back on when I walkabout around the buildings and cannot guarantee the six feet of social distancing.  And I use good hygiene and other common-sense techniques to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

I use my body to communicate my position, which stays within the law.  I shared this with my son. I accept what I cannot change, and I take action to change the things I can.

And I encourage you to do the same.  This is an active, not passive process and important to the maintenance of our future freedom – economic, religious, and otherwise – in this country.

The Transition

As things have settled down, I notice the Non-Mask people are trying to move forward with normal life, with reasonable adjustments, as quickly as possible, and the Mask people are taking a little more time to get there.

To help rebound in a safe and healthy way as possible and to prevent similar unhealthy pendulum swings in future events, I call all mask people to adopt the following “Mask People Mitigation and Management” Strategy:

4 Mask-Management Methods

1. Stay Informed – Particularly in the early years, most small business owners laser focus on their enterprises, often to the neglect of giving excessive attention to politics. This virus calls us to develop systems for finding efficient, reliable news channels and effective filtering processes for misinformation.  
2. Be Aware – Notice and file what you observe going on in the world. For example, I was only remotely aware of the unhealthy censoring of information by several of the large social media companies, until I had several posts censored. The virus escalated an understanding of the danger of this unbridled access and influence in public thought. This awareness has altered my business strategy as well as motivated me to be more engaged in the public dialogue about this and other issues.
3. Connect – In our “cancel culture”, it’s often not safe (and doesn’t necessarily make good business sense) to publicly broadcast your seemingly “unpopular” views. Develop a safe group of people and business associates you can bounce your thoughts and feelings around with. You might be minimizing concerns in conflict with public groupthink when the like-minded business or personal associates share your perspective.  Freedom to discuss and process various points of view makes our country work.
   
4. Engage – When alarmed by policies advocated by either Mask People or Non-Masks people, don’t sit on the sidelines. Actions influenced by the unhealthy side of either position cause damage…sometimes permanent damage. 
   
   To be fair, Non-mask people are prone to downplay or even be unaware of the challenges that less confident or less-resourced people have to deal with. If you want a favorable business client to operate your freedom and faith moving forward you must get off the sidelines and back on the field. 
   
   The Representative Republic is not a spectator sport. You are either on the team on the field or you are dead weight. Actions don’t need to be draconian. You might write a letter or make a phone call to a government representative. You might talk with your kids or family members about your views on the issues of the day. You might attend a City Council meeting or share your concerns more openly with business colleagues. Each one of those steps can help us all get back into equilibrium so that we all live in optimal health, abundance, and well-being.

Conclusion

I don a big hair. Wearing a mask makes me feel closed in like I am in an MRI.

I believe in critical and systemic thinking. With my understanding of the six-month data around this virus, every bone in my body cringes when I am forced to externally do something, like being forced to wear a mask in all circumstances, I profoundly disagree with.

I take calculated risks in my business and personal life. I love God and strive to obey him. And I care deeply for the well-being of myself and others.

I watch people, and I pay attention to my reaction or response to them. I notice things. I use those observations to navigate my world to be more effective in achieving my goals. Creating and living my dream business and personal life and helping others do the same jazz me up.

Like my ideal clients, I am a Non-Mandated Mask person.

It is a privilege and a responsibility to live in a free society, like what we have in the United States of America. A better understanding of yourself and challenging yourself out of the passenger seat and into the driver’s seat paves the way for all of us to successfully navigate all of the challenges that life brings our way.

Christian Biz Owners on Fire biz and life tip:  Identify the mask and non-mask people in your life and figure out the best way to bridge the gap in order to find a way of getting to the other side of this pandemic with the highest quality of life for all of us. Exercise your responsibility as a citizen to support those elected officials who share your leadership philosophy.