During the first three weeks of the pandemic, we literally never left our place. We did our responsibilities on the land as usual and for everything else, we ordered our stuff on Amazon. That was it.
As of this writing, I am now okay with going downtown to visit stores in person. And what surprised me is how most of these stores are like face mask Nazis.
If you don’t have a face mask they would say, “Put on your face mask. You gotta do it to stop the spread.”
Overview & Episode Content
- Are People Being Responsible in Public During the Pandemic?
- Be Responsible by Socially Distancing – But is That Enough?
- People Simply Want to Keep Their Business During the Pandemic
- Know Yourself and Be Responsible for Your Situation
Are People Being Responsible in Public During the Pandemic?
Today, I am in the downtown area. And what I have noticed is that people are usually asked to wear their masks before they enter an establishment. Although this is generally common among most stores, it is far more strictly implemented in high-end stores.
The downtown area is central. This is where the Sheriff’s office is located as well as the police station headquarters, the court systems, and other public and government buildings.
Now, in these government buildings, I have observed that they do not even have strict face mask protocols in place. I can see people going in and out of these buildings without face masks on.
So, I’m walking around thinking that this area could be a lot worse since this is where the government offices are located and how central the downtown area is. In fact, I even see a lot of homeless people here.
If you have been following the podcast for some time, then you already know that I tend to be a conspiracy theorist at heart.
Although I make it a point to observe social distancing in public places like this, the point is that I was actually expecting mass enforcement of wearing masks.
Be Responsible by Socially Distancing – But is That Enough?
If you look at the mandates or guidelines in the state of California, it says that one does not need to wear a face mask if social distancing is practiced. Now, if a person cannot practice social distancing, then they wear a mask.
However, all these stores are strictly enforcing face masks even if social distancing is in place.
Going back to the government buildings I have observed, some of them do not even require face coverings at all! It is a public building so nobody can deny service even if the person is not wearing some sort of face covering.
This got me wondering why things are this way. Why is it that some of these stores are such Nazis when it comes to face masks even if everyone is being responsible by practicing social distancing?
This should not be a big deal if people are social distancing, right? It is, after all, what the guidelines have stated. And the guidelines are very clear.
The thing is, people — and myself included — are so accustomed to the city life. This is the type of lifestyle where people are not growing their own food and have no way of transport without relying on electricity or gas.
People Simply want to Keep Their Business During the Pandemic
Think about it this way. What if the power grid goes down and what if there is no gasoline? If the power grid goes down, then you will not even be able to pump your gas, right? It’s almost as if you will be vulnerable if you don’t live seriously like the Amish.
I will admit that I am vulnerable despite living in a rural area. We do have chickens but we have no horses that can allow for transportation. Of course, the chickens can definitely provide food through eggs but not a lot. There is not much stuff on the land to become self-sufficient.
We are even getting solar power systems but even that is not a fool-proof thing. And this is not a doomsday scenario where people are clamoring to get out of cities.
The important thing to realize is that one of the reasons why businesses are very Nazi about wearing masks is thay they do not want to lose what they have. And rightfully so!
If the government says, “Hey you have to do this or we are shutting you down and you lose everything.”
Well, of course businesses are going to strictly comply. Whether that is law or not, businesses will follow the guidelines.
Know Yourself & Be Responsible for Your Situation
The fact is, businesses will not fight against the state or the government if they feel like they could lose everything.
It is also important to recognize that people have their own choices.
My choice is that I tend to be hard-headed. I always have been that way. I tend to fight back and buck the system. That is just me.
Now, I am not saying that it is good or bad; these are simply things that I do. All that being said, you are responsible for yourself.
I have not worn a single face mask this entire time except when we went to the hospital because it only made sense in that situation. But all of that was my responsibility. The choices I made are my responsibility.
So, why is this important? You are responsible for every situation that you put yourself into.
To me, it’s very important that you know yourself and you know the enemy. If those conditions are met, then you will win every time.
But if you don’t know yourself and you don't know the enemy, you will lose every time. And if you know yourself but you don’t know the enemy, you will win only half the battles.
Conclusion
It is when you know both yourself and the enemy that you win every time. When you know yourself and be responsible for yourself whether it’s in business or family.
What can you take responsibility for this week? Right now? What can you take responsibility for that will change the game for you from this point onwards?
Resources and Links
This is Dean Soto. Go check out ProSulum.com and FreedomInFiveMinutes.com. So that and I will catch you in the next Freedom In Five Minutes episode!