I don’t care what your opinion on masks is. I truly don’t. I don’t care if you hate them or love them. But they are a necessity to keep people alive. 

I don’t understand how a tiny piece of paper or fabric has gotten politicized enough and caused people to fight against each other, I really don’t. And there is no effective argument you can have over why you shouldn’t wear one. It does not limit your freedom. If anything, now not wearing one is limiting your freedom. It is keeping you from going to places.

People claim they don’t work. They say they are ineffective and causing anxiety attacks. And I’m definitely not one to call false on anything related to mental health, but if you are someone who dips down to that level just so you can show off your nasty yellow teeth, then honestly just shut up, because you’re only making a fool of yourself. 

Masking saves lives. How do you think we were able to go through any kind of in-person learning over the last year? Through the use of masks. How were we able to see our friends again or go back to work? Through the use of masks.

And, before anyone starts with the argument that it’s hard to breathe in one. I’m going to stop you there. If I was able to dance and practice for months and go to the gym daily while still wearing one, you can wear one while sitting in class at a desk, basically immobile. 

I worked at a summer camp over the whole summer. The camp had campers ranging from ages 5 – 11, both indoors and outdoors, in and out of the pool, every day for 10 weeks. I personally had six-year-old children, some of whom had never been to school before, and we wore masks. Inside and outside, through duck – duck – goose and tag, from climbing a rock wall, to changing into a swimsuit. Sure, we had some bee stings and some missing lunch boxes, but guess how many COVID-19 cases the camp had? None. And guess how many of my campers complained? None.

If all these small children were able to wear a mask outside while playing without complaint, then I know high school students can do the same while sitting down listening to a lesson. 

Masking saves lives. There’s no arguing that. And if you need a reason to just wear the stupid thing, think about other people for once.

I mask for my sister, who is too young to get vaccinated. I mask for my grandmother, who struggles with heart problems. I mask to protect people around me who are not as fortunate as I am from a health standpoint. So I know every person reading this has someone that they would do just about anything for. So do it for them. And if you’re too selfish to only think about yourself right now, then do it for yourself. Do it to save your own life. 

Now by no means am I claiming that wearing a mask is the only option. There’s this little thing that is called a vaccine. Ever heard of it? Well if you need yet another reason to get the tiny thing in your arm, the Pfizer vaccine has just been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

For the record, I don’t enjoy wearing a mask. It’s not the best part of my day or the best moments of my life. But if wearing a mask can get the world back to normal, and can get the performance world back to putting on shows again, then you bet I’ll wear this thing. If wearing this thing makes it possible to have the best moments of my life with my friends, then I’ll wear it without asking another question. 

At the end of the day, just wear the mask. It’s not causing any bodily harm. It’s saving your life. It’s saving other lives. We have already lost too many lives to this virus to lose anymore.