The Mask
By: Amy Park, November 8, 2020
If you make a quick google search about what some people your age did during the prime pandemic months, you would see that they started campaigns, charities, organizations, protests, and so much more. These young activists believed that a change needed to be made. Obviously, their thoughts changed drastically.
I didn’t start huge organizations or campaigns; if you search up my name, a random middle-aged artist or an actual park might show up. In other words, I wasn’t able to make a huge change in the world during the pandemic. However, I was able to change my thoughts completely on a very simple, but a specific object: the mask. Everywhere I go, there’s always a huge poster or sign with the words: “Please wear a face covering or mask” on it. Everywhere I look, I only see half of the people’s faces, but for the irresponsible people, their whole face with their mask pulled down to their chin. Overall, masks have become a huge part of our lives. Every time I see someone not wearing a mask, I immediately think, “I better stay away from that person” or “What’s wrong with them?”. The difficulty of breathing while wearing a mask outside has become a regular thing and making sure I don’t touch anything without sanitizing it first has become a must. I’m pretty sure these are the thoughts of most people nowadays, considering the pandemic.
But what will happen after?
What will happen after the pandemic ends? I have been waiting for the day I can finally go outside without wearing a mask, but will I really be relieved?
Let’s consider the people who went outside every single day either for partying or for work. Wearing masks have become a daily routine for them, so how would they feel after masks are not needed anymore?
Will they also feel completely relieved or safe?
The answer is: probably not.
Everybody today is wishing for things “to go back to normal” where we have breakfast, go to school/work, come home, eat dinner, do homework, etc. but we’ll probably never go back to “normal”. Wearing masks has become such a strong subject in our society that it won’t be completely erasable. Masks were always a huge worry, so even after the pandemic ends, you may even hear your mother still accidentally say, “Don’t forget to wear your mask” or you might even catch yourself wearing a mask after the end of the pandemic. Will there be people who fully go back to their “normal”, probably. But overall, our society will not be able to just completely forget and erase our times with the masks.
In a few months, the one-year anniversary for the coronavirus will occur, which means that a whole year of the world wearing a mask will pass.
So don’t immediately think that your experience with the mask will be completely deleted from your brain because it’s not that simple. You’ll probably think about it from time to time (I certainly know that I will), and maybe even worry. We went through a pandemic, whether or not you personally experienced it. Thousands of people worldwide have been impacted and masks were a huge part of the equation.
Hopefully, the pandemic will end soon and I will be able to see people’s full faces. Stay safe!
