Ultimate Act of Patriotism: Wear a Mask
We are pleased to announce new
Peace Alliance branded face masks
It’s so important in these times to keep each other safer by wearing masks. With ours, you can also share a message of peace while supporting our work. We have them in white or black. Check them out!
On a related note, our Board Member, Matthew Albracht, has written an article for Medium about the importance of wearing masks entitled: “The Ultimate Act of Patriotism Today? Wear a Mask.”
Here are some excerpts:
“The ultimate act of patriotism in this moment may very well be to wear a mask. It’s a relatively small sacrifice that is not only self-serving, it’s more importantly a service to our fellow man. We are a nation that takes pride in the values of community and taking care of one another. It’s core to the American spirit, even if we don’t always or even often live up to it. If we really love our country, then we have to love our fellow man enough to give each other this gift (along with appropriate social distancing). It’s for all our benefit and will aid some much needed relief…
“There is a certain familiar rebelliousness inherent in some Americans lack of willingness to wear masks in public places in many parts of the country. Individual liberty is a value I most often hear as a justification, and it is obviously a value that has a long historical legacy in our nation…
“I don’t think we can win this victory [of convincing enough people to wear masks] if we don’t pay the value of individual liberty more respectful heed, and more importantly shift the public narrative in a way that also employs the values and energy behind it into a narrative that can make help propel forward the case for why it’s so important we wear masks if we want to save countless lives and possibly have somewhat more normalcy in society while we deal with this pandemic. I think making a bigger public pitch tying mask-wearing to patriotism would link closely to the value of individual liberties and could be a compelling narrative. It has been in some of our nation’s darkest moments that the values of patriotism has helped override some of our more individualistic tendencies…
“We have a chance in this moment to redefine history. To rise up for one another and set a path forward that will make this coming year safer and dare I say even more enjoyable once we get it settled down some. I also think it could help mend and repair at least a little of the gaping wound we collectively face with current divides, and maybe even show us better ways relating to countless other issues of lovelessness and injustice that we face. It’s a good training ground to directly learn how to better care for one another. Each time we put the mask on, we can make it a prayer or intention for our highest good. Demonstrating the tenderness and mercy that so many of us long for.”
You can read the full article at Medium.
