A long time ago I read a book called “All quiet on the Western Front”. It is a novel that was written by German World War I veteran Erich Maria Remarque. The story was published in 1928 and it sold millions of copies. Several movies were also made about it, notably, the 1979 television version starring Richard Thomas, Ernest Borgnine, and Donald Pleasance…
The novel is to some degree an anti-war book that was later banned by Hitler and the Nazi party. It describes the misery and the horrific conditions endured by the German soldiers in the trenches during World War I… and their disillusion with the war.
The most dramatic episode of the book (and in the films) takes place during the waning days of the war. There is a lull in the fighting, and all is quiet on the Western Front.
Paul (the hero of the story) spots a bird and raises his head from the trenches to have a better look. A single shot rings and Paul is killed by a sniper’s bullet in the head.
The moral of this long preamble is that even when the war seems to be over, you should not throw caution to the wind.
Several Southern states (most prominently Texas, with 29 million residents) have proclaimed that the war against the pandemic has been won and that they are allowing all business activities to resume full scale. No more masks or any other pesky restrictions for anyone.
This is utterly foolish and irresponsible because, despite some progress, the war against Covid-19 is not yet over. There is still a lot of fighting going on and it would be tragic for anybody to take a bullet in the head a few months before the war really comes to an end.
I fully understand the financial hardship suffered by the business community, but what good will the business re-opening do to anybody if they all end up dead?
I just got my 2nd shot of the Pfizer vaccine (no side effects thank you), and even though I feel somewhat protected, it will probably be months before I ditch my facemask and start kissing any Tom, Dick, and Harry.
Why take even the slightest chance when the Allies have landed? We will soon be liberated and free to indulge in whatever we want… During the 2020 blitz, we took it on the chin for over a year, but most of us endured. A few more months of caution on the Western Front is not going to make that much difference.
Patience is a virtue. Get vaccinated, and if you want to fully enjoy life again, keep wearing a mask and lay low for a little while longer.
Alain