IMO (In My Opinion)

By Elissa Linger Mills

COVID19 – What a mess 2020 has become as a result of it. A virus that may or may not have been deliberately leaked from a lab in China & whose purpose was to possibly be used as a weapon.

To protect mankind from said virus we have been advised to wash our hands, for at least 17 seconds, & to wear protection.

Facebook & other social media now has many self-professed “medical experts” talking about masks. Some want you to wear the masks 24/7, some want you to protest by refusing to wear the masks & some are actually saying that if you wear the masks, Jesus will hate you. After all, “they” say, it is your right!

What about my rights??? I’m conservative & yes, I have brains & an education. Some of those experts are making the rest of us look like, to use a cliché, kooks.

The numbers have proven that this virus can & will kill. The most easily infected are the elderly, infants/children and those humans who are medically compromised.

Many businesses are now announcing that we all must wear masks before entering & when patronizing their establishments. If that bothers you, don’t go there! If you don’t want to wear a mask, don’t wear one but if you don’t, stay at home! If you are in a hurry to die, go for it but don’t take innocent people with you!

Speaking of social media, millions of us have one account or another on such sites as Facebook. We use those accounts to stay in touch with family, old friends, new friends & social acquaintances.

People post on Facebook when they want their friends, or the world, to know something. They will announce little things, big things, personal opinions, political leanings & news. Class reunions, family gatherings & the list goes on & on.

Many users have an account to just read what the rest of the world posts. I, and I think most users, log on to stay in touch, catch up, check on friends, post pictures, share opinions, jokes & cartoons.

Since I’m interested in putting a stop to acts of animal cruelty & abuse, I’m very active on that topic, some politics (Love President Donald Trump) & enjoying a chuckle or laugh at my friend’s expense.

There’s a reason sites like Facebook are called Social Media. Think about it. Social Media is a public forum. Public, as in everyone. In other words, if you don’t want people to know, don’t post it on social media!!!

Recently I shared pictures of someone who posted them herself on Facebook. Next thing I know, she’s called the police to report me for sharing them. I want to ask her, have you lost your mind? Don’t post it if you don’t want folks to see it & share it! If it embarrasses you, you shouldn’t be doing it. That includes dating someone who is married!

Facebook has also become the place that has allowed many of us to realize that not everyone, including some friends, don’t think like we do. Yes, I’ve known that all along but what I am referring to here is something else.

My family raised me to judge each person on his or her own merits. In other words if you are nice to me, I’ll be nice to you. It’s that simple.

At Granddad’s dinner table I was not raised to pick my friends based on who they were, where they lived, how much money they had or who they were related to. Call me sheltered perhaps but I never heard my family not like someone based on their race, religion, financial standing or political registration. I grew up in the 60’s & it seems it was a much simpler time.

Through my social media I have been forced to realize that a very few people I’ve always considered friends are very different than I am. They used names & tags that I would never dream of using. They call people terrible things & what’s worse, these same people seem to think that I should either agree with them, or at least simply accept their views.

Today I am using this form of social media to announce that if anyone reading this is prejudice, please don’t think I want to hear your ignorant comments &/or views!

We choose to fill our lives with people that we enjoy spending time with. People who share our taste in restaurants, movies, books, politics, trivia, pastimes & yes, social media.

You are never going to convince me to dislike someone because they are more/less educated, live in a bigger/smaller house, have more/less money or are simply different than me in some way. We are drawn to new things. That’s one way we learn!

Back to COVID - 19, it just might kill all of us. One way or another we are all going to die. It’s inevitable, we are born & we will die & there is nothing we can do to stop it.

Until it’s our time to go, we all need to try harder to be kinder, nicer people to others. Quit using racial, ethnic & other ignorant slurs. You just sound ignorant & uneducated and I don’t care who defends you….it’s just wrong!!!

That’s my rant for this time. I’ll be back if you all don’t shut up the crap & behave.

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