Lately, almost every day we hear, “In public, please wear a face mask and stay six feet or more away from other people (called social-distancing). And wash your hands often to the tune of Happy Birthday. Hand sanitizer, too, can kill that nasty COVID-19.”
That’s not a direct quote, but you know what I’m saying.
Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis
Those are not new measures to prevent the spread of a deadly virus. They are small things to do with big results: protecting your health and that of other people.
If you’ve read a book like Sinclair Lewis’s Arrowsmith (1924), which I’m reading now, you’ll see the challenges of handling a public that needs repetitive instruction.
“Destined to become a physician and a researcher, he [Martin Arrowsmith] discovers that societal forces of ignorance, greed, and corruption can be as life-threatening as the plague.
“Part satire, part morality tale, Lewis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel illuminates the mystery and power of science while giving enduring life to a singular American hero’s struggle for integrity and intellectual freedom in a small-minded world.”
An ounce of prevention against COVID-19 is worth a pound of cure
I’ve been under the impression all my life, thanks to my parents, that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It’s proven itself true time and time again. My dad, if you read about him here was a microbiologist, the chief scientist at the Public Health Department in our town, dedicated to the wellbeing of its citizens. He read Arrowsmith when he was twenty-two years old, and it influenced him to enter public health service.
My mom, a caring person active in the community, exercised a lot of common sense. “Going to play in the snow? Wear your mittens, Charlene. They’ll keep your hands from freezing and falling off.” Well, she didn’t say that exactly, but you get the drift.
“Have a cold? Drink lots of water, cover your mouth when you cough, and put on a sweater.”
No doubt both parents—with knowledge of germs and gloves—have influenced my emotional and physical response to the current, devastating COVID-19 pandemic. So, I thought I’d pass their sound thinking along, which amounts to the old familiar saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Prevention is cheaper, too
PLEASE heed this EASY advice: WEAR A FACE MASK IN PUBLIC (not a chin guard!). It’s as simple as … washing your hands!
Besides, it’s much cheaper, less time consuming, and less traumatizing to yourself, others, health care workers, and the economy than dealing with the consequences.
Well, thanks for reading. I couldn’t go another day without shouting this out.
Stay safe, stay well, and grab that mask when you head out the door.
Your writer on the wing,
Charlene
Rob Ruff
Keep shouting, Charlene!
Charlene Edge
You bet!
Steve
Righteous! Great message Charlene. Here in the desert we say #MaskUpAZ! <3
Charlene Edge
Here in our house, we say “Just wear the damn mask!”