Adrienne Rubin, Acclaimed Author

Diamond and Scoundrels: My Life in the Jewelry Business

By Adrienne Rubin

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- When you cross the street, you look both ways. But when you go out in public, are you wearing a mask? The first example protects you. The second protects others, and it might protect you too.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This is The Golden Rule.

Unfortunately the President of the United States has left the decision of mask/no mask up to each of us while choosing not to wear a mask himself. He is frequently tested. He takes hydroxychloroquine and recommends that we do so as well. A recent report says that scientists are currently testing this controversial drug with some positive results in a few cases. But why not wear a mask to prevent the spread of the disease in the first place? Is it so hard to choose responsible behavior?

Why is it that some people have chosen not to wear a mask? They are independent thinkers who refuse to be told what to do. They treasure this freedom, even at the expense of threatening those around them.

The dictionary defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” In other words, it is the state of being allowed to do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it, which would be fine if we each lived alone and apart from the presence of others.

In society, along with freedom, there must come the other side of the coin: Responsibility. How does your freedom affect mine? And today more than ever, how does your not wearing a mask affect me? You ignore science and the fact that your very breath holds a potential invisible weapon. According to what experts are saying, should you come within my air space, you put me in danger. Neither of us can know for certain, but when you confront me without a mask on, my instinct for survival is telling me to flee.

Our responsibility today requires a return to ethical behavior. It requires following suggested guidelines, putting others as a priority, behaving responsibly by valuing the gift of life, and universal good health above all else. It requires giving up feelings of entitlement, replacing them with a heightened sense of the environment and a social consciousness. Ideally, this leads to empathy and more purposeful existence as we anxiously await a return to work and a semblance of life before COVID.

Our new normal lives are different now and slow in returning to what was normal in the past. Many of us expect to return to work in the coming weeks and months, while far fewer expect to resume social activities for the next few months. Many businesses around the world are vanishing, unable to withstand economic pressure. Those with online sales are experiencing double-digit growth, as digital habits are becoming firmly entrenched. Virtual shopping sessions now peak our interest more than ever as we search for items to buy. Luxury sales are on the upswing, since those who can afford it are indulging. Some prices are lower, however, and so even this sector is going to take longer to recover.

Unfortunately, protests in the streets where crowds have gathered without social distancing have exacerbated the problem and caused the disease to take hold. In many parts of the United States, the situation is even worse than in March, and indeed, there is an even greater risk that COVID will take over to such an extent that it cannot be controlled. The American Workers Survey taken over a month ago shows that fewer than half of us this month are expected to book medical appointments, even essential ones. The same would be predicted for grocery shopping in person, eating in restaurants, going into stores to shop, and any activity that involves close contact with others. Who would have thought that as we are now still dealing with the first wave of this disease, too many people are falling ill and dying rather than enjoying warm weather outdoors? Public caution is necessarily high, as people are avoiding community and large social events, only when necessary flying on airplanes, using public transportation, and sending children to school or camp. And when they do these things, they choose responsible behavior by wearing a mask.

It cannot be said too frequently: “We are in this together.” All of us. Please, be kind to others. Put on a mask.

Adrienne Rubin’s memoir, Diamonds and Scoundrels: My Life in the Jewelry Business is available through www.Amazon.com, www.target.com, www.walmart.com or www.barnesandnoble.com, and can be ordered through your local bookstore.

Aurora DeRose
Boundless Media Inc.
+ +1 951-870-0099
email us here