The Mask: A symbol of respect and responsibility

In my family, the face mask became a necessary force for health 15 years ago.

That was when my youngest daughter, only three years old, was diagnosed with cancer. At home, as well as in my work at the time as the manager of a food company, we were imbued with the culture of being constantly careful not to infect another person — be it our toddler, who had low immune defenses, or the thousands of customers eating the food we produced.

By wearing face masks and frequently washing our hands, we lived by the logic that nobody is saved alone. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown society’s willingness to live by this creed too, by staying home, maintaining social distances and wearing masks. Now it’s time for our political leaders to make this care for the common good a core tenet of our economic recovery and path to a more resilient future.

We shouldn’t have to face extreme situations, like my daughter’s cancer or the first global pandemic in a century, before we show that we are capable of doing all that is necessary to value, respect and defend the lives of others, as well as our own. This is a basic rule of empathy.

The mask has been used for decades by those who are ill, know they can infect others and are concerned about becoming a source of contagion. But until a few months ago, most of us Westerners were surprised to see Eastern citizens wearing masks voluntarily, and I would say that the biggest surprise came from knowing that the reason for wearing them was not to infect others. we collaborate, the damage for the whole population will be less.

The mask is now an internationally recognized symbol of respect and responsibility. It showcases the values of the person behind it — especially if it’s reusable. It represents a small individual contribution to solving a serious collective problem.

We need to hold on to these values, and apply them to all of our productive activities, as we emerge from this crisis, too. Empathy, particularly for key workers and vulnerable people most exposed to threats and difficulties, must continue to trump self- and short-term interests. Collaboration will remain a vital part of the solution.

Because this tragedy has offered us a historic moment to think about what is most important to us all, and put its wellbeing at the heart of our recovery. We need to create sustainable jobs and industries that foster a healthier economy, by reducing the pollution that accelerates climate change and poisons our air and water, conserving and regenerating nature, promoting climate justice and circular economy, strengthening resilient infrastructure, and helping to replenish and use water sustainably.

For there are those who argue that leaders who have failed to address the COVID19 crisis have done so for three main reasons: 1) Incapacity to understand and value science, 2) Lack of empathy, 3) Inability to coordinate with others. Those who have tackled the pandemic most effectively, on the other hand, have done so by following scientific and medical advice. We must continue to heed these experts as we shift from emergency response to long-term recovery.

That is how my daughter overcame her dramatic prognosis. She recovered surprisingly well because her entire environment followed the medical indications with the utmost discipline, leaving aside individual or short-term interests, all aligned for a greater good that was evident to us.

Perhaps the greatest legacy that cancer left us was precisely to show us how fragile we are and how short our passage through this life can be. It is worthwhile to use our days trying to act with empathy and to strengthen the fundamental capacity for collaboration and coordination with others. It seems to be a good lesson the COVID19 is leaving and that can allow us to get out of this crisis better, as well as prepared for the crises that will come in the future and that surely will have a symbol equivalent to the one that today mask is giving us.