Dad Said it Best
Age-Old Truths for Modern Times
“Better safe than sorry.” ~Samuel Lover (1837)
If there’s one thing I’ve learned so far from living through an ongoing pandemic, it’s that no one — including the experts in medicine and government — knows exactly how COVID-19 behaves. So the best we can do to control its spread is to adopt a better safe than sorry approach.
Apparently, this phrase was first used in a long-forgotten novel, Rory O’More: A National Romance. However, the proverb has endured the test of time simply because it’s a pithy way to say exactly what it means. My dad quoted it all the time to keep me from rushing headlong into something impulsive, only to regret it soon afterward.
I find myself repeating it often these days, as we get back to ‘reopening America’ after months of lockdowns, shutdowns and stay-at-home orders brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. By nature, I hate the restrictive nature of helmets for bicycling, seatbelts for traveling, or wearing a face mask when entering a public space.
I can argue that I’ve likely been exposed to the virus multiple times by now. Either I’ve built up an immunity to fight it or perhaps I’ve already had a mild case of it; who can know until we get access to a failsafe antibody test? But wearing a face mask really isn’t about protecting myself anyway. It’s about protecting those around me who may be more vulnerable to the virus… like my 91-year-old mother or my cousin with diabetes or my neighbor with an auto-immune disorder.
It’s easy to downplay the ravaging effects of the virus when we haven’t experienced it ourselves. But for those who have either suffered through weeks of debilitating symptoms or who feel more susceptible due to a chronic health condition, the threats posed by COVID-19 are gravely serious. How dare I be flippant about their well- being? So I mutter “better be safe than sorry” to myself as I slip on my mask and keep my distance. I don’t want to play any part in making someone else sick.
Admittedly, the jury’s still out regarding the effectiveness of cloth and paper masks compared to nearly-impossible-to-acquire surgical-grade N-95 masks. But when in doubt, better safe than sorry. As my dentist put it, “It doesn’t matter if they [patients] believe in wearing masks or not; we need to err on the side of caution to protect everyone.”
Most of the local business owners and service providers I’ve spoken to prefer to err on the side of caution and require strict social distancing measures to keep their customers and employees safe. Their concern goes beyond what’s mandated by the state. As one psychotherapist in private practice knowingly told me, “They have a lot more to lose than the general public” when it comes to combatting the spread of infection.
Some, like our local library, have adopted a “meet me in the middle” approach. In other words, if a patron wants to exercise their personal right to NOT wear a face mask, then they are allowed into the library lobby to pick up a reserved book or another item on hold. But only those who adhere to the library’s face mask policy will be allowed past the threshold and into the building to browse the shelves and otherwise interact in the library space.
These are admittedly drastic times and they call for drastic measures. So, for the sake of the common good, remember to wear your face mask in public. Like Dad said, “better safe than sorry.”
