Unmasking the Truth – Question 5 Part 1 – Are you missing any factors?
(skip to “The Fifth Question” below if you read prior questions already)
Having broached the topic of masks, I want to encourage dialogue between the polarities of the debate. This is challenging given the political climate of uncivil discord rather than civil discourse. With a vision of communities coming together to collectively determine truth and decide on policy, I offer a series of questions. I don’t want to give answers, but questions that re-teach all of us to engage in discourse which will lead us to that vision. Somewhere between the polar extremes, we will find the truth that we all need.
Therefore, let’s unmask the truth whether it leads to “masks or no masks”, “mandates or no mandates”, and more.
The Fifth Question…
Imagine yourself confronted by someone who expresses an opinion contrary to yours. It could be on social media, in line at the grocery store, in a town hall meeting, a family gathering, or anywhere. Your first impulse is to blast away. Throw your best at them. Pound them into submission. This happens from both sides of the debate.
In the spirit of understanding what the other person is saying before responding (first question) I offer this question with two “sides”. On one side of question five, ask what factors the other person is considering in deciding their position. On the other side of this question, ask what factors they (and also you) may be forgetting or ignoring.
Let’s look at an example… “wear your mask so you don’t kill my grandma!”. Walking through prior quesitons in this series, we realize that the person wants us to wear a mask to protect their grandmother. They have a fear (not saying this is a legitimate or illegitimate fear right now) that you might pass on the virus to the grandmother who would then die of the infection.
The fourth question asks “is it that simple?”. The fifth question for today assumes that it is rarely if ever that simple, especially for important issues or public policy. In this example, what are they considering (and assuming)?
The person is considering/assuming the following:
you could have the virus without knowing it
without a mask you might give it to them or their grandmother
with the mask, you won’t pass the virus
the virus has no therapy
the virus will kill someone they love
wearing the mask won’t hurt you
forcing others to wear the mask has minimal to no negative consequences.
See Part 2 for the continuing consideration of this Question 5.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.