The way you wear the mask entirely depends on the personality type. It is not just the mask. It extends to any mandate- like the requirement to wear the helmet or the safety-belt in your car or follow the traffic rules. How well you adhere to the mandate depends on what you are made of.
The problem is "wear the mask" is an injunction. It is a rule stipulated by the powers-that-be. Mr defiant is a personality type- allergic to any rule. He openly flouts it. The entire humanity may be behind a mask; but he stands apart, walks with a swagger, unmasked and unabashed. There is no point arguing with Mr Defiant- he is armed with his peculiar logic and is well prepared. He has stepped out of home, after spitting on both palms, pumped up for a fight, and in taking him on, we needlessly fall into his trap. If you want to shame him, do it quietly- just ignore him!
Some personality types are exactly the opposite- not only do they welcome the mandate, but go overboard in following it. Open their wardrobe, and an entire riot of masks tumble out- plain-masks, colored-masks, floral-masks and yes, even gold-masks for special occasions! It is their latest accessory, like a scarf or a tie, that needs to be matched with the rest of the person. The mask is their new style statement- when they take the dog out for a walk, it looks equally prim and proper, behind its tiny mask!
There are some who wear the mask for face-value (no pun intended) and no more. The mask is safely tucked under the chin, resembling a full-blown beard they have suddenly sprouted! In some cases, the mask covers only the mouth, with the nose sticking over it, as if they care for protection, but only partially. And then, there are others who wear the mask in full, but the moment they need to talk, pull it down to the chin. Once the conversation is over, the mask is back in place! And then, there are others, who wear the mask, in full, that too without a break, but there is a catch- the mask is like a pair of pyjamas- it dangles so loose, that leave alone a virus, you could let in an entire swarm of bees! What do you do when someone shows up with a sari-palloo or a knotted kerchief as a makeshift mask? It plays with the wind and flaps- now in place, and now- all open, with a free invitation for the elements to gatecrash into the mouth and nose? How do you police this motley crowd?
There are certain personality types who pretend to comply only for the fear of being pulled up. Their singular aim is to somehow beat the system. These are the types who carry the two-wheeler helmet in the back-seat like a trophy. The moment a policeman is seen in the distance, the helmet is promptly on the head! So too with the safety-belt in the car- stretched over the torso, like the proverbial sacred-thread only at the road-check point. His brain has grown- enough to pick loopholes, but not enough to appreciate the need for safety, his own personal safety. We know how he will wear the mask.
Sometimes, we feel the urge to drive some sense into people, even at the cost of being unpopular. After all, a totally pacifist philosophy does not help. I accosted the first man who wore no mask. He simply retorted "get lost!" and jogged past me! The next attempt was an elderly gentleman. He had an immediate answer, "Beta! I have a breathing problem, oxygen ki kami hai! I cannot wear a mask!" If you have a problem in breathing, you should very well be staying at home, for it is exactly this co-morbidity condition that Corona preys on, I tried to reason. "That I will take care, you don't worry!", said the man, leaving me rooted at the spot!
End of the day, each one is a victim of his own personality. It will decide how the mask is worn, whether it is worn at all! It reminded me of an incident years ago. In the railway compartment, there was a man stretched over two seats of the berth, in a brazenly callous way, leaving the rest of us falling over the edge of the berth. After a point, it was simply impossible to adjust. "Why are you doing this?" we asked him point blank. His reply was swift, "What can I do? My body itself is like that!"
Compliance cannot be bought or enforced. All we can do is provide access to information. The education has to happen from within. And yes, we should definitely pray- "Lord, may people have some common sense. Sabko sanmati dey Bhagavan!"
The problem is "wear the mask" is an injunction. It is a rule stipulated by the powers-that-be. Mr defiant is a personality type- allergic to any rule. He openly flouts it. The entire humanity may be behind a mask; but he stands apart, walks with a swagger, unmasked and unabashed. There is no point arguing with Mr Defiant- he is armed with his peculiar logic and is well prepared. He has stepped out of home, after spitting on both palms, pumped up for a fight, and in taking him on, we needlessly fall into his trap. If you want to shame him, do it quietly- just ignore him!
Some personality types are exactly the opposite- not only do they welcome the mandate, but go overboard in following it. Open their wardrobe, and an entire riot of masks tumble out- plain-masks, colored-masks, floral-masks and yes, even gold-masks for special occasions! It is their latest accessory, like a scarf or a tie, that needs to be matched with the rest of the person. The mask is their new style statement- when they take the dog out for a walk, it looks equally prim and proper, behind its tiny mask!
There are some who wear the mask for face-value (no pun intended) and no more. The mask is safely tucked under the chin, resembling a full-blown beard they have suddenly sprouted! In some cases, the mask covers only the mouth, with the nose sticking over it, as if they care for protection, but only partially. And then, there are others who wear the mask in full, but the moment they need to talk, pull it down to the chin. Once the conversation is over, the mask is back in place! And then, there are others, who wear the mask, in full, that too without a break, but there is a catch- the mask is like a pair of pyjamas- it dangles so loose, that leave alone a virus, you could let in an entire swarm of bees! What do you do when someone shows up with a sari-palloo or a knotted kerchief as a makeshift mask? It plays with the wind and flaps- now in place, and now- all open, with a free invitation for the elements to gatecrash into the mouth and nose? How do you police this motley crowd?
There are certain personality types who pretend to comply only for the fear of being pulled up. Their singular aim is to somehow beat the system. These are the types who carry the two-wheeler helmet in the back-seat like a trophy. The moment a policeman is seen in the distance, the helmet is promptly on the head! So too with the safety-belt in the car- stretched over the torso, like the proverbial sacred-thread only at the road-check point. His brain has grown- enough to pick loopholes, but not enough to appreciate the need for safety, his own personal safety. We know how he will wear the mask.
Sometimes, we feel the urge to drive some sense into people, even at the cost of being unpopular. After all, a totally pacifist philosophy does not help. I accosted the first man who wore no mask. He simply retorted "get lost!" and jogged past me! The next attempt was an elderly gentleman. He had an immediate answer, "Beta! I have a breathing problem, oxygen ki kami hai! I cannot wear a mask!" If you have a problem in breathing, you should very well be staying at home, for it is exactly this co-morbidity condition that Corona preys on, I tried to reason. "That I will take care, you don't worry!", said the man, leaving me rooted at the spot!
End of the day, each one is a victim of his own personality. It will decide how the mask is worn, whether it is worn at all! It reminded me of an incident years ago. In the railway compartment, there was a man stretched over two seats of the berth, in a brazenly callous way, leaving the rest of us falling over the edge of the berth. After a point, it was simply impossible to adjust. "Why are you doing this?" we asked him point blank. His reply was swift, "What can I do? My body itself is like that!"
Compliance cannot be bought or enforced. All we can do is provide access to information. The education has to happen from within. And yes, we should definitely pray- "Lord, may people have some common sense. Sabko sanmati dey Bhagavan!"
