“When people recognise others around them, they feel safer and are more likely to step in to help in the case of disaster or emergency.
“If everyday interactions are not happening as much via commuting, we need new strategies to build connections and help stem loneliness, anxiety and feelings of being unsafe.”
SIDE-COMMENT:
This is an interesting article for me personally because I feel the opposite and feel threatened by people who don't mask. I'm scared
of and scared
for people who fail to take steps to protect themselves by masking. I actually shun those who don't adhere or seem to respect my precautions.
My experience as a Masker and taking a lot of precautions made me extremely uncomfortable with people I know that aren't masking and taking precautions like me.
In fact in the very beginning of pandemic and ever since, I go out of my way to set strong boundaries with neighbor's and family who don't take the same precautions as me so they never stop by my house. I am estranged from family accept in long distance remote communication.
So anyway in contrast to this article's viewpoint I actually feel safer keeping my distance from those I know and love who don't mask like me. I feel like that touchy feely contact bond with family and friend's and neighbor's fuels the pandemic and fuels viruses.
So its an interesting article but my sense of wellbeing coincides with safety rather than socializing face to face with one another.
Obviously for me and my 77 year old loved one the threat of viruses are currently very real. My loved one's daughters babies (who are in another state) just got through a terrible flu and that was scary as anything. My loved one is going to have gall bladder surgery so we take every precaution to not get sick before, during, and after surgery... A cousin died from catching covid at hospital. My uncle died of pneumonia. I'm a masker all the way. So I'd rather be around strangers who keep their distance while commuting if I have to..lol(I laugh nervously to keep from crying)
.. that doesn't refute the findings in the article of course but personally as Masked Man who is a 'novid', in relative good health, and who loves his life
as is, I have to point out I wouldn't feel comfortable at all being with family or friends that didn't mask like me. I feel the love from my family and my friends' love and when we share interests online remotely and through the power of the written word.
I have never caught covid so I don't have to live with the constant threat of the long term health repercussions of long covid... to me, there are enough things to worry about and so I just mask and not take it for granted having never caught covid before. That's hard thing to have to worry for the rest of one's life if covid and its long covid is going cause serious health problems later on down the road like a lot of data is indicating. So I still am wary of face to face personal encounters and I feel safer away from those who socialize in person and I feel safer masking and take precautions.
lol..Let's put it this way, Id rather be a masked freak than
fit in and risk catching covid or the many airborne viruses and diseases that are currently available on a bus ride..I don't need any maskless friends getting in my masked face! I got bigger and better things to do! Besides I don't feel right being around a maskless friend or loved one bacsue to me they are being reckless and taking unnecessary risks as well..To me well-being equals being safe with less worrying. Because I mask I have less to worry about when my head hits the pillow at night.
That's actually my worst nightmare is a bunch of family and friends come up to me for a frivolous, worthless, meaningless and boring event and say "take your mask off!, Take your mask off! and come play with us eat and let us hug and kiss and play board games breathing into one another's face ... act normal like us, don't be afraid and catch covid!"... you see I wear a mask and I am healthy and have a healthy lifestyle and a lot of good things goin' for me while many others aren't taking as many precautions and aren't masking and they are gambling and taking chances that is not for me. I'm already happy and have everything I need and have adapted to my masked way of life. Things are good enough for me. I don't need what that article thinks we need. I'm fine.
lol.. what I'm thinking is that maybe if commuters had worn masks and taken more precautions against viruses then the commuting patterns wouldn't be as random as they are now than before Covid 19
This is still an important article and has merit .. and at same time it triggered some feelings in me that feel good to share in commentary.
The Masked Man
P.S. Okay when the pandemic began I wanted everybody to mask and still do however it hurts less if I don't know them. For instance everyday I gotmaskless delivery people like the UPS and Fed Ex people dropping off things out front. I never approach them. I don't know them. I wish they'd mask for their own sake but I don't worry as much because I don't know them they are strangers and although I do care it just doesn't matter as much because they are maskless strangers. If they suffer or get sick or aren't as safe it doesn't affect me as much because I am not close to them. If they did mask I'd probably be more likely to holler hi from the corner of the yard but they never mask so I just leave them alone. They do an incredible job but like I said because I don't know them I don't have as much emotionally invested in them as I would someone that I knew. For me, seeing a maskless stranger from afar is lot less worry to me than witnessing my elderly parents running around maskless.
In reference to the study, Again, maybe "Commuters see fewer familiar faces post pandemic" because they should have worn masks and people got sick.. and maybe "commuters don't feel safe" because they aren't being safe and maybe comuters are seeing a lot of strangers now because us smart ones are masking, refusing to join them on a bus, and are staying away!
