Today is Sunday, March 29, 2020. I have this premonition that I will go to work tomorrow morning and be greeted with the order to put on a face mask, ostensibly to limit the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19).

Being that I am a rebellious, independent sort of person, my initial reaction will be that I am not sick, that there is no reason to wear a mask, that I will not be bullied into wearing a mask, that I do not care one fig about another person’s opinion of me, etc., and will culminate in the declaration that I am not going to wear a mask. Period. No matter the consequences.

In that case, this is how it will play out. My boss, a no-nonsense type of person, will give me a choice: either wear the mask or go home without pay and the potential loss of my employment. Since I am hard-headed, stubborn, and independent, I will choose to go home and take my chances with my job. After all, there are other employers.

When I get home…oooh, Momma! The shit will hit the fan. My wife, never known for mincing words, will tell me in no uncertain terms, what her opinion of my decision is. Being the stubborn, hard-headed, argumentative type of person I am, I will try to convince her that my actions are appropriate and that she should appreciate the fact that I stand up for my convictions. She will then proceed to tell me her opinion of that! Tempers will flare and words spoken which will have to be corrected later on. At the end of it all, I will reluctantly admit that it would have been better to simply put on the face mask and shut my mouth. In addition, I will have to crawl back to my boss, admit my sin, and beg for my job back.

This is stupidity! Stupidity!! There is no other way to describe it.

Sixty plus years of life and its attendant experiences have taught me a few things, perhaps more than I realize.

1. It is futile and detrimental to argue with my wife.

2. It is not beneficial to argue with my boss about something which is not important.

3. Five of the most important words I have had to learn the hard way are these: It is what it is. It is useless, as Jesus Christ said (Acts 26:14) to kick against the pricks (goads). In other words, there are some things about which your effort is in vain, so you might as well simply shrug your shoulders and live with it. In fact, the more strenuously you oppose them (the goads), the more it is going to hurt you. There are times when a person should recognize this, shut his mouth, and go with the flow, regardless of his stubbornness, hard-headedness, and rebellious, independent nature.

Tomorrow morning, if I am directed to put on a face mask at work, I may voice my opinion, but I will follow orders. After all, it is not really that bad and I have worn them before, especially in very dusty conditions. Besides, if my co-workers are nervous and afraid about the potential transmission of the virus, then what better way to show them my love than to subdue my own selfishness for their health and well-being—physical, emotional, and spiritual–even if they are being irrational.

I will not shave my beard, though. Final answer! That is a line in the sand which no one dare cross.