MEEKER I I recently heard someone say, “Nobody asks questions anymore.” The implication was that people hated the real answer, so they just barreled ahead without stopping to consider the consequences. The people who believed that fake news could be applied to the reporting of verifiable facts began to drown out the voices of reason until most everyone got tired of talking about it. On both sides of the Continental Divide, the differences between the rural and urban residents over this one public health and safety issue exploded. Protests by anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers began to take place at a number of schools on the Front Range. Violence threatened to disrupt the first days of school this past week, so local law enforcement was called. This resulted in the addition of more police officers to ensure the safety of the students in those schools with the increase in police presence.
Figuring out about what to do with the facts that are facing us this coming school year is essential. While we have the collective need to move back to feeling a sense of normalcy, we have a duty to make sure that while we move forward, the youngest among us do not lose more time from school. There is one question that is being asked. Will it ever feel like it did before? Probably not, but that doesn’t mean that all of the students from now on will not benefit from developing a new way for students to thrive together.
As our children go back to school, there is one way all of us can make sense of our uncertain future. Wishful thinking blurs one’s vision and stops one from taking action. Getting a vaccine is the only answer for most of us. It is apparent that the latest variations of COVID-19 have made us all realize that we need to be part of the uncomfortable conversations.
Some of the latest public service announcements show the effect that refusing to even consider getting vaccinated has had on a number of families. In the early months of the pandemic, there was no vaccination available. Without knowing enough about Covid 19, no one was able to get anyone to believe the scientists about taking action immediately. Once families locally began to share their own experiences and losing friends and family members, some shared their decisions to change their minds. Getting the “big picture” and getting a vaccination relied on the “small picture” coming clear first.
By DOLLY VISCARDI – Special to the Herald Times
