Listening to the news reports and the debates about the pros and cons of wearing a mask, and how a mask takes away personal freedom, I must ask, “Why are we even debating this issue?”

The discussion about whether to wear a mask should be over. Every medical professional has declared the necessity of this. Our state hospitals are now overfilled, and they sometimes must send patients to other hospitals to receive the most desperate patients.

How can a friend or family gathering be more important than protecting our fellow citizens?

And if our fellow citizens, friends or families were not important enough to restrict our social gatherings and comply with the medical recommendations, then please consider the next time you might need medical care from your doctor’s office and they are closed because the staff is infected with COVID-19.

Utah is currently highly infected right now and we as citizens have the freedom and choice to change this situation by sacrificing and being patient.

Our leaders who participated in writing the U.S. Constitution could not have anticipated the challenges we have today, but if they could have, they probably would have included a clause for this.

Those who delivered our freedom, who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, who did wear gas masks and other uncomfortable armor when needed, might be disappointed in how some of us have misinterpreted our freedoms to include that it’s not necessary to sacrifice for others.

Our family members and proud soldiers sacrificed their lives for us.

So the discussion about whether it is necessary to wear a mask for the safety of our country and fellow citizens is selfish and very different from the sacrifices and the values our ancestors gave to us when they provided us the freedoms we have today.

I suggest we reintroduce these words into our daily vocabulary: Sacrifice. Compromise. Compassion. Kindness. Consideration. Thoughtfulness. Healing. Helpfulness. Unity. Connectedness. Community. Entitlement. Empathy. Togetherness, and more.

We are all in this pandemic challenge together and we can beat it only if we fight it together with an attitude of sacrifice, compassion and cooperation.

None of us knows which family members will be afflicted and depart before we have the chance to hug them once more.

The thought of this image should compel every one of us to do the smart thing and protect ourselves and others.

Elizabeth Avery, MSW, recently retired from 35 years of social work, mediation and education. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and they all wear masks when extended family members get together outside. This year, they have chosen to celebrate their larger family gathering of Christmas in July and Thanksgiving in June, after the vaccine is available.