Let he who is without sin cast the first stone
Lately, I have been hearing a lot of people calling out fellow citizens of Alberta for not following the provincial restrictions regarding COVID-19. Though I’m glad we are keeping an eye on each other, I wonder if we are keeping an eye on ourselves. There are many restrictions that we are ALL supposed to follow, but I believe many of us are cherry picking the restrictions that suit our needs. In the past year, I don’t know one person, including myself, that has not violated at least one of the restrictions at some point. Not one!
ALL the restrictions are supposed to be followed, not just the ones that we each decide are “the good ones”. If none of your behaviors have changed at all during the past year, you are likely violating at least one restriction. It’s easy to proclaim that all travel outside the province or country should be banned if you never leave your home province anyway!
It’s easy to say that bars, restaurants and entertainment venues should be shut down if you never leave your house after 6 p.m. Let’s implement a curfew! It won’t affect me, so go for it! I’m not a church goer, so restricting congregations at places of worship is a great idea! Throw 'em in jail if they don’t conform. I’ve been obeying the places of worship restriction for a decade. That’s commitment to the cause! The only difference between us is that we choose to place more or less weight on the restrictions that affect our own lives.
Every time I walk into a pub or restaurant, I see people from different households sitting together. I even see them playing cards at the table. If COVID-19 doesn’t love playing cards, I don’t know who does. There is still a work from home order in place, but some people would rather go into work, so let’s ignore that restriction. We aren’t supposed to have people in our homes, so with the exception of Xmas, New Year's, Easter, little Susie’s birthday, Super Bowl, and of course Valentine's Day, we follow that one.
I don’t think we are supposed to interpret the restrictions to suit our own lifestyles. I know we have all been affected by this devastating virus, and it looks like we are getting near the end of this thing. We have all made huge sacrifices this year. I’ve seen plenty of examples where gatherings have been modified to be more COVID friendly. I applaud everyone for persevering in these trying times.
I propose that we stop looking down our noses at each other, and accept the fact that we are all trying to get through this pandemic in our own way, while keeping the things that are most important to us safe. The next time you point your finger at someone for not obeying a restriction, consider where your other three fingers are pointing.
Stay safe!
Rick Owen, St. Albert
