I hate to do stuff that we already know. We have smart people here that know a lot more than I do about a variety of subjects. However, a simple perusing of social media makes clear that there are two Americas. We always knew that much, but it is becoming increasingly obvious where these dividing lines are.

What I’ve seen makes one thing clear: it’s not about facts versus fiction or science versus science fiction. It’s not even about Republicans versus Democrats. The simple dividing line comes down to who or what we choose to trust and believe in.

The calls to “do your own research” are really just a farce. At the end of the day everyone ends up trusting someone who they deem to have the answers. I didn’t read any scholarly journals before my eye doctor injected my eyes this morning. I trusted that as a specialist he knew what he is doing.

So, all the folks saying they don’t trust the FDA or CDC are trusting someone when they give themselves a medication meant to cure river blindness or head lice. Someone told them that works. They don’t know what’s in it, so the protests about not putting a foreign substance in their body is pure bullshit.

These are similar to the calls of tyranny for mandating that you need the shot or frequent tests to keep your job. It’s as if these mandates have never been done before. Our kids never had to have vaccinations to go to school. I never had to submit to a fingerprint scan and background check to teach or volunteer at my church. Except I’ve had to do all of those things and our kids had to have those shots.

So, to cry about overreach now is just selective outrage. It’s similar to cries about excessive spending, running deficits, and any other government overreach. We are all okay with the government getting involved in some things or spending on some things. The question has never been if, but what exactly you get involved in and spend money on.

Similarly, some love to romanticize on how they are independent thinkers that don’t blindly trust authority. Sure. If it makes any of us feel better we can go on saying that. The truth is not whether we trust authority, but the people we choose to trust and give credence to. I’d love to say my people are better than your people, but that kind of discussion gets us nowhere.

My wife asked me if it was too hot to run. I’d said no. Am I a weather or exercise expert? No. I’m simply someone that cares about her and wouldn’t intentionally steer her wrong. Somehow, that’s where most of these anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers are at. Deep down most of them care for the friends and family and wouldn’t want to hurt them. They’d just rather trust another friend or family member over an expert they don’t know personally. It’s really as simple as that.

A funny thing happened last night. We were watching the Olympics and minding our own business when we perused CNN online and saw the headline and picture. It was someone my wife had gone to school with. She was right there plastered on the headline. Seems she had not taken the vaccine and was now in the hospital.

She was quoted as saying that she wasn’t anti-vax, but just hadn’t gotten around to taking it. Sure. Makes perfect sense. There are tons of things I don’t seem to get around to doing. I haven’t finished cleaning the garage. I haven’t gone to the dentist in years. There are still a stack of papers on the kitchen table that need to be sorted. I’m sure many of you have a similar list of chores that keep piling up.

A part of this is simple priorities. We do the things that are important to us and put off the things that aren’t. So, for this person it seems getting the jab just wasn’t a priority. She admitting being mad at herself and my wife confirmed she has been like this for the past 30 years.

Some people are selfish. Some people are lazy. Okay, let’s get real here. Most people are selfish and most people are lazy. Most people don’t do what’s best for them even when they know what that is. For approximately half of the population, it is also about knowing more than the experts and not wanting to be told what to do.

In less than two weeks we will be returning to school. The governor (in his infinite wisdom) has lifted the mask mandate. To put it more accurately, he has said that you cannot mandate masks. So, some people will wear them, but most people likely will not. It is the same with the vaccine. Some people got the shot and some people didn’t

As negative as it might sound, this just isn’t good enough. Time and memorial have proven that we can’t successfully do this. You can’t simply allow people to make up their own mind on things like this. They have to be drug, kicking and screaming, into the future. It happened with the polio vaccine. It happened with the small pox vaccine. It’s happened with the measles and the mumps. We had to force people to get the shot.

Small pox is gone. Polio is virtually gone and certainly gone in the United States. We’ve put a serious dent in measles, chicken pox, and the mumps as well. Your feelings and my feelings didn’t matter. We got the shot or we didn’t go to school. We could find an obscure YouTube video or a Google site that spouted some bullshit all we wanted. We still got the shot.

COVID isn’t a dirty garage. COVID isn’t a stack of papers on the kitchen table. COVID isn’t a cavity or potential root canal that is being pushed back. It’s not an uncut lawn or faded siding on the house. Now, that we are going back to school it is high time we start requiring the shot at least of all the adults working in the school. Children over 12 should be getting it too. COVID doesn’t care about your feelings about vaccines and we shouldn’t either. Sit down. Shut up. Get the shot.