I served nine years in the Army. I did so out of a feeling of patriotism. An innate belief that each citizen, each person should do their part in service of others. We all peer out at the world from different lenses… lenses shaped and formed by our parents, our childhood, life experiences and our environment. Perhaps somewhere along the way, as a society we lost that foundational principle of serving our fellow man and woman.

As a healthcare worker, I have seen terrible things. I have seen death, disability and tragedy. Life is fleeting and not guaranteed.

The issue of wearing a mask in public is not an issue of political platforms. Nor is it an issue of authoritarianism. It’s not a federal oppression to subjugate people into conformity.

The issue of wearing a mask or not wearing a mask is truly an illumination of your character as a human being.

Wearing a mask is a gift of consideration to a stranger. It’s an act of love for our fellow citizens. It’s taking a moment to do a simple thing so that another may not lose their life — a senseless loss of a life that culminates in dying alone, a result of lungs that are horrifically scarred and unable to provide oxygen any longer. In other cases it irreparably damages other organs and produces blood clots.

If you choose not to wear a mask, you are knowingly placing many people at risk for just such an outcome. Would you walk up to a random stranger and shoot them? Most would not. The act of willfully not wearing mask in essence very well could have the same effect. Only a much more drawn out and painful one with suffering and loss for a family that must now try to figure out how to bury a loved one during a pandemic.

So just know that whether you wear a mask or not truly illuminates, with blinding clarity, your character and regard for others.

Editor’s Note: Patrick Boardman, ATP, Soma Healthcare Consulting, is a member of Mobility Management’s Editorial Advisory Board.