The conflict that we perceive between the different ways of dealing with the pandemic goes far beyond the question of different medical positions; it is rather a matter of serious existential conflicts.
Brenden Dilley, a Texas chat show host, explains his refusal to wear a mask as follows: “Better to be dead than look like a fool.
Yes, I mean that quite literally.
I'd rather die than look like an idiot. ”Dilley refuses to wear a mask because for him, living with a mask is absolutely incompatible with his basic understanding of human dignity.
So this is about our basic attitude towards human existence.
Are we - like Dilley - liberalists who refuse to interfere with our personal freedoms?
Or are we utilitarians willing to sacrifice thousands of lives for the economic well-being of the majority?
Are we advocates of authoritarianism who believe that only complete state control and rigid regulations can save us now?
Are we New Age spiritualists who believe the pandemic is nature's warning, a punishment for our wasteful use of natural resources?
Do we trust that it is just a test of God and that he will ultimately show us the way out of the crisis?