what you know

When Will Mudd was around 8, or so, he had a friend coming over. Nicholas was his name. His mother and I didn't part well. But, at any rate...before all that nonsense, they were friends.

And Nicholas was coming over this once upon a day, and Will asked me at breakfast, "When is Nicholas coming over?"

And I said, "I think around noon." They had a prior commitment and were dropping him after.

Again, around 9:00, Will asked me, "Do you know when Nicholas is coming over?"

I said, "They had something to do beforehand, so I think around noon."

This was--believe it or not--before cell phones, and them being already gone from their house made it impossible to confirm the time.

Around 10:00, Will asked me again. And at 11:00.

At 11:30 or so, he asked yet again. "Do you know when Nicholas is coming over?"

I said, "Will! They had something to do beforehand, so I think around noon!"

And he, EXASPERATED by me, raised his little voice and said, "I'm not asking you what you THINK. I'm asking you what you KNOW!"

And I blinked for a bit--it was one of those taken aback moments when the logic of a child is so much more profound than the logic of adults.

So, I am going to set one teacher's plea right here:

If your decision (whatever it is) about the vaccine (and, dear God, please don't tell me about it) is based on what you KNOW. As in...
• you have asked questions,
• you have been willing to be right humbly, and wrong fairly;
• you have no other condition that would make it harmful to you
• you have researched outside your echo chamber;
• you have listened to opposing viewpoints as if both of them know something valuable and something you don't already know
• you have acknowledged that, while you may work out of your house, or alone, or in some other isolated fashion, not all of us have that luxury
• you have remembered that you are not a doctor or scientist, not even an amateur one
• and you have formed your own opinion, and not just adopted your dad/mom/brother/sister/husband/wife/newscaster's jargon...

If allllll of this...then I concede that your decision is based on everything you conceivably have the ability to KNOW. Then, so be it.

But if, by chance, you have looked at my list and thoughtfully admitted in the quiet of your heart that your choice is really only based on what you THINK....then could you?

Maybe?

For the sake of possibly helping to avoid tons of teachers and tiny little and big kiddos in schools everywhere facing the possibility of having to wear masks eight hours a day, every day, all over again...consider changing your mind?

Just consider it. We aren't asking you what you think. We are asking you what you know.