To the editor,

Several months ago I was amused to read about some of our elected officials complaining about mask mandates, saying things like “I just don’t like to be told what to do,” a common feeling most of us have as kids. When we grow up and go to school or take a job, we get over it, or at least quit whining about it.

Then when we hear about a shouting meltdown at an in-person 4-H meeting because masks were required, you feel embarrassed for everyone. But when threats against 4-H, extension districts, and even K-State, lead to actual efforts of retribution by attempting to defund these wonderful entities because someone’s “personal freedoms were violated,” it is not amusing anymore; it sounds downright unhinged.

Just because I am American, “I have my rights,” “this is a free country,” and “I should be able to do what I want whenever I wan,” these are not guaranteed to everyone all the time. Personally, I would prefer to drive down the center of the highway because it gives me more freedom and space than having to stay on the right side of the road, but I stay in my lane because it is mandated by the law for my own safety and for the safety of others. 

We are not put on this earth to serve ourselves. When our public servants are more concerned about their own “personal freedoms” than the safety and well-being of those around them, something is seriously off-track. Doctors and nurses must wear masks for surgeries and deliveries, and I am glad they sacrifice their “personal freedom” for my protection. We are still free to mask or not mask in our homes and our cars. We are free to stay home from meetings or camps where concerns still exist.

Let’s spend our time being thankful for the many freedoms that we still enjoy instead of dwelling on what we have temporarily lost. Let’s care more about others than ourselves, which we always have the “personal freedom” to do. 

Dee Anne Grummon

Great Bend