I spent a long weekend in the mountains of North Carolina to attend a relatively small wedding. I was a bit skeptical heading into the trip with everything that’s going on in the world.  The Democratic governor of North Carolina had already issued his edicts that people have to wear a mask inside public places (which includes private property that serves customers).

I don’t want to wear a mask.  I think it is a show. I think it shows a form of obedience to the state.  I don’t want businesses to require mask wearing to enter, but I recognize it is their right to do so.  Unfortunately, these ideas of freedom of association and property rights tend not to run both ways.  Local governments have been requiring businesses to require masks.

As Dr. Joseph Mercola said, I think mask wearing, if it has any effect, is a placebo effect. It makes people feel good that they are “doing something”.  It may reduce some of the anxiety that people have from the non-stop news coverage hyping up the dangers of the coronavirus.

I can say that I never wore a mask one time when I was in North Carolina, and I went to several places to eat.  This included a restaurant where we were served food, and it included fast food restaurants.  In most cases, the workers were not even wearing masks.

We went into one fast food place where the worker asked if we wanted him to wear a mask.  We said “no”.  He was an older gentleman.  He said something to the effect of, “I think this is like the flu, but if it’s my time to go, it’s my time to go.”  In other words, he wasn’t cowering in fear as so many Americans are.

We went to a grocery store.  Some were wearing masks and some weren’t.  We were treated well.  It really was Southern hospitality.

Life almost seemed kind of normal in that town.  It is a lot more rural than what I am accustomed to, but it was really nice being there.

This was clearly civil disobedience occurring.  I don’t know that everyone else saw it that way.  I wonder sometimes why there aren’t more vocal opponents of the mask mandates and the other orders coming down from dictatorial mayors and governors.

I don’t know what this place looked like back in April.  Maybe the restaurants were closed for dining in.  I really don’t know.  But in July, they were not paying much attention to government orders.

It is obvious that the local sheriff doesn’t care about trying to enforce the governor’s orders, at least when it comes to mask wearing.  The people there are basically saying, “If the governor wants to enforce his edicts, he can come here and try to enforce his edicts.” I don’t think the governor is going to be sending in the National Guard to enforce mask wearing.  There is probably something of a mutual understanding between the governor and the more rural parts of North Carolina.  The governor will pretend he is doing something.  The people in the rural areas just keep quiet and don’t pay any attention to him.  The both sides ignore each other.

I think it is a good lesson for life.  There are times and places to fight back.  But sometimes there are times and places where you realize you can’t control the circumstances, but you can control some of the circumstances around your own life.  You find your own pockets of freedom, and you exercise that freedom.