Lower the temp; raise the vibe

I think one reason mask wearing became controversial is because it was an act of respect and half of Americans didn’t want to. It was inconvenient.

To be asked to put a mask over your blowhole to resist spraying others nearby was viewed as so totally unreasonable it actually got people killed.

I’ve come up with a new mandate after watching the unpleasant conflicts around recognizing the prevention of illness and supporting public health.

The new mandate is called The Bowing Mandate. It requires us to bow to one another when passing or pausing within 6 ft. You know what 6 ft. looks like.

Would people agree to give a gesture of respect or would they call it an assault on their rights, the right to not bestow a tiny blessing on another?

It will be a federal mandate, for all states, this means you.

It’s being mandated because acting respectful toward each other shouldn’t be optional. No exemptions regardless of health, politics, or religion. There will be no enforcement either. To create honorable relating, we will use the honor system.

This respectful small nod will be required inside grocery stores, tire shops, saloons, gyms, coffee shops, post offices, schools, hospitals, libraries, and anywhere people gather. The bowing mandate has an undetermined timeline of duration. Let us begin.

I was in the public library looking for a book when suddenly a man appeared, right next to me with his book opened to a page and he pointed and asked- “what does this word mean?” I looked at IMPROMPTU. “It means…. spontaneous.”
He slowly said, “im-promp-tu?”
“Yes”, I repeated the word back to him, heavily articulated with my mouth under my mask.

I was just going to have us use it in a sentence, like “we had an impromptu meeting” but it was too late, he already walked away and sat down.

To clarify, the general idea behind the bowing mandate is to build solidarity as citizens committed to the wellbeing of society. It is a nonverbal cross-cultural affirmation of respect and reverence for others. It is an honorary gesture.

It takes two seconds to lean forward, lower your forehead and connect to a moment of humanity. You don’t even have to beam love. Just a moment of peaceful neutrality will do.

The new mandate is less about lowering the temperature and more about raising the vibration.

It’s a way to train our neural pathways toward nonviolent communication.

A mandate for basic respect through a bow is to protect us all from insufferable individualism. This is to be put into effect as soon as possible for the betterment of public health.

Today I thought I cut in front of someone at the grocery line and said, “sorry!” And she smiled behind her mask and said, “no, you’re GREAT!” and I felt great for a moment even though she doesn’t know me or know if I’m great. We shared a mutual bowing through language. Translated, we said: “I see you and respect you.”

The bowing mandate is the integration of common civility. Can we get behind this?