Throughout this whole pandemic, especially in the United States, it has been said that if people would just calm down and wear a mask, this all could have been over by now. So why do we still find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, with the infection rate growing daily? Because selfishness is wholly ingrained into the American way of life.

All over the world, different countries are reporting that their cases of the virus have either drastically gone down or ceased altogether, but in the United States we are seeing the opposite. While it is true that we are seeing a lot of misinformation or "fake news" which will lead to misconceptions and mistrust, but ultimately, people's unwillingness to help others is what is putting everyone at risk.

Whether people are arguing that masking takes some of their freedoms, or they simply don't believe in the science behind it, many people are choosing to ignore or fight against masking mandates. While wearing a mask while out in public in order to prevent spread among symptomatic or asymptomatic carriers seems like a really easy way to show kindness, so many people are still selfishly choosing not to do one simple act of kindness during a pandemic.

Here in the United States, we are not only plagued with Covid-19. We have another pandemic-selfishness. When faced with the opportunity to do something good and protect the citizens around them, many people are choosing to just not do it. Independence and self-reliability are so strongly encouraged in our culture that people are taking it to extremes. People putting their perceived personal freedoms above the health of an entire country is extremely dangerous.

In order to save lives and stop the spread, people must start considering others. People need to not only wear a mask, but stop going to parties, stop traveling, and stop creating large gatherings. The world would be a much better place if everyone lived by the golden rule, and until that happens, these two pandemics are placing us all in danger.