My daughter argues that as long as she's seeing all of her friends together in school, they should be able to gather together in their houses as well. Unfortunately, she has risk exactly backward. She's not alone; lots of Americans do.
My kids, like most in Indiana, have been back at school since mid-August. Each time my ninth- and 11th-grader head off to high school, they spend more time among other humans in a day than they had cumulatively all summer. Because of that, they along with many of their friends and those friends' parents think that there's less reason to be careful in other aspects of their lives.
But as we loosen restrictions in some areas, we should be increasing restrictions in others. If kids are going to take on more risk at school, they should find ways to be even safer outside of it. Large groupings at a friend's house are not a good idea.
Too many view protective measures as all-or-nothing: Either we do everything, or we might as well do none. That's wrong. Instead, we need to see that all our behavior adds up.
Each decision we make to reduce risk helps. Each time we wear a mask, we're throwing some safety on the pile. Each time we socialize outside instead of inside, we're throwing some safety on the pile. Each time we stay six feet away instead of sitting closer together, we're throwing some safety on the pile. Each time we wash our hands, eat apart and don't spend time in large gatherings of people, we're adding to the pile.
If the pile gets big enough, we as a society can keep this thing in check.
But rather than focus on the cumulative benefits of individual actions, our attention too often rests on the few who refuse to act safely. We rage online over a couple of people who throw a fit about wearing a mask in a store. We spend far less time being grateful that so many Americans do wear one.
We don't need everyone to wear a mask. We need more people to wear masks. We need to be willing to wear a mask even if others refuse, because every little bit matters.