More than 130,000 of our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandparents, and friends have succumbed to COVID-19 so far.

That’s already more souls — in five short months — than we lost in all of World War I, which lasted four years. At current pace, we’ll lose more people than we did in World War II (405,399) in early 2022, meaning COVID-19 is way tougher than the Nazis and the Japanese.

It’s that bad.

This is our Black Death.

This is our Great Plague.

Our smallpox.

Our cholera.

And, yet, you’re still not scared enough to wear a little paper or cloth mask for a few minutes when you’re out in public?

What the hell is wrong with you?

Is it your Donald Trump obsession? Is that it?

Then remember that this is a guy who said just a few months ago that COVID-19 is a hoax. One hundred and thirty-seven thousand funerals would suggest that maybe he might just be a little off the mark when it comes to infectious diseases.

Even if you don’t agree, just wear the damned mask, wouldja?

“But it’s stuffy and uncomfortable!”

So what, you big whiner. Wear it anyway.

“But it fogs up my glasses!”

Boo-hoo, buttercup. Wear it anyway.

“But I look silly in it!”

Better silly than dead.

“But I don’t like people telling me what to do.”

Really? I’m sure your next of kin will toast your independent spirit.

“I’m still not going to wear it. I never get sick. So why should I?”

Then don’t wear it for you, you selfish jerk, wear it for those around you. If you want to kill yourself, fine. More power to you. But don’t take me or someone I love with you. Is your pride really more important than someone’s life?

The answer is probably yes, but wear the damned mask, anyway.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Many of you still won’t. The few times I venture out, about 30% to 40% of the population (not coincidentally, roughly the same percentage of the U.S. voting population that is considered Trump’s base) is not wearing masks.

It makes me want to scream. I wonder if they’ve read any of the descriptions by doctors and nurses describing how awful a way COVID-19 is to die. I also wonder if they saw the story this week about the poor guy in Texas who attended a COVID-19 party and boasted online about how it’s all a hoax.

That guy died last week.

And among his last words were, “I think I made a mistake. I thought this was a hoax, but it’s not.”

He was 30.

How old are you gonna be when you’re proven wrong?

Just wear the damned mask.

And get over yourself while you still have a self to get over.