A human smile is worth more than a bunch of bananas to we chimpanzees. As a thinking chimpanzee living in my harbour-side zoo, I see you human beings covering up your beautiful smiles – and I wonder.

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley, The Evolving Chimpanzee

‘Use Your Smile to change the world, Don’t Let The World Change Your Smile.’ (Old Chinese Proverb)

One of the loveliest songs composed, is “Smile”.https://youtu.be/xyHoohNyYkw 

Frank Sinatra’s performance of “When You’re Smiling” is loved by millions. https://youtu.be/351l62Yx0oI

When a human being smiles, even we chimpanzees, with our magnificent teeth, acknowledge the superiority of the creature homo sapiens. In the direst situation, a human being triumphs when he or she smiles.

A perfect smile is sought by all – just ask any dentist or orthodontist.

And yet, as my zoo chimpanzee colleagues across the world inform me, human smiles, if they occur at all, are now hidden from view by masks.

Once upon a time, bandits, bushrangers and bank robbers wore masks to disguise themselves so that they could not be recognized.

Now, supposedly to prevent the spread of an alleged deadly virus, law-abiding citizens are being forcibly made to cover their mouths and noses. Wherever the virus and its supposed variants are lurking, human beings are ordered to mask up. If one dares to disobey, fellow human beings condemn, criticize and cry out.

(I understand, however, that some intrepid humans believe that masks are as effective at stopping viruses, as a chain-link fence is, at stopping a swarm of mosquitoes.)

In Hitler’s extermination camps, prisoners had their hair shaved, to de-humanize them. The excuse was to stop the spread of lice.

In the 2020s human beings are being denied the smiles that make life worthwhile – as sages through the years have stated:

“The robbed, that smiles, steals something from the thief”. William Shakespeare

“Let us always meet each other with a smile. For the smile is the beginning of love”. Mother Terese

“A smile is the best make-up any girl can wear”. Marilyn Monroe

“Use your smile to change the world; don’t let the world change your smile”. Chinese Proverb

“A smile cures the wounding of a frown”. William Shakespeare

“It seems to me that what we call beauty in a face lies in the smile”. Leo Tolstoy

A supposedly evolving, thinking chimpanzee, I would venture to argue that masking has little to do with preserving health, and much to do with control.

It is perhaps a brilliant tactic to ensure that homo sapiens will unquestionably accept more and more state control over – even their bodies. After all there must be some preparation – some rehearsal -for the coming ‘Mark of the Beast’ (‘The Book of Revelation’ 13:16,17,18; 14:9,10,11: 19:20 & 20:4).