I hear the word freedom tossed around constantly lately – often linked to the wearing of face masks, or demands for social distancing. Freedom is one of those words that provokes strong reactions – like motherhood or religious belief.
At some level, of course freedom is highly desirable. We’re horrified when we hear about societies where the populace are wrongfully imprisoned, or denied the right to hear or speak the truth. But in a larger sense, no human being is truly free. They never have been, and never will be. Freedom is always relative, always negotiated between groups of people with conflicting needs, beliefs and values.
A red traffic light demands that drivers stop their vehicles, temporarily depriving them of their ‘freedom’ to cross an intersection. This temporary interference with the driver’s freedom is accepted because it’s essential for preventing serious accidents. Customers lose their freedom to be served immediately when they’re expected to join the back of a line at a bank or grocery store. Most accept that waiting their turn for someone who arrived before them is the ‘fair’ thing to do, even though their freedom is suspended. One person’s ownership of a particular property deprives others of the freedom to enter it. We accept that restriction, because we value our own access to a private space. Even two people sharing an apartment have to negotiate. Person A’s freedom to be a slob might conflict with person B’s freedom to live in a clean apartment.
When it comes to the ‘mask’ debate, it comes down to some people’s freedom to go without a mask versus others’ freedom to be safe from a life-threatening disease. You want the ‘freedom’ to not wear a mask? Well, what about MY freedom to be safe from COVID 19 and possibly death? Doesn’t that count? If you’re so big on freedom, why isn’t MY freedom important to you?
Many in society seem to have forgotten that rules are introduced to compel people to do things they should be doing of their own accord. There shouldn’t have to be laws forcing people to wear a mask – as good citizens and good members of the human race, people should be rushing to the store to buy one, because they care that not wearing a mask might cause others to get sick and die. Unfortunately, there are those who care only about themselves and consider themselves the center of the universe. The mask-wearing rules are in place for them.
We need to recognize that certain losses of freedom are inevitable in a society where people have to live together and get along. If you want true freedom, where nobody can tell you what to do, there are millions of square miles of empty wilderness here in Canada where you can go and live, without conflict with any other human being (though you will definitely have conflicts with Mother Nature).
But if you can talk even one other person into coming with you, be aware that living with them will once again place restrictions on your freedom.
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