FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY
There has been a lot
about Freedom recently. Protesters with guns are complaining that they are
being denied their freedom to work, to go to church, and to congregate in large
crowds. They embrace the word freedom, but ignore the responsibility that comes
with it, reducing it to a meaningless word designed to trigger an emotional
“gut” response in the listener or reader. A recent diatribe on social media
against some perceived broach of “freedom” ended with the declaration, “we are
born free”.
What does it mean to be
born free? That we are not born into serfdom or slavery? That we are born with
the freedom to think, say, and act anyway we choose, free from the restraints
of the rules of the state, or the community, or our families? That we are born
free from any obligations to others, to our community, or to our government? To
say we were born free is meaningless.
In this country we share living space with 310 million people, and
whatever freedom we want for ourselves must take into consideration everyone
else. This means making
compromises and accepting restrictions that would have made no sense 250 years
ago. Freedom comes with responsibility to others and to our community. Freedom
cannot exist at the expense of the wellbeing of others.
Well written & true. The only caveat I'd interject is that along with PERSONALLY ENFORCING the safety precautions to contain the spread of C19 et al,is that being healthy but broke so badly that bills and food are unpayable and that breakdown leads to interpersonal friction, sometimes dangerously, adjustments HAVE to be made to enable people to get back to work.
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