What extraordinary thing would you do to save your life? Most people are inclined to preserve their lives. So why the rebellions across the world against coronavirus lockdowns? Here’s why: We love freedom. All humanity yearns for it. If people believe in a cause, they will lay down their lives for it.
Recently, I reflected on this line in the Declaration of Independence, “all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” In other words, we will put up with a lot before we say “Uncle,” “Enough is enough!” or “I’ve had it.” Then, we act. We do what we need to do to preserve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for ourselves and others. That’s what is going on with the coronavirus. People are dying on the inside because of being locked down from the outside. They’ve had it. It’s not only in America either. From Italy to India to Indonesia, Asia, Africa to Australia, and beyond, people are making their discontent known.
People want to decide what is best for them in a crisis situation. It’s incredible how wisdom, discernment, and common sense develop when individuals see the need to take action. The helpers stand out, just like Mr. Rogers said they would.
Humans will cooperate for a time with reasonable restrictions. They don’t need the power of the State to act as a mega parent. When a pandemic turns political, people know it. The result is rebellion. All nationalities know a power grab when they see one.
The world has been doing the extraordinary to save their lives from coronavirus. Some condemn the young for congregating because they might give the illness to grandma. At first, young people cooperated. When grandma got the virus in a nursing home (not from young adults), younger populations followed their natural instincts to go out. Yes, the young caught the disease, but they also recovered.
Freedom is getting shorter and shorter in supply. That’s why crowds are meeting outside, dining in cold weather under heat lamps, and buying up bicycles. They are returning to houses of worship. They are protesting in mass groups. Children are returning to school. You see, humans don’t need a few at the top to monitor their every move. We can handle it.
Mostly, we will do what we can to save our lives. We just won’t do it for the pleasure of the Powerful, but for ourselves and our loved ones.
In America, we instinctively know that we are a freeborn people. So, it will be hard to put our freedom back in a bottle for 15 or 30 days, or seven months. We went along with it once. It didn’t work so well for us. We respect and support those who must stay quarantined. It’s just not us.
This is Common Sense Civics and Citizenship. ??
