Freedom!

Apparently, there is a freedom to infect others, at least according to some people, even including some politicians. Everyone is talking about freedom these days.  Freedom to do anything you want or don’t want to do.  We are, we are told, in a free country.

But freedom never is or was absolute.  As long as you live in any society your freedom is limited. And in most cases, you agree to these limitations.

If you want to drive a car, you must be licensed and obey traffic laws.  If you want to live in a home, either by ownership or rental, you have to accept municipal laws to keep the home safe and secure, pay taxes or rent.  If you want to own a pet, you have to obey animal safety regulations.  Even if you want to live in isolation and off the grid, you are still subject to the law of the land.  You are not free to rob, rape or murder someone, deprive them of their property or otherwise do them harm.  The penalty for ignoring these laws is the forfeiture of your wealth or incarceration.

So why do people who otherwise accept all of these other limits of their freedom now think it is acceptable to ignore health warnings and threaten the health of others?  Many of them recite reasons for their noncompliance based of questionable assumptions.  Some examples:

-          Maxime Bernier recently told a crowd that they have a Constitutional right to travel anywhere in Canada they want to the extent of breaching ‘bubbles’ that have been set up by some provinces to prevent the spread of the virus.  In fact, no such barrier was ever really in place.  The only stipulation that was put on travellers was the requirement to quarantine when entering a different province;

-          Politicians in Ontario, including one MP, Derek Sloan, and one MPP, Randy Hillier, (both sit as Independents) have been travelling around the province apparently looking for trouble.  In particular, they are seeking out religious ceremonies where more than the limited number of people allowed are in attendance.  Their own presence adding to that number.  Their reason – freedom of religion.  Many other church groups are trying the same ploy.  But no one says that you cannot maintain your religion on your own.  No one is taking your faith away.  All that is called for is a limitation on the number of people who can worship together, in the common good; and

-          Businesses demand the right to remain open during lockdowns.  My question to them is; what price is an acceptable price in human death to your business?

It is a shame that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not come with a Charter of Responsibilities.  Many of those who cry freedom do not accept any responsibility for their actions.  That is why this pandemic goes on and on.  To quote one famous person;

“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”
  - George Bernard Shaw