During the pandemic, which has not yet ended, we’ve all heard lots of chatter about freedom. Folks are figuratively burning their masks as a statement of their personal freedom. We have seen patrons packed into bars and other venues, against the advice of medical professionals, claiming they have the freedom to congregate. Political leaders in some states have banned mask mandates in schools arguing that parents have the freedom to make their own decisions regarding their kids. And the fundamental reason given by so many anti-vaxers and government skeptics is that they have the freedom to accept or reject any medical intervention.
These arguments are framed as pro-freedom positions in an
effort to make it difficult for opponents to challenge them. Who wants to be seen protesting against freedom?
Not surprisingly, and as I have posted previously on this blog, these
issues are more complex. Freedom is not
absolute. That’s why we have laws, regulations
and societal mores to encourage and restrict certain actions and behaviors. You might believe that you have a right to
withhold a measles vaccine from your kid.
But, this collides against the rights of the rest of us to avoid this highly
contagious infection. You may believe in
your constitutional right to assemble, but this right does not permit you to do
so on private property. You get the idea.
Look what’s happening in our neighbor to the north. Truckers in Canada are clogging up bridges
and roads over the past few weeks all in defense of freedom! As an aside, this behavior seems so incongruent
with our impression of docile and polite Canadians. Wonder who might have
influenced them to take to the streets? They
call their movement Freedom Convoy 2022.
I guess the truckers and their supporters who are against
the lockdown mentality give themselves a pass after they have locked down hundreds
of their trucks throughout the country at the expense of everyone.
A day before writing this, a Canadian judge ordered trucks in
the Ambassador Bridge region to disperse or face consequences. So far, the trucks are still in neutral.
What about the rights of thousands of businesses on
both sides of the border to earn a living? What about the rights of tens of thousands
of customers on both sides of the border to be able to purchase products? What about the rights of all of us to avoid
further inflation as a result of supply line disruptions? What about the rights of ordinary folks to be
able to use their own roads and bridges?
And they are defying a court order? I thought that these fans of freedom were strong
defenders of the rule of law.
Freedom is a balance between one man’s rights against
another. If freedoms become absolute, then we will have absolute chaos.
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