As a civilization, we must periodically reflect on events that have transpired and assess whether or not we chose the right course of action in response to these events.
The coronavirus that struck most of the world, resulting in lockdowns and government imposed restrictions on businesses, schools, churches, public transportation etc. dealt a devastating blow to the world's economy and upended life as we knew it.
As the grip of government restrictions begin to loosen, and cautious optimism begins to return to the United States, we take time to reflect.
Was the government right to impose restrictions that forced hundreds of thousands of businesses to close forever, and society as we knew it to collapse, in the name of "public safety"?
The answer is no, it was not justified.
When the government announces they are taking action for the benefit of "public safety", run to the hills and sound the alarms, because the rainwater of tyranny will soon flood your once free and beautiful lands.
"But what about people's lives?!", Karen announces in what's left of her shrill and horrified voice, "don't they matter to you at all?"
Human life is precious, but what lends value to that life is our inalienable right to exist freely. The value of human life and the value of human freedom weighed against each other does not tip the scale in either direction; they're both important.
When we allow our rights to diminish in the name of preserving the safety of the public, however, we're walking a tightrope over an active volcano.
The essence of life is freedom, and freedom is dangerous. To preserve that freedom, which is priceless, we assume the risks on our lives as we venture out into the world.
We know that smoking 3 packs of cigarettes a day, drinking ourselves into oblivion and eating nothing but junkfood will likely kill us one day, but we refuse to let the government tell us that we cannot do these things.
The same is true for pandemics. The same is true for viruses that plague the whole of society. It's our choice if we want to venture into the market square, unmasked, knowing that there's a chance we could get sick and die.
We've been doing this every day of our entire adult lives. We take the risks. That's what free people do. We don't need a totalitarian government enacting bizarre and stringent lockdowns and restrictions in the name of our safety. If we don't want to get sick--if we think we might die if we catch COVID-19--we'll decide for ourselves how we want to protect ourselves.
The COVID-19 lockdowns may have saved a few lives, but at what cost? At the cost of watching our priceless freedom being flushed down the toilet, and watching the world's economy being reduced to ruins.
The lockdowns were a huge mistake, and should be a lesson to all of us in the future: when the government announces they are taking action against you in the name of your safety, RESIST!
