Freedom.

 

Freedom.

I was born and raised in an era of a freedom fighting wave. It was the end of colonialism and there was never a news broadcast on the radio or in the newspapers that didn’t talk about some nation or people fighting for freedom. All of Africa was at war against the colonizing nations. The far east was struggling and nations were celebrating their independence anniversaries. They still do.

I was in Israel when the Jewish people were setting up a free state for themselves, and the Palestinians were fighting to keep theirs.  I went to the US and Martin Luther King was marching with people who demanded their rights. I arrived in Canada and shortly after we were repatriating our constitution.

 The fight for freedom was raging. Eighteen-year-olds were demanding to have a drink legally, and non-smokers wanted not to sit next to smokers in airplanes. We fought to let women take jobs they could do and get equal pay. It wasn’t easy. The whole fight for universal medicare was raging and Quebec was demanding to have French as their first language.

Freedom is a funny beast. I remember a popular phrase at the time saying, “your freedom ends at the tip of my nose.” As with all things, some agreed and others didn’t. There are no simple solutions. Society chose to make laws that restrict individual rights and punish those who break them. Safeguards were institutionalized to avoid the tyranny of the minorities by the majority.

We were facing a new era when people had enough laws and rules, figuring that they will benefit personally if there are fewer restrictions. Now the majority reached a comfortable level and demanded a rest from freedom fighting. A new world was born. As always in nature and reality, things go in cycles. The pendulum swings higher and higher until it reaches a limit.

There are always people on both sides of the freedom equation. I tire of going a hundred km/hr on a straight empty road and I speed up. Out of nowhere comes a police cruiser and I get a speeding ticket. I know I was safe, but this guy in shiny shoes infringes on my freedom “just to make money.” I am mad.

I heard an interview with a couple who are proud Bikers for Trump. The man said, “my freedom doesn’t end when you feel uncomfortable.” The woman was crying that if Trump doesn’t win again, the world will be destroyed and her five kids will have no future. They were both riding with automatic guns to their State capital to protest having to wear medical masks. I hate to make a mother cry for her kid’s future, but If they win their freedom, I will most likely die.

On Canada Day I saw protesters in front of our parliament buildings in Ottawa with the same message. The lockdown, they said, was killing our economy. Do they know that we can afford to keep all Canadians alive and housed even with the lockdown? There will be no money for large profit margins on investments, but enough for the essential needs. In hard times drastic measures are required. Some parents may have to stay home cook and look after the kids, but we will survive.

We fought for many years to keep Cannabis from people. Many people, often minorities, were jailed, and we spent much tax money on investigating and prosecuting offenders. People fought for the freedom to use Marijuana, and in 2018 we legalized it. I am looking around me and I can’t see an increase in crime or any of the predicted evils that those opposing the herb predicted.

Now I am witnessing a new dangerous trend developing in the name of freedom. A message appeared on my phone from a friend. It talks in detail about a microchip developed in secret by the government, and it’s meant to control people. A video is attached with a very professional person describing that it is the sign of the devil.

According to them, the “chip” will be injected into us with a vaccine against COVID 19 when one is developed. The evil implant will mark people with the sign of the beast, damning them to eternal torment after death. Here on earth it will cause great social upheaval and bring about a one-world government that will make all of us into slaves.

Normally I consider conspiracy theories humorous at best. I often marvel at the fact that there are so many unintelligent folks who believe the most unbelievable lies and often spend money and effort to avoid imaginary dangers. Freedom has many forms and if we take it away, we will toss the good with the bad.

However, this time a conspiracy theory is threatening my life and the lives of most of my closest family and friends. We are making noble efforts to avoid being infected by the ongoing pandemic. Governments are spending vast amounts of tax dollars to hasten the development of a vaccine, and people are staying awake nights at work to do it.

I abhor the possibility that all the great sacrifice and effort will be wasted. Some followers of fanatical sects can derail all the effort in the name of freedom and place the rest of us into unnecessary risk.

Should we treat them as we treat attempted murderers? Do we need to give up democracy and bring a more authoritarian system of government? I don’t know.

One thing that I know is that there will always be freedom fighters and they will always be viewed as terrorists by those who deny them freedom. Humans are meant to debate, educate, argue, and strive to reach consensus. That is how the species evolves, and only God knows why. Life is wonderful because it offers so many choices.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.