How Much Are You Willing to Give Up?
Civil Liberties - rights or freedoms given to the people by the First Amendment to the Constitution, by common law, or legislation, allowing the individual to be free to speak, think, assemble, organize, worship, or petition without government (or even private) interference or restraints.
Freedom, independence, and liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights, powers, desires or the like.
Living in a democracy with laws to protect our freedoms, it is difficult to willingly give up our civil liberties. Even if there is good intent to protect citizens, does our government, local or federal, have the right to enforce restrictive guidelines? If citizens do not follow the guidelines should local authorities be allowed to fine or arrest citizens?
There is no doubt that most of us are willing to cooperate for the safety of our families and neighbors. We all want to safeguard our health and prevent as many unnecessary illnesses and deaths as possible. Temporary closures (three months or less) are reasonable to slow the spread of disease, and diligently treat those who are ill. Being isolated for a longer period of time than this can, on many levels, become more detrimental than helpful in the end. Our immune systems may be protected during these closures, but will they be weaker when we return to normal routines?
In regard to finances, people cannot afford to be out of work even with help from the government. Small businesses and the self-employed may never recover if they are not allowed to return to normal business in a reasonable amount of time.
The emotional and mental strain can wear down even a strong person; those who struggle with depression can find themselves in a very dark place after a few months of isolation. Trying to take care of a family when you are not in a good place can be almost impossible, and they carry an additional burden from this.
Then there are the children; removed from their schools and doing lessons on a computer screen. Many of them will have difficulty keeping up, and there are too many students for much individual attention when they do have problems. Parents do the best they can to help but may not always be available to address the issue. Many are either still working outside the home or trying to work at home.
Perhaps, even more detrimental for children than being out of the classroom, is the total lack of social interaction with their friends. These are the years, especially for young school children, when they are learning social skills and forming bonds with classmates. The separation can make them depressed, and they are prone to acting out to express their frustrations.
I know there are many who may not agree with these thoughts, but it's a slippery slope we are on when we allow ourselves to be shut in and let our government to tell us what we can and cannot do. We have to give serious thought to all of this; if too much time passes, we may give up more of our civil liberties than we ever intended.
How much of your freedom are you willing to give up?
Freedom, independence, and liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights, powers, desires or the like.
Living in a democracy with laws to protect our freedoms, it is difficult to willingly give up our civil liberties. Even if there is good intent to protect citizens, does our government, local or federal, have the right to enforce restrictive guidelines? If citizens do not follow the guidelines should local authorities be allowed to fine or arrest citizens?
There is no doubt that most of us are willing to cooperate for the safety of our families and neighbors. We all want to safeguard our health and prevent as many unnecessary illnesses and deaths as possible. Temporary closures (three months or less) are reasonable to slow the spread of disease, and diligently treat those who are ill. Being isolated for a longer period of time than this can, on many levels, become more detrimental than helpful in the end. Our immune systems may be protected during these closures, but will they be weaker when we return to normal routines?
In regard to finances, people cannot afford to be out of work even with help from the government. Small businesses and the self-employed may never recover if they are not allowed to return to normal business in a reasonable amount of time.
The emotional and mental strain can wear down even a strong person; those who struggle with depression can find themselves in a very dark place after a few months of isolation. Trying to take care of a family when you are not in a good place can be almost impossible, and they carry an additional burden from this.
Then there are the children; removed from their schools and doing lessons on a computer screen. Many of them will have difficulty keeping up, and there are too many students for much individual attention when they do have problems. Parents do the best they can to help but may not always be available to address the issue. Many are either still working outside the home or trying to work at home.
Perhaps, even more detrimental for children than being out of the classroom, is the total lack of social interaction with their friends. These are the years, especially for young school children, when they are learning social skills and forming bonds with classmates. The separation can make them depressed, and they are prone to acting out to express their frustrations.
I know there are many who may not agree with these thoughts, but it's a slippery slope we are on when we allow ourselves to be shut in and let our government to tell us what we can and cannot do. We have to give serious thought to all of this; if too much time passes, we may give up more of our civil liberties than we ever intended.
How much of your freedom are you willing to give up?
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