What I learned about us from Coronavirus
Before COVID-19, just like everyone else, I had a daily routine. On my drive home I spent the time, which is considerable given LA traffic, on the phone talking business and about the day’s events.
Coronavirus changed all of that. In my attempt to maintain some normalcy I have continued the car ride and phone calls. It is not always the same time and definitely not the same route, but it helps to maintain my well-being. So now instead of the nightly crawl through Los Angeles traffic, my drive takes me around parks, into drive-throughs, and to supermarkets.
The unintentional result is an opportunity to more closely observe the behavior of the people around me. What I’ve seen has been stunning and has shifted much of that nightly conversation to a discussion about what I see each night, including what I thought was an amazing amount of idiocy. I saw people playing basketball, walking in groups, and groups of L.A.’s homeless gathered together. I spent quite a bit of time ranting about the carelessness of what I saw, the lack of adherence to governmental orders, and most importantly: the risk they were exposing themselves, and others to.
Then I had a revelation.
About a week ago I had a change of heart about my harsh attitude. It hit me that while I still viewed the behavior I was seeing as risky and rule breaking, it was not in fact idiotic at all, but rather quite profoundly meaningful. I realized that what I was seeing was a demonstration of American greatness.
Words like “freedom” and “liberty” have become so cliched, and vilified by some, that many of us don’t really even pay attention to them anymore. Both are critically important and the behavior I saw demonstrates why.
We have never defined the meaning of personal freedom by the amount of risk involved. We tolerate people riding motorcycles, skydiving, drinking, and doing drugs, and may other forms of individual risk. Every time we get on a plane, we acknowledge that there is a risk to the group. We assume that risk anyway because, to get where we are going, we deem it acceptable. In fact, we take risks constantly in the name of personal freedom.
Love of liberty and freedom, not merely living in this part of North America, IS what makes us Americans. We could live anywhere on this planet and still be fully American as long as we live by our shared values. Freedom, not lack of risk, is what defines us.
Other countries, even many democracies, don’t enjoy the same tradition. They do not have Constitutions with a bill guaranteeing their rights. Which is why in many other countries the attitude towards coronavirus lockdowns is obey, or risk severe penalties. Despite varying levels of freedom and democracy pre-COVID, the attitude toward the lockdowns in these other nations isn’t seen as denigration of existing rights, because those rights never existed in the first place.
Not so here. Here we are GUARANTEED liberty, even that it means being allowed to put yourself in mortal danger.
I know what you are thinking. “Yes, but you don’t have the right to put others in danger.” I agree. I continue to wear a mask when going to the store and observe social distancing guidelines around everyone except my wife and kids.
However, we’ve moved from “fifteen days to slow the spread,” to indefinite lockdowns. The science of whether keeping people indoors saves lives not only isn’t definitive, it doesn’t exist at all. There is no evidence that the virus is easily contracted outdoors. In fact, it seems like the opposite is the case.
Additionally, in states that have partially reopened and relaxed the rules, like Georgia, infections have gone down. In Jacksonville Florida, they tested hundreds of homeless people, presumably not regular mask wearers or social distancers, and didn’t find a single case of COVID-19.
Merely going outside, mask or not, doesn’t increase the risk of becoming infected. Continue to socially distance, use hand sanitizer, and don’t touch your face. If you choose to stay indoors, or go outside wearing a mask and gloves, please do so. My parents are elderly. They choose to stay isolated. They have made the personal calculation that it isn’t worth the risk to go out or be around people. That is the correct decision for them. We all have that right. If you want to ensure your safety: please stay inside. The people playing basketball in the park, the couples picnicking on the beach, and parents getting together with their kids for playdates are not putting you at risk. You are free to stay inside.
This isn’t Ebola, the bubonic plague, or a totally fictional scenario like the movie “Outbreak” where any exposure is a death sentence. So, the next time you see people breaking stay at home orders to live freely as Americans while enjoying the bounty of outside activities available to all, don’t think of them as idiots, or be mad at them, instead be thankful to them for keeping the torch of liberty lit. They are living their lives as Americans. “Give me liberty or give me death!”
