Dear Mr. Blasiak, In your April 15 My Turn, you talk about freedom and how the curtailment of freedom is worse than any disease that might befall us because it takes away our ability to choose. From my perspective, there are two kinds of freedom … the freedom “to do” and the freedom “from.”
“Freedom to do” is very individual. It assumes that we all have equal capacity to control our lives and our surroundings. It assumes that we are independent creatures and that our decisions are ours alone and do not impact others, or at least have minimal impact that others can manage without assistance. And underlying this approach is the belief that if you are unable to control your life and your surroundings, it is your fault and is not a reflection of the larger society.
“Freedom from” has a more collective and cooperative approach. It assumes that your freedom is dependent upon others within your society. It recognizes that individual actions and responsibilities are intertwined with those of others. It asserts that none of us acts totally independently and that, as a result, none of us is in total control of our lives and surroundings. It assumes that we must consider the context of our actions to ascertain whether actions are appropriate, ethical and useful to the society.
Democracies are in constant dialogue about the balance between these two concepts of freedom. It is the balance between them that is essential for society to survive. I can assert the freedom to not pay my taxes, but if I am to follow that principal to its conclusion, then I should build my own roads, my own sewer system and be responsible for the disposal of my trash. Obviously, that is not the society where you or I live.
A society which only deals with the “freedom from” approach may absolve each of us from any responsibility for anything, blaming all on others or on situations beyond our control. We all have a balance of rights and responsibilities that allow a society to function.
Mr. Blasiak, your April 15 My Turn said that we are being denied freedom of choice in regard to the state and city’s response to the coronavirus and that if we all took our independent ability to make our own decisions, all would be well.
Obviously, I disagree. Why else would I write this open letter? Your argument lacks an important element … the impact of your decision on others. Unlike your decision to, let’s say, drive over the speed limit on a carless road, your decision to not shelter in place during this pandemic can impact others without you doing anything other than acting in a “normal way” … walking 3 feet away from me without a mask, for instance. Pandemics change the “freedom to” and “freedom from” balance. In a pandemic, we ask our leaders to weigh their efforts in the “freedom from” direction because we, as individuals, cannot control the spread of the virus, nor do we have a pill or a vaccine which we can individually take to make it go away. Individual responsibility does not work here as an approach … and speed is of the essence if we are not to allow this virus to spiral out of control. This kind of decision-making is why we elect people we believe can take responsible leadership in a time of crisis.
To make a crude analogy: You have the freedom to own a gun. You have the freedom to own bullets. You have the freedom to shoot the gun. The moment, however, that bullet grazes my skin, my freedom to be free from danger takes hold. In this case, the virus is the bullet and the only way we have right now to avoid it, keeping many of us from dying or becoming seriously ill, is to shelter in place.
I and others do not “have a choice” about whether you breathe this virus onto us if you bump into us on the street while not wearing a mask. The concept of choice assumes that we have control and can make decisions about whether or not to use that control. The virus is in control right now. When we have good treatments and a vaccine, then we have choice. Until then, please do not endanger others in your community. The “freedom from” concept is essential to keep us all safe.
Susan Worgaftik is a resident of Greenfield.