In this time when we have been encouraged to isolate and be physically distant, there is a tendency to be more introspective and think about things not thought about for a long time.

My father was brought up in a devout Irish Catholic family and my mother was brought up in a devout Hungarian Protestant family. My parents lived through the Depression and World War II and the lessons they learned from their upbringings and experiences shaped the way they brought up my brother and me.

My father served in the Army Air Corps, 8th Air Force, as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator in World War II. I served in the Marine Corps as an infantry officer, a dangerous MOS; but I cannot imagine what it must have been like to sit in a glass turret taking fire from German fighter planes. On his 12th mission over Germany he earned his Purple Heart and returned home 75% disabled. But he never complained. Freedom is not free.

During our upbringing the priorities were: God, family, community and country. Life was simpler then. I knew my parents loved us unconditionally and I imagine that at times that was tested.

The messages we received from my parents were very clear: Have faith in God; trust in yourself; be charitable; help those who are less fortunate; respect everyone; treat everyone the way you want to be treated; think for yourself; you are responsible for yourself; don’t expect anyone to give you anything; if you want something, work for it; if you fall down, get up; if you’re knocked, come up fighting; you will learn more from your failures than your successes; and never quit.

As I started writing this on Memorial Day, remembering and reflecting on our fallen heroes and thinking about our present situation, the message I was hearing most loudly was “you are responsible for yourself.” Early government response to this coronavirus pandemic was understandably over-cautious, very deliberate and very controlling. We are getting to the point that if we do not open this economy quickly and fully, we will not have an economy to open. It is time for government caution and control to give way to intrepid American self-reliance and common sense.

The data on COVID-19 from the state Department of Public Health (DPH) is clear: If you are over 70 years of age and/or have underlying conditions including high blood pressure, diabetes, are excessively overweight or have a compromised immune system, you need to take extra precautions to stay healthy. Over 98% of the people who died while infected with COVID-19 in the commonwealth had at least one underlying condition.

Recent studies by medical researchers estimate that there may be at least 10 unconfirmed cases of the coronavirus, with mild or no symptoms, for every confirmed case making the rate of infection far more prevalent and the rate of death far less than was originally thought. If you are under 70 years of age, reasonably healthy and have no underlying conditions, the chances of dying from the coronavirus are about the same as dying from the flu.

Any death from other than natural causes is a tragedy. For the near future, we are going to experience more deaths than we should. We are faced with a very difficult decision: Do we continue with a slow, staged opening of the economy that will result in bankrupting the livelihood of many small business owners; continued high unemployment rates; long-term, permanent damage to our economy; and many deaths of despair due to suicide, drug overdoses and alcohol abuse or do we open the economy now at 100%, let business owners make their own decisions about safety measures and let people be responsible for themselves in deciding where they congregate, worship, shop, eat and drink?

I think opening the economy now at 100% will result in saving our economy, more herd immunity to the coronavirus and less loss of life.

With indomitable American strength and courage we will defeat this virus and we will rise up stronger, both individually and collectively as a nation.

John P. O’Rourke is a Selectman in Conway.