Freedom in the time of face masks
This one is going to be a somewhat less philosophical INFJ Thoughts post. I intend to offer you just a couple of impressions and observation on the matter of freedom concerning such a simple gesture as wearing a mask.
In the last few months, we’ve seen some western governments giving more importance to the economy than to the lives of people. In those same countries, many people have refused to wear a mask while in public, invoking their right to freedom (as if a face mask is some form of oppression).
I believe this is no coincidence and that the two behaviours share the same cause: a scarce concern for the wellbeing of others. The funny thing about freedom is it can easily border on prevarication if you don’t cultivate respect among your values, as well.
I’ve repeated it many times, on this blog: we do not exist as separate beings (from others and the environment). Our mere presence has an impact on everything that surrounds us. Therefore, freedom is not about you as a single. Having the right to liberty doesn’t mean anything is due to you, or that you can do anything you want. Being free comes with responsibility, not just rights.
A truly free man or woman has respect for others. They are concerned for the wellbeing of anyone and anything. They try, as much as possible, not to endanger or hurt others. They can renounce to being a little more comfortable or showing off their new lipstick, and wear a mask as a gesture of care and concern for others.
If there’s one lesson we should learn from this pandemic, it’s that everything is public. And health is more than anything else. We should overcome this idea that kindness is a weakness, and taking care of others is just for idealists. Or that the real world is a harsh place, and only the “tough” ones are fit to survive.
Altruism isn’t, or shouldn’t be, just an abstract value for “dreamy people”, but rather the best path we can take to build a better world for everyone. If we overcame our utilitarian views and the notion that every thought, gesture, or richness offered to others would automatically impoverish us, the whole planet would be happier and healthier.
You can work and earn all you want, eat five meals a day, take all the medicine you need. You can satisfy all your whims and desires, fill your life with pleasurable and utterly useless stuff with no other purpose than to satiate your senses. But, until you heal your soul through gentleness and kindness, you will always be as ill as the world you inhabit. You’re not free: you’re a slave to your egotism and lack of empathy.
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