As individuals living in a pandemic that has the real consequence of people dying if measures aren’t taken seriously we must develop a new perspective on our individual moral duties in relation to each other and government. There is hardly any good reason to pretend that the world is experiencing normalcy. That our traditional obligations to self (our personal morality) and social privileges or principles (Constitutional rights) remain universally intact and compatible in both worlds (that of the normal and abnormal) is really not the case at all.
As for Governments, some are doing great with public communication efforts and working out cause and effect relationships with their respective strategies. But when they fail to build trust with their people to ensure their primary role is upheld–to protect its people–distrust and anxiety builds unnecessary tension. Worse, when people don’t trust their government in the midst of a pandemic, fear and manipulation permeates while sanity gradually loses its grip.
Consider: What does taxation and Covid-19 vaccination mandates have in common? Besides being enforced by the same entity (Government), they both require everyone’s understanding of what it means to be responsible citizens. Paying taxes and taking a vaccine ensures the livelihood and general safety of each other. The conditions may not be ideal, but without a viable approach things could be worse.
We are social beings living in an organized hub we call ‘society’, and so we do have the responsibility of ensuring the greater good for all. In more familiar terms, we have to ‘be our brother’s keeper’ during moments when we evidently see the possibility of preventing harm not just to ourselves but to others. Pandemics have a domino-like effect that, if left ignored for too long, can cause devastating outcomes if we do not act in the interest of many rather than just our own well-being. (In the case of the current pandemic, our own well-being is directly correlated to the well-being of others). This is a point many miss, particularly those who claim choice is better than compulsion in the midst of a global crisis. If my optimism holds, we’ll do the right thing. Otherwise, I suppose it’s quite enticing for some to watch people around them drop like flies being hit by an aerosol, deny there is an aerosol, only to drop themselves (heaven forbid) by the substance they deny exists because of who made the aerosol.
P.S. Do consider getting any of the vaccines nationally approved and available in your district. Save yourself from others, and help others save themselves from, well, themselves.
On my | Rationale 