Community, Insight, Political

Freedom Is Not Free

53 Comments

It’s been two years since I’ve posted to my blog. The political climate here in the U.S. has aggravated the chronic illness that interferes with life on a daily basis, but I make the best use of time wherever possible.

The wearing of masks during this COVID pandemic has become a contested issue and one I feel compelled to weigh in on. I wrote this article between flareups and would like to share it with you now.

I hope to be back in blogging mode in a few months, when the chaos here in the U.S. sorts itself out. I miss writing and posting, visiting friends’ blogs, and I’ve desperately missed all of you!


Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay

FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. It is earned. It is earned by being a responsible member of society.

Under the U.S. Constitution, we have certain inalienable rights. If we break the law – if we commit a willful act of violence – we could lose those rights temporarily or permanently and, thus, lose our freedom.

Not wearing a mask during this COVID pandemic is a willful act of violence, even if we tested negative a day ago or an hour ago. Why? 1. False negatives can and do occur; 2. We can contract the virus between the time we were tested and when we encounter others. If we do not wear a mask and then transmit the virus to another, this translates into criminally negligent homicide. Why? Because we have ignored the science and the health experts who repeatedly inform us that COVID is extremely virulent and masks should always be worn while we are in public. Thus, we willfully endanger the life of another.

If you say to me: “My freedom doesn’t end where your fear begins,” then I say to you: “My life doesn’t end where your denial begins.” If you say you have a right to freedom, then I say I have a right to life.

If you say I should remain isolated for fear of contracting COVID, then I say I’m not the anti-masker who could conceivably infect hundreds, if not thousands of others; and because I wear a mask, I’m not the potential living, breathing pathogen – you are. In our society, we quarantine those who are a danger to the lives of others.

I worked as an RN for decades and saw first-hand how quickly contagion spreads. I initiated isolation protocols more times than I can count. I sat with patients dying without the comfort of loved ones at their bedside. Thousands of COVID patients and their families have endured this. I do not want to be complicit in this tragedy.

Rights and freedoms coexist within a democratic society. They become mutually exclusive when one threatens the other.

Freedom is not free. Our right to freedom must be earned by respecting the rights of others and accepting responsibility for our actions.

Be well and stay safe, my friends.

Until the next time . . . Namaste ❤️

 ©Tina Frisco 2020

Featured image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

53 thoughts on “Freedom Is Not Free”

  1. Long time, no see! Good to see you! This is well-said, and I agree with you 100%. I have long said that my rights end at the point they step on yours, and this is the case today. Personal freedom does not include the right to put others’ lives at risk. Take care of yourself, Tina! Hugs!

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  7. What a lovely surprise to see a post from you, Tina. It has been a long time. I agree with you about the masks and have a post going out later this month about the history of pandemics and the historic use of masks and quarantine tactics to try and stop the spread.

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    1. Thanks so much, Robbie. I’ll look for your post with great interest and, if able, will comment and share. It will be gratifying to see such validation during these trying times. Take care, my friend. Hugs ❤️

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  8. I don’t agree at all, but I defend your right to state what you believe.

    In the USA, there is such a chasm between liberals and conservatives that my greatest concern at this moment is where this is headed.

    Leftists/liberals believe that if government says to do something, it’s “law.”

    Constitutionalists/conservatives follow what is in the bill of rights which have, in the last 100 years, been infringed upon. We remember the words of Ben Franklin: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

    That is true freedom.

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    1. I’m a progressive, and I (1) absolutely do not believe that whatever government says is “law”; (2) believe in and follow the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. Franklin’s actual quote was: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” He presumably wrote this in 1755 in a letter to the colonial governor on behalf of the Pennsylvania Assembly. The assembly wanted to tax the Penn family lands, which led to a power struggle between the governor and the assembly over funding for security on the frontier. Franklin’s letter wasn’t about liberty, but rather about taxes and the ability to raise money for defense against French and Indian attacks. Thus, this quote is clearly about money, not freedom.

      Inherent in liberty is responsibility and obligation to social welfare. I, too, am greatly concerned about the divisiveness within our country. It wasn’t always the abyss it is right now, and it won’t always be such. Yes, there always will be outliers, but I trust in our ability to unite for the common good.

      Thank you for stopping by and offering an opposing perspective. Experience has taught me that meeting opposition and dialoguing respectfully helps bring to light and clarify that which we have in common ❤️

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      1. I can’t thank you enough for discussing the issue instead of throwing *expletives* at me. 🙂

        I was confused by the different ways that the quote has been stated, until I found out that Benjamin Franklin had used variations of the same quote in other venues.

        I was fascinated to read about his views of the indigenous people. He believed that our government should take a lesson from the nations that became the Iroquois and spoke highly of the Iroquois laws.

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        1. I, too, am grateful that we can discuss this issue rather than argue. I have friends and family with differing views from mine, but I’ve learned that respect and an open heart will keep us bonded.

          I learned about Franklin’s respect for the Iroquois Confederacy some years ago, which made me ever more grateful for our Constitution and those who framed it.

          I look forward to further discussions with you. I have deep respect for anyone willing to engage in a healthy debate 🙂

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    1. Good point, Lucinda. It seems common sense has been obfuscated by deception. I know we’ll eventually clear the chaos and regain clarity, and I hope it happens sooner rather than later. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting. Hugs ❤️

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    1. Good to see you as well, John. I find it interesting (at times, down right infuriating) that people choose to believe the intractable ignorant over the competent experts. Perhaps it’s a deep-rooted insecurity seeking validation. Thanks so much for stopping by. Hugs ❤️

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    1. So happy to see you, too, Sister! I’ve missed you as well. Hopefully, I’m on the upswing; although there’s a good chance I could lose part of my health insurance. But I’m focusing my intention on the positive. Hugs ❤️

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    1. It’s good to see you here, Jemima. As you most likely guessed, I’m always masked when out and about 🙂 I’ve missed all of you as well and hope to be back to blogging soon. Chris is a gem 💎 Thanks so much for stopping by ❤️

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  17. Oh my goodness how true this post is. I’ve written of my personal experience of this nightmarish pandemic to warn others. People are crazy not to take it seriously. The nurses and doctors I know are now taking it VERY seriously.

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    1. Oh Brenda, thanks so much for stopping by and letting us know of your personal experience with COVID. Please accept my deepest condolences on the loss of your husband. I expect that people who don’t take this pandemic seriously haven’t experienced it within their circle of family and friends, and have little ability to extrapolate. I’m sending you lots of good energy and a very big hug ❤️

      For those of you reading this who would like to know more about Brenda’s experience with COVID, please visit her blog post: Coronavirus ~ a personal experience of Covid-19

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  18. I definitely shared a post from my blog onto FB from awhile ago! I like FB since I can get away with liking or loving posts but not spending daily hours on the posts. Peace and Vote! I already dropped my absentee ballot into the camera watched ballot box at the county Board of Elections! 🐘💙🐘

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    1. How not to spend hours on visiting blogs and commenting is a constant challenge and one I’ve yet to meet.

      Yay! You voted! I mailed my ballot and just received an email telling me it was received. BallotTrax is a great tool for this: Ballot Trax

      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting, Robin ❤️

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  19. It was so lovely to see your name pop up, Tina. I’ve thought of you often and wondered how you’re doing. I’m so sorry that the chaos in the US has had such a negative impact on your health. My husband and I had to cut way back on news consumption because it would spin me into a rage or into despair. The gap between truth and compassion, and lies and selfishness sometimes seems insurmountable. I worry for our country.

    I couldn’t agree more with your statement, though I don’t think anti-maskers care if their behavior kills someone. My little town had a “march for freedom,” and within 3 days, two participants were dead. The way they justified their choices and the deaths – “They died for freedom.” It’s heartbreaking.

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    1. So nice to see you here, Diana. I’m still a little rocky but on the upswing. I hope to return to blogging on a regular basis in the near future.

      I tune in to the news to catch what’s breaking, but I mute the negative. Trump incited fear and legitimized the ensuant cult. And we know there’s no reasoning with the cult mind. Like you, I find it heartbreaking. I also know that our only hope lies in positive thought and action. Energy follows thought. So, while acknowledging the pernicious dissidence, we need to remain steadfast in visualizing that which we want to create. The patriarchy is dying, causing great upheaval. But I know we’ll ride this wave and land on the shore of a new world. I do love unexplored beaches, don’t you?

      Blessings and love to you, my friend ❤️

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  20. Dear Tina,

    Hello! I noticed that you have not been blogging for quite a while. You have been missed.

    I have read your excellent post “Freedom Is Not Free”. What a splendid job you have performed in debunking the many myths and entitlements that people have about covid-19. Covid is still all around us. Unfortunately, there are still far too many Covidiotic Maskholes in the Disunited States of America (DSA) and many parts of the world!

    Needless to say, due to misinformation and disinformation as well as the pandemic and other global issues, 2020 and 2021 as well as the past few years had been very difficult and trying, not to mention having to deal with the pandemic. It was all quite surreal, perhaps in some ways more bizarre than ghosts and the paranormal (not that I believe in such things). One could indeed say that we live in interesting times, but often for the wrong reasons. It is all quite a big mess in danger of getting bigger still. Even a global pandemic still cannot unite folks in the USA and wake them up. Perhaps it will take an even bigger crisis to do so, such as a series of climate change disasters.

    Truth, decency and morality have become martyred in the post-truth era and the age of misinformation. In any case, the best and most dedicated amongst the likes of us are also inveterate teachers of everlasting, transcendental wisdom to save humans from themselves, their self-interests and their destructive ways. I often even have to coin new words to do so. The latest examples are my three neologisms “Misquotation Pandemic“, “Disinformation Polemic” and “Viral Falsity“, as discussed in my extensive and analytical post entitled “💬 Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: 🧠 Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity 🦠“, which you can easily locate from the Home page of my blog.

    I look forward to your visiting the post and reading your thoughts and feedback on the various issues broached there. By the way, whenever you visit my blog, I would like to recommend using a desktop or laptop computer with a large screen to view the rich multimedia contents available for heightening your multisensory enjoyment at my blog, which could be too powerful and feature-rich for iPad, iPhone, tablet or other portable devices to handle properly or adequately.

    Furthermore, since my intricate blog contains advanced styling and multimedia components plus animations, it is advisable to avoid viewing the contents of my blog using the WordPress Reader, which cannot show many of the advanced features and animations in my posts and pages. It is best to read the posts and pages directly in my blog so that you will be able to savour and relish all of the refined and glorious details.

    Like you, I have had to mention and explain a great deal of logical errors and fallacies, and to assert the primacy of critical thinking and personal responsibilities in many of my discussions and blog posts.

    Yours sincerely,
    SoundEagle

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    1. Hello, my friend! Lovely of you to stop by. The chronic illness that has taken residence in my body has been in a continual flareup and has seriously shortened my time spent online. But I take this in stride, as I do the relative state of flux the world is in right now due to COVID.

      I see Mother Earth as a schoolhouse and all of her inhabitants as having made contracts before incarnating. These contracts embody the lessons we have chosen to learn. Whether or not we realize it, we are mirrors for each other, teaching and learning as we proceed on this earthwalk. Upon moving into a higher dimension and expanded level of awareness, barriers are shattered and many people submit to fear of the unknown. The COVID pandemic is an opportunity to explore the filaments of fear, retain what serves, and discard the rest. Fear’s higher purpose is to keep us alert. It’s important to spotlight the big picture and focus our intention on the goal ~ enlightenment.

      Unfortunately, many get caught in the web of illusion and allow themselves to indulge in the destructive aspects of fear. Once embroiled in this quagmire of deception, fear takes the helm and becomes intoxicated on its perceived power. Those who allow this progression of illusion brainwash themselves as well as the susceptible who are willing to partake. Short of deprogramming or an epiphany, breaking the delusory grip of fear’s spawn of mis/disinformation, lies, and conspiracy seems insurmountable. But it’s not hopeless.

      Truth and love always prevail. And this is where we must steadfastly focus our intention. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t express our feelings of anger, frustration, exhaustion. On the contrary. All emotions must be felt and acknowledged before they can be resolved and let go. When walking the path of truth and love, we have to exhibit a formidable stance, whether or not we feel the strength of its power. We will fail at times, but losing the inning doesn’t foreshadow the outcome of the ballgame. All interaction is a test ~ a test of whether or not we will honor our contract to grow our spirits. Being true to our contract ~ whether positive or negative ~ is the highest form of evolution. Because we live on a bipolar planet, positive and negative are necessary for growth. They challenge each other and thus potentiate each other’s expansion.

      So you see, disharmony and disunion, choreographed by unbridled fear, have always comprised the ultimate challenge to humanity’s enlightenment. Speaking our truth during this struggle, regardless of the side on which we stand, is the only honorable path forward.

      I’ve ‘Liked’ and tweeted your post, 💬 Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: 🧠 Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity. I don’t have the stamina right now to read it in its entirety and submit a comment. But one thing I know for certain: You are a deep thinker and eloquent writer ~ a torchbearer. Always brandish your light, my dear friend. Love and hugs to you ❤️

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      1. Dear Tina,

        I am very delighted by your reply, and look forward to your submitting a comment to my said post as a token of your visit, as I would love to have some feedback, given your interests, expertise and wisdom. Moreover, you are welcome to copy and paste some or all of your previous reply as part of your forthcoming comment to be submitted to the comment section of my said post, to which your esteemed reply clearly pertains and also belongs. Please feel free to expand on your comment if you have additional matters to convey about the post and any salient aspects of its contents. Thank you in anticipation.

        May you find 2022 very much to your liking and highly conducive to your health, wellbeing, writing, reading, thinking and blogging whatever topics that appeal to your intellectual exploration, spiritual growth and creative flair!

        Yours sincerely,
        SoundEagle

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