What's the worst thing about a global pandemic? No doubt at all for me: the restrictions of freedom. I know what I am talking about, having actually lived in a country that doesn't have freedom. Now we all know. Sure, we still have democracy but democratically elected restrictions on freedom are still enately not democratic and sure as hell do not prevent Jane and John Doe from the countryside thinking would have handled everything way better. I miss the pub as much as the next person does but the pivotal question I've been asking myself has been: are we entitled to freedom? It isn't friggin' happening right now, huh? But since it's us, the Free World, what is our right to DEMAND freedom to come back?
If you don't know what I mean with human rights, this blog will be questionable to you. Of course, there is a formalised document that states what every human being on this planet "has a right to" having: a place to sleep, freedom of speech and food to eat, to name a few. My country's Grundgesetz pretty much outlaws, in theory, the restrictions on our freedom right now, of course, with the right for everyone's safety taking precedence. But we know that's hardly the case for everyone in the world. So, in these times where us spoiled Westeners are losing all the the things we are used to having, and according to the UN are entitled to, how does the meaning of the word "right" change? The reality is that the moment I enforce myself having the rights I am told to have a right to, I am taking others ability to have the same (which, of course, basically is the same as always).
If I now want my freedom, for example to leave my house as I please, with whoever I please, as granted by all the dead people who made the laws of my country, I get fined (and, well, endanger my peers). Without the threat of a deadly disease and a governmental structure that has kept the country wealthy and peaceful for over 70 years now, I'd scratch my head, too. But someone who knows the situation better than me has asked me to, so I do it, the sheep that I am. My people chose Angela and her peers, I know the lady believes in the rule of law and science and that's all I need to know about her advise being better than my neighbors'. That is our system: you elect other people to make the big decision for us. It happens every day and we don't feel our freedom is at stake because yes, we are THAT spoiled. It makes zero sense to doubt this functioning system in the face of this crisis. Now things are unpleasant so it must be the government's fault. So what do we do: COMPLAIN! Yay! Why now, especially?
Because we are affected, finally. Our rainbows are gone. And we want them back now. Of course, nobody really understands even the basics of molecular biology but we do know we want the pub back. Fortunately, we have the big World Wide Web to express how much better we understand the Coronavirus than others. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of perceived intelligence in people is stupefying. Everyone has an opinion on the Coronavirus right now when opinions are completely redundant in science. If science is subjective, what's the point of fact then? If people believe they have a right to their human rights, that is a matter of opinion; but whether their subsequent action of carrying on with life, having parties, defying the state orders, is going to lead to the end of people's lives is no longer an opinion that needs believers, it is a basic fact. We cannot maintain our freedom as usual if we want our hands clean of causing other people's suffering (and really, we were already not really able to).
The bottom line is that we perceive human rights as something we have now lost, when most people on Earth never had it. Here we are mourning jobs lost, freedoms taken and even the food sometimes not being on the table when we were incredibly lucky to have had these things in the first place. The West is in a state of mourning while others have accepted. The terminology of the UN, calling these things Human Rights, so something we are entitled to, contributes to people's perception there is a choice of action available to them. As a result, we end up with people interpreting the right to decide as a right to reject a vaccine when, well, that's dangerous. It won't and shouldn't be a choice. There is fact and there is lie. Choose one. Believing vaccines are bad for the planet makes you scientifically proven wrong. What you feel about it is irrelevant. Yet, that's the right people claim. You can see where it will not get us out of this mess if everyone just claims their freedom as their blank check to be stupid (could bring up the people drinking Lysol last week, but let's just... move on).
We have to believe in the system, democracy, which should have a proven track record of attempting to acquire human rights for all, but no entity in the world can promise us human rights, not even Antonio Guterres (actually, especially not Antonio Guterres). I want every person in the world to have the rights outlined by the UN as human rights, yet, it isn't working is it? What's clear already is that the terminology is faulty. "Rights" can be acquired, I currently have no such option. Sure, I am entitled to my freedom, the UN says so, but I don't currently have it, do I? Nice of them to grant it to me but it's not a thing that can be granted. At least not in the world order we live in. Certainly not one that is designed by a virus. We should focus on the endeavour to attain human rights, but we certainly are far from achieving it. Right now, us mourning freedom-lovers, gotta suck it up although it sucks: we aren't as free as last year. Maybe the Coronavirus will make us see, learn, and possibly improve. I choose to believe we can do it. With the lack of existing research on what happens next, at least I still get to have an opinion about it...
If you don't know what I mean with human rights, this blog will be questionable to you. Of course, there is a formalised document that states what every human being on this planet "has a right to" having: a place to sleep, freedom of speech and food to eat, to name a few. My country's Grundgesetz pretty much outlaws, in theory, the restrictions on our freedom right now, of course, with the right for everyone's safety taking precedence. But we know that's hardly the case for everyone in the world. So, in these times where us spoiled Westeners are losing all the the things we are used to having, and according to the UN are entitled to, how does the meaning of the word "right" change? The reality is that the moment I enforce myself having the rights I am told to have a right to, I am taking others ability to have the same (which, of course, basically is the same as always).
If I now want my freedom, for example to leave my house as I please, with whoever I please, as granted by all the dead people who made the laws of my country, I get fined (and, well, endanger my peers). Without the threat of a deadly disease and a governmental structure that has kept the country wealthy and peaceful for over 70 years now, I'd scratch my head, too. But someone who knows the situation better than me has asked me to, so I do it, the sheep that I am. My people chose Angela and her peers, I know the lady believes in the rule of law and science and that's all I need to know about her advise being better than my neighbors'. That is our system: you elect other people to make the big decision for us. It happens every day and we don't feel our freedom is at stake because yes, we are THAT spoiled. It makes zero sense to doubt this functioning system in the face of this crisis. Now things are unpleasant so it must be the government's fault. So what do we do: COMPLAIN! Yay! Why now, especially?
Because we are affected, finally. Our rainbows are gone. And we want them back now. Of course, nobody really understands even the basics of molecular biology but we do know we want the pub back. Fortunately, we have the big World Wide Web to express how much better we understand the Coronavirus than others. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of perceived intelligence in people is stupefying. Everyone has an opinion on the Coronavirus right now when opinions are completely redundant in science. If science is subjective, what's the point of fact then? If people believe they have a right to their human rights, that is a matter of opinion; but whether their subsequent action of carrying on with life, having parties, defying the state orders, is going to lead to the end of people's lives is no longer an opinion that needs believers, it is a basic fact. We cannot maintain our freedom as usual if we want our hands clean of causing other people's suffering (and really, we were already not really able to).
The bottom line is that we perceive human rights as something we have now lost, when most people on Earth never had it. Here we are mourning jobs lost, freedoms taken and even the food sometimes not being on the table when we were incredibly lucky to have had these things in the first place. The West is in a state of mourning while others have accepted. The terminology of the UN, calling these things Human Rights, so something we are entitled to, contributes to people's perception there is a choice of action available to them. As a result, we end up with people interpreting the right to decide as a right to reject a vaccine when, well, that's dangerous. It won't and shouldn't be a choice. There is fact and there is lie. Choose one. Believing vaccines are bad for the planet makes you scientifically proven wrong. What you feel about it is irrelevant. Yet, that's the right people claim. You can see where it will not get us out of this mess if everyone just claims their freedom as their blank check to be stupid (could bring up the people drinking Lysol last week, but let's just... move on).
We have to believe in the system, democracy, which should have a proven track record of attempting to acquire human rights for all, but no entity in the world can promise us human rights, not even Antonio Guterres (actually, especially not Antonio Guterres). I want every person in the world to have the rights outlined by the UN as human rights, yet, it isn't working is it? What's clear already is that the terminology is faulty. "Rights" can be acquired, I currently have no such option. Sure, I am entitled to my freedom, the UN says so, but I don't currently have it, do I? Nice of them to grant it to me but it's not a thing that can be granted. At least not in the world order we live in. Certainly not one that is designed by a virus. We should focus on the endeavour to attain human rights, but we certainly are far from achieving it. Right now, us mourning freedom-lovers, gotta suck it up although it sucks: we aren't as free as last year. Maybe the Coronavirus will make us see, learn, and possibly improve. I choose to believe we can do it. With the lack of existing research on what happens next, at least I still get to have an opinion about it...
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