Personal liberty. Valuable beyond measure. After decades of corporate life, the sweet caress is still so deeply satisfying. Every day. Even after over two years of freedom. But it can be misunderstood. “What do you do?” I was asked again recently. “I do what I want,” was my short answer, valid but flippant, response.
“Oh, you are one of those people!”
Then I realized the misunderstanding. No, I am still a member of society. I do what I want within the constraints of the rules. For instance, our governor has mandated masks indoors and when not able to socially distance outdoors. While I am not a fan of our governor on so many levels, her response to the pandemic has been fairly good. Better than most governors. So the mask decree is reasonable. Even if it wasn’t, I would most likely comply. As long as it wasn’t something stupid like “wear a mask on an empty beach”. Or, if it was important to break the rules. Sometimes it is…. think Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience.
But mostly, it is important to follow most rules. If I felt like driving my car 100 miles per hour on the highway… I would not “do what I want”.
Within that basic framework of what 1) won’t get you thrown in jail, 2) isn’t a violation of my ethics or morals, 3) won’t hurt anyone else, 4) still fulfills my (drastically reduced) family obligations… I do what I want.
This all ran thru my mind today while eating a late breakfast on the beach. Two women in front of us on the bad side of the “I do what I want” club. Clearly, dogs are not allowed on the Grand Haven State Park Beach. Ever. And certainly not off leash. Everyone knows it. They walked right past one of the many signs. And yet there they were, their black lab and golden frolicking in the beach and in the water. A lack of park employees meant they were free to… do what they want. Also people around them seemed to say nothing. We were there for an hour. The dogs played unchallenged.
I expect that these women and their “I do what I want” buddies have the same behavior when it comes to masks.
Michigan cases are rising. Iowa, where three of our adult kids and their families live, is now a hot zone. And a hard rain is gonna fall.