The truly life-threatening—and way-of-life disrupting—impact of COVID-19 (more aptly, “China Virus”) has provided much of the World with many wake-up calls, and some crucial memory-jogs regarding long-standing realities.
None the least—those wake-up calls and memory-jogs regarding the age old “Safety” versus “Freedom” dilemma, so prophetically expressed in the following cautionary message often attributed to Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804), 1st U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and one of the U.S. Founding Fathers:
“Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.”
Of course, history very likely widely supports that (so-to-speak) “the COVID-19 dust will one day settle”—and hopefully sooner than later.
However, what seems increasingly “less clear” and alarmingly “very uncertain,” is the ultimate nature of our “thereafter” personal liberty and freedom. As compared to the extent of power “we the people” have placed, and/or have otherwise tolerated, in the hands of often power craving and power abusing aspects of our local, state, and federal government.
While, and as was so aptly noted by Hamilton not all that long ago—in our striving to be “more safe,” we and our humankind peers “continue” to at length, and self-destructively, become willing to run the risk of being “less free”!
—William James Moore
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