WITH RIGHTS COME RESPONSIBILITIES — WEAR A MASK
Our rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. In a free and democratic society, one cannot exist without the other.
It appears anti-maskers have forgotten that. These people spend a lot of time demanding their “right” to assemble with as many people as they want, or to walk into any store or government office while NOT wearing a mask during the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. But you never hear them mention their responsibility to care for others.
One of the best expressions of the inextricable link between rights and responsibilities was penned by John D. Rockefeller, the world's first billionaire and a renowned philanthropist.
“I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty,” Rockefeller wrote in a profound bit of prose that can be read on a plaque in front of Rockefeller Center in New York City.
If you want to exercise the right to liberty, you are responsible to not break any laws that will land you in jail — where you will lose your liberty. In other words, your rights have limits because they are linked to your responsibilities to others.
Sadly, there have been numerous examples, including here in Calgary, of entitled, spoiled, centre-of-the-universe people being asked to wear a mask inside a store only to then tee off on some store clerk making minimum wage.
The solution is actually very simple. If you don't want to wear a mask, don't walk into a store where it's required that you wear one. Stay home or stay outside.
What's really astonishing is hearing about this kind of attitude existing in some churches — albeit mostly in the U.S. — touting their right to their freedom of religion and right of assembly but saying nothing at all about love of neighbour, which is central to the ethic of what Christianity is all about.
James Paton, the head pastor of First Alliance Church — a large congregation whose main building off Deerfoot and Barlow trails in Calgary's southeast can seat 3,500 people — posted a notice online informing congregants that the church wants to love its neighbours and therefore is closing its doors, even though it doesn't have to.
That's the right, loving attitude or responsibility toward others, and should be the attitude of all churches and all individuals.
“As you have doubtless heard, the Government of Alberta has declared a state of public health emergency. New measures have been introduced to stop widespread community transmission of the virus,” Paton said, referring to Tuesday's announcement that indoor social gatherings are prohibited, that stores can only allow 25 per cent of capacity, and many other restrictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
“While these new restrictions do not introduce new measures for First Alliance Church, we continue to err on the side of caution, and we want to do all we can to love our neighbours by reducing the R number in the coming weeks,” said Paton, referring to the number of people infected by a single case of infection.
“The rules may not impact us — but we can make an impact by choosing to go the second mile,” he added, quoting Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, when He said, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
“Together we can make a difference to protect the vulnerable, and stand with our essential workers in these challenging times,” added Paton, by suspending all in-person worship gatherings until the weekend of Jan. 9.
“Our online campus will continue to broadcast on Facebook, Youtube, and live.faccalgary.com,” he said, pointing out that a new Christmas series of messages is starting.
Is it tough for churches to close down at Christmas, one of the most important times of the year? Of course. Is it their right to remain open? Yes, it is. But sometimes our responsibilities to others are much more important than exercising our rights.
As the great U.S. civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr., said: “The time is always right to do what is right.”
Protecting the most vulnerable in our society from catching this dreadful virus is the right thing to do. It's inconvenient and dreadfully difficult, but it is right.
As singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has said: “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.”
Stephen Covey, the bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, breaks down the word responsibility.
“Look at the word responsibility — `response-ability' — the ability to choose your response. Highly proactive people recognize that responsibility. They do not blame circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behaviour. Their behaviour is a product of their own conscious choice, based on values, rather than a product of their conditions, based on feeling.”
Dr. Viktor Frankl — Holocaust survivor, neurologist, psychiatrist and philosopher — after visiting New York one time said: “I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.”
He had seen and experienced the very worst that humans can do in the various Nazi concentration camps he was in — and warned that freedom and the exercise of our rights above all things are at risk of dissolving into arbitrariness and mere licence unless it's carried out responsibly. The very gist of Frankl's bestselling book, Man's Search for Meaning, is that you can have everything taken away from you — your family, friends, possessions and even your freedom, as happened to him during the Holocaust — but no one can take away your attitude, your response-ability.
Rockefeller's creed also contains these wise words:
“I believe that the rendering of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.
“I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world; that it alone can overcome hate.”
When it comes to love, the other side of that coin is not hate, it's responsibility.