It was a geology professor who introduced me to the notion that “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” He had a scientist’s take on it: to use and abuse the earth and its resources comes with costs.
For instance, we are presently experiencing dangerous climate change, an unintended consequence of our extraction and burning of fossil fuels. A more general interpretation is that we should not expect to have things handed to us without cost or sacrifice. Things of value can be achieved when we are willing to commit time, effort and resources to accomplish them.
The flip side of that is to be mindful when we do get a free lunch (both literally and figuratively). That lunch was paid for and prepared by somebody else, requiring our gratitude. As recipients, we might express that gratitude by sharing in the preparation or the cost, doing the dishes, or inviting them to lunch in return. To receive anything for free requires us to consider exactly who paid for it and to respond accordingly.
The freedoms we enjoy as American citizens work the same way. They have been paid for at great cost, not just in deaths. If you’ve seen the film, “Thank You for Your Service,” you know the ongoing cost for vets. Given the startling number of veteran suicides and the wait times at VA facilities, it would appear that we are not a very grateful people.
Are we willing to make sacrifices to honor their sacrifices?
Author Jonathan Franzen offers yet another caveat to freedom, “No one is freer than a person with no moral convictions. One of the ways of surrendering freedom is to actually have convictions. And a way of further surrendering freedom is to spend quite a bit of time acting on those convictions.”
A person who values family and the futures of their children and grandchildren is not free to drive around a gas-guzzling vehicle. And they should be moving heaven and earth to get both public and private leaders to act on climate change.
Pro-lifers are similarly constrained by their convictions. They value human life; then surely a pro-lifer will also be a staunch advocate to ending the death penalty, thus assuring a chance to correct false convictions as well as to keep alive the opportunity for redemption and restorative justice.
In the case of anti-abortion, pro-life advocacy would not end with birth. For the mother and child to not just survive but thrive, a pro-lifer would be a tireless advocate for affordable health care, child care and a strong social safety net. After all, anti-abortion laws will have their greatest impact on the poor and minorities. If you “save” the life of an unborn child, you do not then turn your back on the infant and mother.
When my high school civics teacher taught the U.S. Constitution, he spoke of every citizen having not just rights but also responsibilities. Freedom, after all, is not free.
The constitutional right to own and carry guns carries with it great responsibilities and costs. On average, 115,000 Americans are shot and 38,800 die every year. The last ten years have shown a dramatic uptick in mass shootings. Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland tell us our children are not safe.
To say one carries a gun to protect oneself and others is to ignore the more likely outcomes of accidents, suicides and serious domestic violence. You’re hopelessly naïve if you think the world breaks down into good guys and bad guys. There are only imperfect human beings whose judgment may be compromised by mental illness, substance abuse, stress, harbored grievances and anger issues. More guns don’t make me feel safer. To value all human life is to admit there must be significant limits to that freedom.
Refusal to wear masks and to vaccinate because it hinders our freedom carries with it a similar cost. It risks family, friends, colleagues, and others to possible exposure to COVID. It has unnecessarily exacted a heavy toll on exhausted health care workers, teachers, and any worker who interacts with the public. Too many of our 900,000 deaths were preventable.
Patriotism is defined as “devotion to and vigorous support for one’s country.” In this country, it means we support and defend the U.S. Constitution and the common values it represents. It also implies that we have a responsibility, i.e. a devotion to and vigorous support for all our fellow citizens. Sometimes that means we curb our rights when they compromise the freedom of others.
Freedom is not free. Always know who is paying the cost of your freedom.
(Allan MacDonald lives in New London.)