Coronavirus pandemic is a war, but are we living up to our patriotic songs? | Opinion
America remembered it beloved soldiers over the Memorial Day weekend.
We watched the traditional ceremony of remembrance at Arlington National Cemetery.
We viewed on local television stations heart-wrenching commemorations honoring the heroes of our nation who paid the supreme price to defend this country during times of war.
We listened to the beautiful concerts and inspiring patriotic songs which raised our spirits and reminded us of the pride we should all have in being Americans.
We listened to speeches from our elected officials and community leaders that those we memorialized taught us that freedom is not free.
Have Americans learned or forgotten that lesson?
Behind all of those meaningful and stirring tributes to our veterans and memorial services we also witnessed something else going on around certain parts of the country. Here we are remembering something sacred and yet so many Americans telling us a different narrative about freedom. For them it appears that freedom means one thing only: “I can do what I want and not you or any government can tell me what to do.”
In the middle of this devastating pandemic, people are complaining about wearing masks or sheltering in place. These folks hit the shores of the beach, the bars and restaurants, either ignoring or proudly defying any government rules aimed at saving the lives of their fellow citizens.
I cannot think of a more appropriate moment to point out a time-honored lesson, which is that freedom does have a cost. Freedom does not mean the right to do anything we want. Have we forgotten that with freedoms comes responsibilities?
The truth is that we are at war today with a virus and it has taken more than 100,000 American lives. Does the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness allow one person to put the life of another at risk? If the answer is “yes” then we have a far greater problem than eradicating this virus.
Does my right to not require my employees who work together in close circumstances or who serve the public nullify my responsibility to provide a safe environment for those who work or patronize my business? Is that the freedom we are fighting for and that our forbears died for that brings us to this Memorial Day?
Should a congregation open it doors because it has the freedom to do so with the foreknowledge that it could risk the lives of the congregation? Is that the freedom we seek?
After September of 9/11, President George W. Bush spoke at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. He said, “I prayed to God to give us a sign that he is still here ... There are prayers that help us last through the day or endure the night. There are friends and strangers that give us strength for the journey. And there are prayers that yield our will to a will greater than our own.”
It is time we think carefully and reflect on these thoughts because they challenge us now.
America is a God-fearing nation and I believe that God is watching us. We need prayers coming from all directions to fend off this virus and its destructive path. We need those prayers from all Americans to strengthen us to make sacrifices for the greater good.
Where is that spirit we sing about in our songs when we need it today? Where is the spirit that teaches us that freedom has a cost? This time the cost is not to discharge a weapon in battle or fly a fighter jet or drop a bomb. Rather this time the cost is to protect American lives.
For those who ascribe to the idea of America first, then I urge you to practice it with heart and soul. Protect our own citizens and respect human life at all costs.
Like it or not, we are all on this perilous journey. What will history say about the generations of this country and how we behaved during these tenuous times? Will our love of freedom blind us to the responsibilities which it exacts from us to preserve American lives?
The answer depends upon each and every one of us. The cost of freedom is calling us.
“Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart” — Psalm 21:2.
The greatness of American is not only from its military might or its economic prowess. Instead it is about ethics and the spiritual dedication and discipline to come together in difficult times and prevail over the challenges we face.
Rabbi Brad Bloom of Hilton Head Island writes on matters of faith.