The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
My wife and I are elderly and she does not have an immune system. Consequently, her survival against the highly contagious delta variant depends on Wisconsin being vaccinated. Most Wisconsinites demonstrate concern for their fellow citizens and compassion for and the will to help others. Freedom makes a huge requirement on all of us. With freedom comes individual rights. There are two ways to exert one’s individual rights; one is pushing others down, the other is pulling others up.
Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of Wisconsinites. Kindness can cause misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to melt away. Individual freedom consists of more than doing what we like, but also doing what we ought. Our moral fabric involves doing something for someone who will never be able to repay us. We need to consider the rights of others before our own feelings and the feelings of others before our own rights if we are to destroy COVID-19 and its variants.
Individuals don’t beat back health pandemics; teams do Life becomes harder when we live for others; but we and our state and nation grow stronger. We do not allow what we don’t want to do to interfere with what we can do. Doing the right thing means doing what needs to get done; not walk away from the problem. We need legislators who will serve the common good for all of us; securing our health and safety, not pandering to the wishes of a few.
We are all in this pandemic together. Individuals going their own way only feeds the infectious monster and fuels the continuous death and disaster that follow.
– Hanson is a member of the Walworth County Democratic Party.
