Freedom and CounterWill in the Pandemic

In the middle of March break this year we heard that Ontario had declared a State of Emergency because of CoVid 19. Here we are now at the end of June, over 15 weeks later, and the State of Emergency has been extended into July. That is a long time to be living with serious restrictions on movement, shopping, and gathering.

And I suppose the big news at this point is not even that extension. It is that in some jurisdictions the infection rates are exploding again. Why? Because people got tired of waiting. People got angry at being told to wait. And people then refused to wait because they now turned the issue into one of 'rights.'When my rights are being violated by orders to stay indoors, to close my business, to wear masks, etc., than my freedoms are being violated. I will not tolerate that.

On Canada Day what a great time to reflect that somewhere along the line, a huge misunderstanding of freedom has taken place. Don't you hear the echoes of the three-year-old, "You're not the boss of me, I don't have to do that." Don't you hear echoes of the 15-year-old, "I'm old enough to make up my own mind. I'm going to go where I want."

Both of these protests are perfectly normal developmental events. Handled properly they resolve just fine, and healthy development continues.

But the objections we are hearing in the pandemic are not from three-year-olds or 15-year-olds, they are from supposedly mature adults. "You can't tell me what to do."

The largest age group I saw over the years in my practice was the 15 year old group. Parents would be at their wits end, and the kids were angry at the arbitrary, rigid directives from parents who used to be so loving!

That age is a time for everyone to develop an understanding of freedom and ownership.

I used to take the youth to the window of my office and asked them to look out on the street.

Me: "What side of the road are the cars on?"

Youth: "The right side."

Me: "How did they get there?"

Youth: "It's the law."

Me: "What if they decided they didn't want to be told where to drive? That left side might be nice today."

Youth: "There would be accidents."

Me: "Yes. And so the drivers are showing you one of the really important things about growing up. Namely, that you do things because you know they are the right thing to do. If someone told the driver to be sure to drive on the right side of the road, they would reply, 'Why are you telling me that? That's exactly what I was going to do.'

 Growing up, it turns out, involves doing things in a particular way all day long, in spite of being told to do them, because you were going to do it that way anyhow. And in the process you are exercising your freedom to take ownership of a rule, a directive. You will also smoothly learn how to object, to problem-solve, and to negotiate.

The person who recently threatened to have a doctor arrested for issuing a wear-mask order, has not gotten through the adolescent stage yet in which he or she understands that their freedom includes the right to follow that order and take ownership of it. Instead, they are stuck in what we call "counter-will;" the impulse to do the opposite of what I've been directed to do, just on the basis of having been directed to do it.

Our faith is one massive exercise of our freedom to make our own something that has been given to us on authority. I have mentioned previously that the post-modern movement objects to religion partly on that very basis. "I'm not going to be told what to do or what to think. I am my own guide for all that."

I recently heard a wonderful motivational speech in which the speaker said to be true to yourself, don't let anyone else tell you what to think or what you have to be. Partly correct, but incomplete. Jesus said something more or less like that, but what he was referring to was the self that you become when you follow me, when you accept and make your own the truth that “I am the way, the truth, and the life." Using your freedom you then stand firm against anyone or any power that would try to move you off that. Of course, if you haven't moved past the counter-will stage of your life, you will be easy pickings for anyone who says "Why are you doing/ believing all that stuff? They sold you that all your life, time for you to grow up and reject it all! Be your own person!"

The thoughtful person of faith says "Thank you but this IS who I am. I have made it my own. Freely!"

The thoughtful person of mature citizenship has no problem freely accepting the authority of a stay home or don't open or don't gather or do wear a mask order. The counter-will person, by contrast will succumb to the impulse to defy that authority.

In a faith community, the counter-will person may cause you to lose your faith.

In a pandemic, the counter-will person is going to make you sick.

What lessons we are learning. Don’t miss them!

And Happy Canada Day everyone! What a great country we are blessed to live in!