Many observers have noticed that staying safe has become a religion. Safetyism, which it is often called, values the same things as all religions. In this case, it places safety above other values.Safetyism is the willingness to sacrifice the most important values of Americans, including liberty, in order to be safe for the past year and a quarter.Millions of Americans gave up their rights to work, to earn a living and to visit their friends and family.It is possible to assume that almost all of the COVID-19-related deaths occurred without any loved ones present from the time they were admitted to hospital up until their final days.This acceptance of crueltyirrational, and unscientific cruelty can only be explained by the failure to teach liberty and the worship of safety in generations of schools and parents.Your father's death was not an option. However, if your mother was forced to spend more than one year in isolation in a nursing home, it was worth it. Of course, it is okay for leaders in science or medicine to lie for safety; truth is just as important as safety.All of this is not new. Twenty-five year ago, I broadcast and wrote about Americans' willingness to accept the absurdity of secondhand smoking and their rights.It is not a secret that secondhand smoke can worsen preexisting conditions like asthma. The anti-smoking zealots imply that 50,000 Americans are killed each year by secondhand smoke.The Journal of the National Cancer Institute reported in 2013 that there was no statistically significant association between lung cancer and passive smoking.However, the absurd 50,000-per-year claim meant that people were not allowed to smoke in airplanes. This was courtesy grounds only.Burbank, California is a city that has been run for decades by leftists. They have a contempt for individual liberty and ban smoking in all cigar shops. No one is allowed to smoke in any cigar shop.It is important to remember that this irrational ban on personal liberty did not affect anyone except smokers. These laws were probably opposed by zero Burbank residents who weren't smokers.Burbank would have faced a revolt if he had announced a ban on alcohol. This despite the fact that alcohol is responsible for at least half of all cases of child and spouse abuse.A smoking driver has ever killed anyone? Is anyone a victim of a smoking driver?Safety zealots have learned from the antismoking and antisecondhand smoke crusade that telling Americans something was not safe could lead to them being stripped of their rights, and that they would be willing to do so. This is true in almost every country around the globe. Safety is paramount.This lesson was not only learned from anti-smoking zealots. Safety has been a major factor in the loss of freedoms and joys for Americans for two generations. Particularly children have been so coddled, that American children in the last two decades have likely had less joy and more fear than any other American generation.Children under the age of five cannot walk on their own, lest child protective agencies be called. Dive boards are now banned from almost all swimming pools. Monkey bars and seesaws have been taken out of playgrounds. Babyology published a headline that stated monkey bars are dangerous and should be removed from playgrounds.The airline cannot supervise young people under 15 years old. Why not? When I was seven years old, I flew solo from Miami to New York. No one believed my parents were irresponsible.Ellen Sandseter (Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education), and Leif Kennair, (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) authored a study about children and risky play.If children are prevented from engaging in age-appropriate risky play, we may see an increase in neuroticism and psychopathology.A major reason why young Americans are not getting married or having children is their desire to live a safe life. Both marriage and having children are not safe. Both have their risks.A study has shown that children-free adults are as happy as their parents. This headline was found in an article on NBC's Today website this week.Apart from the question of comparing happiness between two groups of people who have had completely different experiences, would it make sense to say that most dogs are happier then human beings? Or even if one can expect honest answers (how many people claim that their life choices made them unhappy?) This column is well illustrated in the article. Being safe includes not getting married or having children.It is possible to live a secure life. You can also live a full and active life. It is impossible to live both.COPYRIGHT 2021. CREATORS.COMThe Daily Signal offers a wide range of perspectives. This article is not meant to represent the views of The Heritage Foundation.Do you have a comment about this article? Send us an email at [email protected] with your comments. We may publish them in our We Hear You section. Include the URL of the article or the headline, along with your name and the town/state.
