America, Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

I am an immigrant who came to this country and into elementary school. I learned early on that America was the land of the free and home of the brave, and relished the stories of some of our early heroes like Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, fearless men that were not daunted by peril and death. The words of Francis Scott Key resonated loudly and clearly that America was unique and its people courageous. 

With the coronavirus lockdown which has swept this great nation, I have considered how quickly we have all cowered with fear to this flu epidemic. We have recently learned that 94% of deaths from COVID-19 in America are people with a pre-existing condition and over the age of 65, which means that people died not from the virus but with the virus, usually from viral pneumonia. The epidemic of 1918 which killed approx. 675,000 people in America, killed people of all ages and many in their 20s and 30s. This virus has not been as deadly or has affected as many in younger age groups. 

Therefore I have asked myself why are we still in fear of being locked down on a mandate based on someone’s determination that a percentage of per hundred thousand infections qualifies for us to be all forced into this. Perhaps the lockdown has helped save lives, and perhaps it has not, time will tell. 

There have been many heroes in our rich past, and when one looks back in time, Americans have never been defeated by fear. We stormed the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, we helped win WW1 and WW2, and through tremendous sacrifice, we faced adversity and fear, overcame it, and did not back down. It was the self-sacrifice of the individual for the greater good of the country that took place. 

I hope that very soon we will return to being a country that does not cower in fear to any adversity, be it an epidemic or any other obstacle that presents itself. We have self-inflicted, I fear, more wounds to this great country by cowering to a flu virus in this lockdown state. I can only hope that America quickly comes to its senses, and with good common sense I believe most of us would like to get back to our normal way of life. 

May we yet become a country that is the land of the free and home of the brave.

Dave Mason
Los Osos

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