My Third Dose

Today I received my third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination.

I thank God that this vaccine and other vaccines for COVID-19 exist and are available in many places.  I also know that parts of the world have no access to any such vaccine.

My civil libertarian ways have their limits.  Those limits stand somewhere before personal choice in whether to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in this pandemic.  Nobody has a moral right to choose to be a contemporary counterpart to Typhoid Mary.  Nobody should have the legal right to do so either.  When my choice endangers you, O reader–or your choice endangers me–the one making the unwise choice also makes an immoral choice.  I embrace mutuality, not individualism and personal choice taken to a dangerous extreme.   When I read about certain European governments fining unvaccinated adults severely for leaving their homes, I think that some governments have good sense during a pandemic.

I have no sympathy for those who refuse to behave responsibly, i.e, wear a mask properly, practice social distancing, and get vaccinated (if eligible and the vaccines are available) during this pandemic.  I have no sympathy for those who spread deadly disinformation that costs lives, prolongs this pandemic, and compound social and economic damage from it.  I support vaccine mandates–the stricter the enforcement, the better.  I also favor keeping those will insist on acting irresponsibly away from the rest of us, for the common good.  If certain people will not behave responsibly, this last step is reasonable and morally defensible.

KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR

NOVEMBER 23, 2021 COMMON ERA

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++