They called it a near miss, but I called it immoral. The FBI agent laid down her gun to prevent the terrorist from shooting the hostage. The problem is truly one of ethics and morals. She had violated the number one rule of the FBI – Do not surrender your weapon. The terrorist escaped to continue on his mission of releasing a deadly virus in multiple locations. (From an episode of “Blacklist”)

The issue with all government decisions is whether to have empathy for each individual that it serves, or for the masses. It now appears that the government has lost its moral compass in trying to maintain its institutions. M. Scott Peck in his book “People of the Lie” (better known for “The Road Less Traveled”), describes two poles of evil. We all recognize individual evil as narcissism. That is to have no empathy for others. The second pole of evil is institutional evil. This is when the institution maintains its position without empathy for those it serves.

We have now entered an era when institutions remain whole for safety without empathy for the individual. The Patriot Act was legislated to keep us safe. Is it worth the loss of freedom? Many would say yes, including you for your own personal desire of safety.

However, what about healthcare? We have now legislated rules and agencies that exist for the sole purpose of maintaining the healthcare economy without empathy for the individual. With healthcare as the largest segment of the economy, one in five people derive their livelihood from this sector. Is your health worth sustaining your income? Maintaining and sustaining the largest segment of the economy from the illness of the population is immoral.

Would a head shoot have been the right thing to do to prevent more acts of terrorism? Would you have had empathy for the hostage? How about your health, is it worth your income?

Daunting questions. Your take away is that your health is your responsibility and you should not give it to institutional sustainability. – Pandemic Survivor