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Personal Freedom and Mask Mandate

John Stuart Mill suggests that personal freedom is very important in any society, however, this personal freedom must always go hand in hand with the desires and the will of the society. This is to means that personal freedom must never go above the general societal needs because society and the people around a person need to be respected and given their freedom as well. Therefore he asserts that if an action satisfies an individual then it is good. However, if it satisfies an individual and goes ahead to hurt those around the person then that act cannot be considered good. In light of his explanation, the mask mandate especially in the United States is a reflection of this since some people feel it is okay not to put on a mask.

However the question of the health of their neighbors and the people they walk along with comes into question and therefore there is a need for examination if the mask mandate is being applied for the protection of the general society or the individual. Upon determination of this, it is possible for a person to clearly understand what it means for them to put on their masks. Therefore this paper discusses the mask mandate in light of mills liberalism and individual liberty assertions (Mill, 02).

In his freedom mill states that there are boundaries to personal freedom and therefore this is seen to be a rule adopted by most of the governments in law making whereby personal freedom is never at any point allowed to conflict with the public interests. It is also upon this issue that the protection of societal values becomes more important than personal freedom and therefore through this most governments enact laws that forbid certain practices. For example, some states in the united states forbid the use of marijuana. Marijuana even though termed as a personal way of relaxing is seen as a negative force in society that can expand and be more and therefore it is upon this that this kind of law is made(Mill, 03). Sometimes as well the concerns about the government on the health of its individuals also override personal freedom and therefore in these cases the governments make decisions to protect the individuals and not to provide them with personal freedom.

This kind of decision has been witnessed over a long period of governance and most of the time they are seen as a way of making society better. In mills discussion whatever can harm the society even if okay at a personal level is not encouraged at any point. Masks mandate whereby a person is supposed to put on a mask to prevent them from transferring coronavirus to another person can be explained as going against personal freedom(Mill, 04). However, from Mill’s belief system this is not bad as it tries to keep society safe and make it better every day.

Mills two aspects of freedom especially with political power and control are first to make sure that the political leaders were not using their powers to mistreat their subjects. Secondly that it was important for some things to be decided upon by the general population or a larger group of representatives and not by an individual. This is the American system that can be seen as congress. Congress has the mandate to make most decisions that pertain to the united states and therefore its power and decisions are seen to pertain to what the people of America like and wish to happen.

Mills states that the warrant for which a person or a leader is allowed to act not accordingly or in line with societal needs is only when the needs of the society have to be protected and they are vested with the ability to make decisions at that particular point. In regards to mask mandate, this has been seen to happen in many countries over the world whereby being guided by health professional advises some presidents and heads of states have mandated that every person is to put on a mask. This, therefore, is seen as a way to protect the needs of society. However, in other countries, it is already a law that a person can only stay without a mask maybe at their homes and in public they have to put on masks otherwise there are consequences like being arrested. All these efforts are geared towards the protection of individuals as well as the general society.

During the period of the corona is evident that personal freedom has not been crossed over so many times while trying to protect the general public good. The issue of masks though not favoring everyone has been emphasized by so many people even apart from the government and therefore a person feels the inability to go to the public without it as they will feel awkward and feel like they are the wrong ones in such situations. Therefore even though it is true that masks are important there is also a need for personal involvement since some people are generally weak in their health and putting on masks may lead them to even worse medical conditions (Mill, 05).

In conclusion, mills personal freedom is of very great significance in our current society as it helps us to see the mask mandate from a different perspective of not just the promotion of social and societal good but also from the side of personal freedom and what mask mandate means for personal freedom as Miller puts it.

Works cited

Mill, John Stuart. “On liberty.” A selection of his works. Palgrave, London, 1966. 1-147.