Ultimate Sovereignty

It was “dinner conversation.” We had just completed a sojourn to the Flight 93 Memorial. It was a trip I planned back in April. Securing the hotel rooms was first as I knew they would all sell out if I waited. Inviting my daughter to accompany us and my son and his girlfriend to drive from Boston to see for themselves the story of Flight 93, was my next step.

I hold a special place in my heart for Flight 93 and understand that while only 40 perished, every passenger aboard that plane knew they were going to die. And while the carnage in New York and at the Pentagon is far worse, not one of those people had any idea it was coming.

The tragedy of the first three suicidal terrorists’ attacks is that not one person at Ground Zero or the Pentagon had any control over what would happen to them, they had no ability to make an informed decision as to what to do next.

Back to the dinner. We were tired from the road trip and from four miles of walking, as the National Park Service had decided to not provide their normal shuttle buses to the various points in the park. Pretty sure that was another “Covid” decision. Being worn out and hungry, I used my navigator to locate a fine steakhouse in Hagerstown, Maryland, “Bulls and Bears” on Potomac Street.

Settling in, ordering drinks, appetizers and meals, we waited and talked.

My daughter, who is fully but reluctantly vaccinated, expressed her doubts about information coming out on a daily basis about the virus and its treatments and severity. She expressed frustration regarding the latest need for a “booster” and anxiety that the narrative would go on forever; one more booster…no, you need one more booster…and maybe you need another booster. And so on and so on…perhaps forever.

She said “I don’t want to get a booster. I just don’t trust what they are telling us.”

“Me neither. I got the vaccine because of my age. And I may get a booster for the same reason. But, I also don’t trust what is being said and while I am vaccinated, I don’t believe in forcing others to get vaccinated.”

About that time out came the drinks; my husband’s coffee, my delicious Stout and her tea. It was accompanied by fried pickle spears and we dug in.

I turned to my daughter and said “Listen, there are only two things in your life that you own, that you have complete sovereignty over, your body and your mind. If you lose sovereignty in either of these areas, you are no longer free. You must fight for them constantly.”

That statement was spontaneous, in the moment and while it’s something I have intuitively understood, I don’t think I’ve ever expressed it in such concise terms.

On reflection, I began to think of all the things I “own.” I own my house and land, but the state can take it anytime they want through eminent domain. I own my car, but a judge could take it anytime he wants for payment of debt. I own my clothes but they could be taken from me in a fire or flood. I have some art work and collectibles that I own, but they could go the way of my clothing.

I came into this world naked and afraid, and the moment I arrived I owned my body and my mind but nothing else.

Scholarly articles regarding Sovereignty of Self, seem to concentrate on how understanding personal sovereignty leads to greater self-awareness and taking responsibility for one’s actions. I’m not seeing a lot of material on how sovereignty relates to the geopolitical, except in terms of nation states. Maybe someone could point me in that direction.

There certainly seems to be a well-communicated list of punishments growing daily for those who believe they are Sovereigns of their bodies and their minds.

In starting with the sovereignty of your mind, most of us understand that should we speak our mind on certain subjects (and now with social media, almost any subject) there will be punishment through gas lighting, trolling, social ostracism, ruination of reputation, harassment of friends and family members and even loss of employment.

On the sovereignty of your body, there is peer-pressure to conform, additional gas lighting, loss of employment and even imprisonment if you don’t conform to the latest “science” concerning Covid and just take the “jab.”

It’s one of the reasons I support people making their own decisions. For some, the stakes are too high and for others it’s worth it to pay the price. But even then, in either circumstance, those decisions are made by the individual and not the society or the state. In either, those decisions demonstrate individual sovereignty. And neither decision deserves social scorn.

Going back to the beginning, it was what I said to my daughter at dinner, “There are only two things in your life that you own, that you have complete sovereignty over, your body and your mind. If you lose sovereignty in either of these areas, you are no longer free. You must fight for them constantly”.

The final decision on the way forward is up to you.