Light battling against darkness isn’t just some disconnected philosophical perspective. It’s happening right now, inside you, shown through the voices of the people here in our hometown. It’s taking place inside the halls of government, inside the hearts of our leaders.  It’s not an abstract battle of entities in Heaven and Hell, it’s a battle against a hell that threatens our heaven here. The light and the darkness is inside us. We become what we turn our faces toward, what our faith in ourselves and our neighbors steer us into being.

The Battle Between Light & Darkness Is Real

The battle between light and darkness inside us can be summed up this simply: do you believe in people or don’t you? Do you believe that people will do the right thing when informed, so it’s worth informing them? Or do you believe that people will not listen to sense, and that they’ll do the wrong thing, so they require being restricted?

The Darkness

There are voices among us today, reflected in the response to this coronavirus pandemic, that say more restrictions are necessary for people to do what’s right. They see people behaving in a manner they believe is unsafe, so they demand the unsafe behaviors cease. These are the people who don’t trust themselves, who struggle against constant desire to do what they see as “wrong”. They’ve lost their faith in other people because the struggle against their own darkness overcomes them.

The Light

There are voices among us today who believe instead in people. They have Faith in Man. Seeing people as naturally “good” and capable of choosing the correct course of action, when enabled with the right information, comes easy to some. Their faith in other people comes from a faith in themselves, a confidence that they’re able to navigate successfully amidst challenge and uncertainty. These are the people who question, engineers, scientists, who know that anecdotes and experiences matter, but need to be measured fairly and holistically against the realities of time and space.

Faith In Man

Some of us have studied history, and have respect for the challenges that our ancestors overcame. The knowledge of their struggles and triumphs empower our hearts with Faith in Man. Among the victors of history is a thread of resilience, an ability to shine the light of truth on disinformation meant to discourage us against our neighbor. The battle of light against darkness is illustrated in every great victory against destruction, every time the loss of faith has fostered decay in fortune of nations.

A Leader Is Guided By Their Faith In Their Community

When a leader has the people’s ear, there’s choices to be made. Do you educate and inform, or do you restrict? What happens if you choose one or the other?

A Leader I Am Grateful For

If you educate and inform, for example in the manner Jeremy Rodgers has diligently done, you’re demonstrating your faith in your fellow human being, expecting them to use information wisely and effectively. His expectation is that people will balance the cost of our city level response (extremely damaging in an unprecedented manner) against the reality of the danger of coronavirus (which has always been less than the ignored danger of H1N1). He has faith that people will pay attention to the numbers like engineers and scientists do, and make the choices best for their community by themselves, person by person.

Darkness Makes Otherwise Good Leaders Argue For Restriction

If you believe instead that government should keep turned the valve of restriction when possible, out of a need to protect a community out to harm themselves, you believe the opposite. A lack of faith in people is a reflection of a lack of faith in oneself. Being unaware of the right course of action, being inexperienced with navigating the unknown, yields little confidence in other’s ability to guide themselves. In the absence of the light of confidence, a darkness persists. In the absence of knowledge and the analytical ability to obtain enough to make sound conclusions one has only the darkness to lead them.

When this darkness afflicts our leaders they restrict the liberty of their constituency out of the urge to do what’s “right”. When constituents also lack faith in their neighbors the service of darkness is demanded.

We Are Living History

We will look back on this and learn, through the numbers emerging, numbers in our laps today, that most people for the most part do the right thing when informed. People did stay home and practice social distancing 80% of the time. Our school district did stop school in an unprecedented manner. Hard sacrifices were made based on good information, voluntarily. When people were asked to give their blood for their neighbor they gave without having to be cut.

We Are Powerful

We are able to bend the curve and change the course of rivers. We can move mountains together. We are powerful. We are good. When we are empowered with knowledge we take care of each other right. We don’t need to be forced to care for each other at the barrel of a gun, under the restrictions of our government leaders.

Have Faith – Don’t Doubt That We Are Good

What we need instead of giving up to the darkness is faith in each other, and for leaders like Jeremy Rodgers to not let other’s weaknesses and lack of faith stop the faithful from shining. Shine on brothers and sisters who love people. Don’t give up on the message that People are Good.

Why did I write this article? 

I wrote this article out of love for my neighbors here in Boca Raton. It’s not an abstract love I am trying to muster because I believe I’ll be punished in an afterlife if I neglect. Instead it’s a real love that emerged out of a darkness of ignorance, a respect and admiration that grew with each soul here I’ve had the pleasure of sharing words and spaces with. I’ve seen my neighbors, like myself, be transformed with knowledge, and grow more able to make a brighter future with who they’ve become from it. This is an exceptional town, blessed with so many exceptional people, people who’ve shined brightly in my presence and transformed me. I’m just reflecting what I’ve received in abundance from the most excellent people, people who make me proud to call this my hometown.

If you feel like it, please sign this petition to re-open Florida, Palm Beach County and Boca Raton. Thank you.