The following is part 2 in a series called Back to Normal and was written in advance of decisions this week by the CDC and Memphis Shelby County Schools reeling in the mask mania.
Playgrounds are shared community spaces designed to facilitate play, encourage connection, and promote physical and emotional health.
They are symbols of vitality and joy.
Authorities closed these outdoor recreation centers in response to COVID-19, just one of the many pandemic policies to disrupt the lives of our youngest citizens for no measurable benefit.
As we enter year three of pandemic paralysis, playgrounds can remind us of what we have lost and guide us back to normal life.
Playgrounds draw families together and inspire friendships. They give us permission to release pent up energy and allow us to relax. They help us dream. They cater to the unique and important needs of children, leaving memories that last a lifetime.
Playgrounds are fundamentally pro-life. They invite us to enter the present moment, to move around and interact with our surroundings, to celebrate humanity and the world we inhabit.
If our society is ever to return to a reasonable state, we will need to remember the lessons we learned on the playground. One is that other people are created to be loved, not feared. It’s time to stop treating people, especially children, like ticking time-bomb disease bags.
One of the most ironic political moments of late was the approval of a Shelby County Commission resolution to fund the opening of a playground at an abortion clinic. The resolution was considered at the apex of the Omicron wave, when there were more active cases than ever before. If playgrounds could ever be dangerous places for kids, it would be then and there.
But the point is that we are now, in 2022, letting opportunities to experience life pass us by. Children are growing up without learning the faces next to them.
The elites have not allowed their own rules to prevent them from living. They do as they please. How long are we going to keep our lives on hold? Until what?
Just like Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox) tells Kate Austin (Evangeline Lilly) on the TV series LOST, we have to go back.
We have to go back to our lives and start living again. And Evangeline Lilly is correct; we have a right to live free.
Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are gifts from God, and they are meant to be guarded by government, defended by our elected representatives, and embraced by us.
We only get one chance. Let’s get back to life.