Sometimes, most often after I return from travelling, I wonder if I am part of a society that is too afraid to actually live life as it comes. We speak often of liberties and freedoms, but in reality, we have created so many rules, regulations and barriers within our daily rituals and performances, that true freedom is hard to come by.
The best example I can think of at this moment relates to horseback riding. When I was in Costa Rica in 2006, some friends and I decided to go horseback riding at the local eco-ranch at which we were staying. It was inconsequential if you had ridden or not, each person who wanted to ride was given a horse that 'best matched' their experience level. We then set off into the jungle on our creatures that certainly had a lot of spunk and character - you got the sense that the animals felt free in their wilderness. On the ride, these horses listened to you, galloped throught the mountain tops and rivers on command by no one else but the rider on their back. It was exhilirating.
Hoping to recreate this same feeling in 'Beautiful British Columbia', I decided to take a good friend horseback riding for her 21st birthday. We drove up to Squamish where we were first handed a booklet of waivers to sign saying that we would not sue the horse ranch should we come to any harm. Then we were assigned horses, also based on our ability, but from the start you could see these animals did not have the same spark in their eyes as the ones from the south. The trail ride started, and to my frustration, the horses would not listen to their rider and had instead been trained to follow head to tail in a specific order - for safety's sake. My girlfriend had a fabulous time, but I could only ponder how the risk of liability and danger had sucked the fun out of horseback riding for me.
Currently a similar situation has arisen on the Vancouver Farmer's Market scene. It is being discussed as to whether or not vendors should be required to have their Hepititis A vaccination in order to sell at the markets - to protect consumers as it were. However, despite all the logistical nightmares this may create in the future, the discussion begs to question: when is too far, too far?
The members of society who are most likely to question the use of vaccinations in the first place, I would argue, are those who live an organic life. Though much of society believes in Western Medicine, I have argued in the past that the institution is merely that, a belief system - people must believe in western medicine in order to head the prescriptions and advice of medical doctors. There are many that believe that natural remedies and the food we eat are the answer to curing our health problems in the first place.
So then, back to the ethical dilemma. The farmer's market is discussing the possibility of imposing the requirement to have all vendors vaccinated. If individuals choose not to be vaccinated, because of their beliefs, they will no longer be able to sell at the market. (Does this not sound like discrimination?)
I must admit, that I do take vaccinations for traveling, and have never researched what goes into the vaccinations recommended to me for travel. It has come to my attention what is in the Hep A vaccine, and I was curiously surprised and discouraged to know that the compounds are not what I would under normal circumstances want to put into my body (Formalin (aka Formaldehyde;)Aluminum Hydroxide; 2-phenoxythanol; Polysorbate 20; Human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissues). I encourage you to research these compounds further.
And so I leave you with something to ponder: Should we be imposing rules, regulations and barriers on people in order to protect the freedom and safety of others in society? Has this become the Canadian way? Or are we able to individually accept the risks that come with living and allow each individual to live their life as they see fit?
I put it to you to decide.
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