Moral Evolution?
In the mid-19th century Western European culture dealt with insolvent citizens in a draconian way by establishing what was known as debtors’ prisons. The individual who could not pay his debt was taken to a locked workhouse and incarcerated until it was deemed the debt owed was paid off. Societies have seemingly evolved and now look on the practice as inhuman, and nary a person would be in favor of returning to such a practice.
The evolution of a society on moral grounds is the hallmark of the progressive’s movement message. They seem to have a monopoly on preaching moral standards primarily because the void left by the Church, who should be the voice of morality, is often silent. In reality, the practices are far from moral evolution and more about representing the same human atrocities wrapped up in different boxes.
As you are aware, the progressive’s movement is actively working to dismantle law enforcement along with the penial system. What is striking is the majority of the inmates are guilty of offenses in which they are charged and government has a duty to protect law abiding citizens by eliminating the present and future threat of individuals who choose to harm others. The harm done, and the response of the society to incarcerate the offender is a type of restitution. For the progressives, the paradigm of justice is unacceptable because of past perceived injustices of color or economics. The perpetrator should not be held responsible for his acts because of these mitigating circumstances. Of course, the theory is anything but an evolution of moral standards because it flies in the face of the basic truism of “free will”. No one has to commit a crime, no matter what his past may be.
But what about those who have not committed a crime and are presently living a life of incarceration? For many of our elderly in nursing homes, this is exactly what they are experiencing right now in many blue states obsessed with COVID. For the elderly, all they have done is grown older and feebler, yet they are treated as if they were “doing time” for some unghastly misconduct.
Present State of Nursing Home Regulations During the COVID Mania
In many blue states with dense populations along with corresponding elderly nursing facilities, the mandates the government places on these facilities are nothing short of an “elderly prison”. All of the residents in nursing care have been forced to take the so-called vaccines and yet, the lockdowns continue, with no sign of a let up.
For residents in one of these facilities, all of the social necessities of being a human have been arbitrarily removed. All residents are required to wear a mask if they ever think about stepping out of their rooms into the hallway. Administrators walk up and down the halls enforcing the mask mandate, almost like a correction officer making his rounds on the cell block.
Communal lunch and dinner where the person has an opportunity to interact with another human being has been cancelled indefinitely in lieu of meals being delivered to the cells (I mean rooms), reminiscent of solitarily confinement or a lockdown in a penitentiary. These poor people are being tortured by isolation and have no means of recourse.
For any family member who wishes to visit their loved one, the process is similarly punishing. In order to visit a person, the relative or friend must first call and make an appointment. If you can get through to make the reservation, a half hour of visiting is all that is allotted per week. And you better be vaccinated or have a current negative COVID test and be prepared to have all the PPE on board before you ever think about stepping on the grounds. The obvious result of the arduous rules is many family members are just not visiting at all. How heart breaking when a husband of fifty plus years can’t visit his wife during the waning days of her life? How insensitive it is for a society to “throw away the key” and let the elderly languish away with no quality human interaction during the final days of their life?
No, we don’t have debtors’ prisons anymore because we have replaced them with elderly prisons sapping the very dignity of these people each and every day just for growing old.
It’s time to re-think institutional care of the elderly. If you have a family member in one of these places, consider taking them out. After all, nursing homes aren’t free, you pay a good amount to house them in such a way. If you are considering placing your relation in one of these homes, think very hard about the decision.
As Christians we owe the most vulnerable of our own, dignity and the right to life which includes regular interactions with other human beings, not solitary confinement.
Very true – well said