One year ago I was called to task by a flimsy young lady for my rejection of forced mandates. She argued the quickest way to end forced mandates is to comply with forced mandates. She insisted this is what’s best for mental health peers.

I argued never has any government ever relinquished power over the people that is willingly sacrificed by the people, and that her logic of “The sooner we surrender our rights, the sooner we get our rights back” is faulty reasoning in every concept and action. I further explained that forced isolation will lead to increased suicides (it has), increased addiction (it has), increased overdoses (it has), and increased domestic violence (it has).

This went back and forth, with me offering additional refinements to “forced isolation is the worst thing for suicidal and co-occurring peers” and her contribution was reiteration of the fairytale stubbornness decried as “compliance is best for peers.” I asked of her a fresh reason for volunteered compliance, to which she had none.

She became frustrated with the logical altruism presented – forced lockdowns must be rejected to keep peers safe – and arguably, her frustration was her undoing. Left with no worthy rebuttal, she angrily betrayed her true motivation:

“I need to go to Costa Rica and Hawaii and restaurants and movies and if anyone ruins that for me I’m going to be so pissed off!”

Busted. Her position was not what was best for peers. It was what was best for her, other peers be damned.

The point is, be skeptical of words taken at face value from those peers most adamant that forced lockdowns are good for peers, in that matching mutterings to motivations at times betrays a selfish agenda in the guise of “What’s best for everyone.”

This sadly is too common in peer advocacy strategies since March 2020.

Not surprisingly in retrospect, it was the first time I heard the word “compliance” in relation to forced mandates, which in itself betrayed a more ingrained mindset already programmed into so many Americans… her unquestioned acceptance of government control was already primed, and that compliance from her happened in less than one month into forced lockdown.

That’s freaking terrifying and explains so much about how we got here… one year later and still in forced lockdown.