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The Satanic Temple has seven core guiding principles called the tenets. This series of posts explores them, which may include what it means to me in my life, comparison to other belief systems, and so on.

IV

The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo one’s own.

From https://thesatanictemple.com/blogs/the-satanic-temple-tenets/there-are-seven-fundamental-tenets

I love this tenet. It clearly explains how I’ve been trying act. In essence, my freedom is important and takes precedence until it impacts someone else. As soon as someone else may face negative consequences based on my actions, taking this action must be taken conscientiously.

For example, oh, I dunno, wearing a fucking mask. Cuz COVID spreads through the air.

Oops. My bias is showing. Anyways. Moving on.

Yes, people are free to not wear masks to stop the spread of a pathogen that’s killed over one million people in our country alone. Until they’re going to be around other people.

Then your freedom must be tempered with the consequences of your actions, especially when those consequences will be suffered by someone other than yourself. Someone you they may never know died because of their selfish arrogance.

And they won’t bother to do anything helpful other than thoughts and prayers, cuz, gawd’s will.

Oh, wait. That might be my bias again?

So. Freedom. And personal responsibility to respect the freedom of others. This sounds so very much like what I think the Founding Fathers had in mind, actually. And I like that.