Dear Folks Who Make Free Choices Daily (Hopefully, Wise Choices) in the Medical and Consumer Marketplace,
In a world in which millions recently refused what is, assuredly, a very safe vaccine, choosing instead to risk what is, assuredly, a very harmful and often deadly disease, what if millions refuse what I am proposing?
That's fine! No problem! 
What if only some very large number of people, in their own individual discretion, freely choose to participate to increase their levels of empathy (as well as many or most murderers and rapists as a partial alternative to the option of traditional long term imprisonment), while very many or most nonetheless refuse?
The positive effects on society will still be large.
I remind readers: My writings are based on the premise that certain medical, genetic and other technological developments ...
(1) are inevitable and coming anyway, cannot be halted, cannot be ignored;
(2) have a high chance of being misused by bad actors unless we use them in beneficial ways;
(3) can be shown to be effective and safe to use; and
(4) can be introduced in an ethical way respectful of individual free choice, civil and human rights ...
... and I ask, how should such technologies be best employed to heal some of what troubles this world??
I propose ...
~ ~ ~
... And all this would be fully informed, medically supervised and voluntarily undertaken by the people, who will feel so good and even better in personal health and kind behavior.
But what if much of the population, in their market freedom and total discretion, their honored right to choose, decide not to partake despite the enticements? Does success depend on everyone joining in?
Not at all!
The voluntary nature of all this, requiring that people freely choose, is especially important in countries where so-called “anti-vaxxers” suspect even the medicines that have saved us from polio, TB, smallpox and the rest. Ideally, we should not force anyone to do anything they do not wish, however misguided and ill-informed they may sometimes be. Many will eventually come around because, besides the promise of pleasure, they will soon see the clear benefits in their friends and neighbors, in their own towns, as society is left healthier and kinder.
Even then, certainly, there will be millions and millions of hold-outs and dead-enders, but they are entitled to be so. It is no problem. So long as someone lives their lives peacefully, not engaging in violent acts, they a free to live as they choose … just the same as today. Just like today, if someone murders or rapes, abuses children or steals, drives drunk or commits arson, society will respond. Also just like today, if someone does not do those things, minds their own business, goes their own way, does no harm to others, they are free to be left alone. To the extent that they do not shoot up schools, kidnap, beat-up or molest others, they can be left unmolested, just as now.
It will not be a problem that millions do not join in because the millions of people who do partake will bring tremendous good into the world: They will be the ones to feed the hungry, house the poor, work for the greater commonweal even if some others of us are not quite as interested in helping out. The “peace train” battalions of concerned citizens will do tremendous positive work even if not everyone is on board. The added folks also will be enough to turn many elections, to elect caring politicians who will amplify the effect. Furthermore, although more people will be left more peaceful and less violent in nature than before, less prone to extremes of anger, the citizenry will never be rendered so pacific and passive as to be unable to defend itself from forces and individuals who might take advantage of the situation: If a criminal enters a house to harm a family, or a dictator seeks to march onto our nation’s shores, folks will still defend themselves … even if with regret. It is just the same as now, when most of us would never hurt a fly, but will react very differently when our loved ones or town are under direct threat.
And as to the violent criminals, the murderers who act in hate and rage, the rapists and child molesters: While we can offer the convicted, as an alternative to traditional imprisonment (which they still will be free to choose should they wish) treatment as a partial alternative to incarceration in order to prevent recidivism and re-offense, and while some may be offered treatments voluntarily as part of therapy even before a first offense, we will still fail to prevent harm by first offenders who were missed or simply refused treatment. Even so, rape, child molestations and killings in anger will be significantly reduced. As well, the refusing criminals, after conviction, will be locked into prisons, so their danger removed from society that way, just like today, no difference for them. For this latter group, nothing will have changed. All in all, our streets, our schools, our lives will be that much safer, with tragic stories far less than daily on the '6:00 news.'
No, it does not need to be everyone, and nobody needs to be forced, in order for the positive effects in our world to be substantial, obvious, amazing.
But there are other ethical concerns ...
(... more on that next time) ...
Gassho, J
stlah
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