What's the point of obeying the rules?

[DdraigGoch]

It's just been announced that my county will be going into lockdown on Thursday. No one entering or leaving the county except for essential reasons. All of my family live 200 miles away, most of my friends live in neighbouring counties (most of the few who do live locally are vulnerable so aren't taking visitors).

I've spent the whole pandemic complying with the rules, even when they were relaxed I've been cautious, wearing masks before they were mandatory, only making one non-essential journey by public transport since the Welsh Government permitted it etc. Not out of concern for myself but out of a sense of societal responsibility. Yet here we are locked down again. So why did I bother?

What did you expect to happen? That's a genuine question because I really wonder what people expected lockdown to achieve.

@TheDailyCarbuncle

What did you expect to happen? That's a genuine question because I really wonder what people expected lockdown to achieve.

Lockdown achieved what i thought it would... a reduction in deaths and infections, it was the subsequent, very quick and inconsistent lifting of restrictions that pissed me off.

I don’t understand the question. It’s a pandemic, it’s not over yet.

Your post implies that because you obeyed the rules, things should somehow have improved. They won't improve until there's a vaccine. Restrictions of some kind are just a part of life now.

At the end of the day, what's the point in anything? In a few hundred years we'll all be naught but dust, and this farce will be another footnote in history.

You did the right thing and you will have helped to save lives and keep the NHS functioning for us all. Thank you. If you do it again you will achieve the same and you will know you haven’t needlessly caused another harm.

You might be able to visit a friend on compassionate grounds. Check the guidelines. You will need some human contact if you live on your own so see what you can do.

Lockdown keeps cases low but they don't go away (in current UK situation, where virus is endemic). As soon as restrictions are lifted, more people will get the virus. Lockdowns work to reduce the peak, but they are not a long term solution. The government needs to face up to this.

What's the point of obeying the rules?

1. to avoid catching covid19
2. to avoid spreading covid19
3. because it is the right thing to do

Would we have had martial law if "no one bothered"... but presumably the police would have been among the "not bothered."

I dunno why you're taking it personally OP. It's not a smite from God coz you did something wrong. It's a crummy experience that will hit all of us at different times in different ways. Being perfect or imperfect doesn't save or condemn anyone.

My drift was more "why do I bother doing the right thing if a minority of other people are going to spoil it by behaving recklessly?"

Most of the latterday restrictions imposed both by the government and by businesses (masks, no indoor visits, quarantine on return from abroad, give contact details at pubs/restaurants etc.) are hardly onerous and would - if properly followed - keep a lid on things. Yet we've heard plenty of stories of returning holidaymakers going straight on pub crawls in Bolton, illegal house parties at several universities, masks worn around chin on trains (pulled up hastily as soon as the guard enters the carriage so definitely not exempt) and other wilful piss-taking. It has really opened my eyes as to how selfish some people are.

I dunno why you're taking it personally OP. It's not a smite from God coz you did something wrong. It's a crummy experience that will hit all of us at different times in different ways. Being perfect or imperfect doesn't save or condemn anyone.
Probably because it affects me personally. I just want to be able to get on with life but that can't happen unless everyone pulls together.

So did I and it has affected my life terribly too.
I understand your frustration I'm feeling it too unfortunately there is sweet feck all we can do about it, it is every person for themselves.
I also believe if everyone had of stuck with social distancing and masks when possible we'd have lower infection rates.
We can't control anyone just ourself.

My drift was more "why do I bother doing the right thing if a minority of other people are going to spoil it by behaving recklessly?"

Maybe you're a more responsible and community-minded person.

I don't fiddle taxes or steal, even though lots of people do that.

I think they fucked up the first lockdown and here we are again. No surprise there. Of course cases where going to rise again. I know how you feel OP. My families life changed overnight in March. We WFH with a 1 & 7 year old, literally tearing our hair out but waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel as restrictions lifted then bam, local lockdown hits and we are back to square one and unable to take much more. We met up with family in gardens twice when lock down eased, not wanting to over do anything and now we can’t see them at all again. It’s really shit.

I’m going with ‘fuck everyone else and look after your own’ after watching the selfishness of the human race over the last 6 months. After half term my children are enrolled in online school, we are wfh, online deliveries booked 5 weeks in advance, big house, lots of land so just hunkering down with lots of family time. Everyone else can just get on with it now. I’m done.

@Worriedmum999

I’m going with ‘fuck everyone else and look after your own’ after watching the selfishness of the human race over the last 6 months. After half term my children are enrolled in online school, we are wfh, online deliveries booked 5 weeks in advance, big house, lots of land so just hunkering down with lots of family time. Everyone else can just get on with it now. I’m done.

Lucky you.

What do you mean , what is the point in obeying the rules?
A to not get covid
B to not pass it on
C to keep yourself and others safe
D it's the right thing to do
E to not become another selfish person by rule breaking
F it is breaking the law.
What do you not get?

Trust me, I have done so much to try to make things better during this pandemic. Free, daily zoom lessons for local children who didn’t have much from the local school and were struggling, supporting all of the parents who were struggling by providing resources and links to help with homeschool, wrote endless complaint letters and emails to the BBC and MPs to stop them removing the Bitesize daily lessons over the summer so that children could catch up over the holiday (which was ultimately successful) but everyday I am confronted with utterly selfish behaviour from the majority of people I see and read about on here. So yes, I’m counting my lucky stars and I’m done.

The point is so that govt can impose further restrictions when they see how well people are complying with the existing ones.

Thing is, this isn’t happening because people haven’t complied with the rules. It’s happening because the government lifted restrictions too quickly.

They just want us to blame each other, don’t fall for it.

My drift was more "why do I bother doing the right thing if a minority of other people are going to spoil it by behaving recklessly?

Because if those of us who did, hadn't, things would be much much worse by now & thousands more would have died.

We can't control anyone else, but we can be responsible and not join in with their fuckwittery.

Govt lifted too many restrictions,far too fast, but we can't control them either. All we can do is 'do our bit' and encourage anyone else we can to do theirs too 🤷🏻‍♀️

Same old same old, the minority spoil it for the many. I do think while we still have hope of a vaccine (such as before spring 2021) people should be a little less selfish, if that hope fades then we can talk about returning to a normal life.

@Worriedmum999 I don't blame you it seems hopeless worrying about it all. Enjoy your family time might as well make some good out of the situation.