Looking Ahead

This all raises the question: Where do we go from here?

It unleashes a host of other questions, both practical and philosophical. How does the country proceed after the public’s erosion of trust in its elected officials, its scientists, its journalists has proven frustrating at best and deadly at worst? How does a government exercise its authority when in the eyes of many, it has become an institution of liars? How will America handle its next crisis at this level—because there will undoubtedly be one—and how much should anyone trust their government? 

In this country, certain long-held ideals about limited government and freedom generally work parallel to a comparable amount of mistrust—in supposed incompetent bureaucrats, smarmy politicians, irresponsible officials burning tax dollars, and invasive, anti-liberty control freaks. Recall Reagan’s famous nine most terrifying words in the English language: “I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

And so we’re left, still, with the question: What amount of distrust is healthy to exercise? It’s probably not wise to place blind faith in our government or devotedly take marching orders from any elected official who takes the mic, just as second-guessing every byte of information from every news source or never taking anyone for their word debilitates our ability to function normally in society.

The answer falls where it usually does: somewhere in the middle.