Science informs us which activities are beneficial for our health and which ones are harmful. Although people know this, they still engage in behaviors which are not good for them. While this can be attributed to personal freedom, I believe that imposing limits on harmful activities could mitigate this issue.
The reason why people keep doing detrimental practices has to do with freedom. Since many citizens enjoy independence, especially in democratic countries, they may have the flexibility to decide what to do and what not to do, thereby allowing them to do almost anything, as long as they do not violate the law. People, as a result, participate in adverse activities even if they know it is harmful, which could undermine their health and overall quality of life. A case in point is the US, a country where individuals have independence to decide to make their own decisions. The US citizens often engage in certain unhealthy practices more than others. This, in turn, has resulted in lower life expectancy and overall life satisfaction compared to others. Were it not for individuals’ rights, people may not be able to engage in those kinds of activities, which could help them to maintain their health.
To address problem of engagement in negative activities, it is important for governments to introduce restrictions on individuals’ rights to some extent. This can be achieved by creating laws that prevent citizens from taking part in those activities, imposing fines, and also governing figures should promote a media coverage of these legal offenses in order to deter citizens. Consequently, it could provoke feelings of deterrence, which could ultimately reduce the tendency to participating in detrimental activities. Take Vietnam as an example; a country where local authorities have placed constraints on individuals’ rights to reduce attendance. As a consequence, the involvement in bad activities decreased.
In conclusion, taking part in adverse behaviors can be linked to personal freedom. I believe that it can be alleviated by imposing limits on rights.