People can endure extraordinary hardship when they believe it serves a necessary purpose. The harder question is what happens when that hardship loses its expiration date. At what point does a temporary sacrifice become an expectation, and our willingness to endure become mistaken for consent?

During COVID-19, the public was repeatedly told to “follow the science.” The danger was real, uncertainty was substantial, and officials faced difficult decisions. As a physician whose pulmonary disease made infection particularly threatening, I understood the desire for protection.