"Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD do something.” MENGFEI LI shares his perspective as a former international journalist who lived in the US for 13 years, but who also has the clarity of someone trained to be a detached observer. We discuss how political reactions affected the spread of COVID-19 in different countries; the near-term futures we can anticipate; the power of engaged citizenship; and most provocatively, the meaning of the word FREEDOM.