If I were a golfer

I sat there with the samizdata comments window open for quite a while before I decided that there wasn’t really very much I could say that hadn’t already been said. I did wonder at Perry’s reaction to the impending introduction of ID cards and imagined the cries of “overreaction” from around the blogosphere, cries that I have not yet gone looking for. Indeed, the thought had crossed my mind that planning to leave the country does indeed have the hallmarks of overreaction stamped all over it.

But then I caught myself.

How could I possibly know how Perry should have reacted? Sure I can judge what my reaction might be to any situation but I am me and I have a certain amount of insider knowledge. But I don’t know Perry at all, except through some of his writings.

If I were a golfer and golf was my life I’d spend a lot of my time outside playing golf. When I was not outside playing golf I might take to the Internet to read about golf or, perhaps, to choose what new golfing accessories I might buy. I might even buy some. I could imagine being very excited by the idea of these new accessories being delivered. I might even think about them when I was out actually playing golf. If I were a golfer and golf was my life.

Now imagine golf being restricted or banned outright. How would I react? How should I react? What would be overreaction and what would not? If I took myself and my clubs and left the country for one that allowed golf would it be an overreaction or simply a reasonable thing that reasonable people could be expected to do? Frankly I think it would be perfectly reasonable.

What if the thing that was such a big part of my life was something other than golf. What if it was pistol shooting or fox hunting? What if it was something less sporting, perhaps an idea? What if my thing was writing about and criticising a particular religion? What if I lived and breathed a particular political idea, or moralistic point of view and one day that idea or point of view was damaged so badly that I could see no future in it any longer in the country I lived in. What if I had drawn a line in the sand and that line had been crossed? Would it be an overreaction if I chose to make my plans to leave?

No, I don’t think it would be.