"Free Cookies 4 Truckers" That sign jumped out at me on Saturday as I followed the Freedom Convoy protest on television and social media. Most of the signs mentioned getting rid of vaccine mandates, recovering freedom to choose, getting rid of our current prime minister. But that one seemed to have a sense of humour.

The thing is, we never change someone's mind by yelling at them. I am afraid the protesters may have forgotten this in their anger. There is a lot of noise in Ottawa. All through 2021, health professionals said that the way to deal with vaccine hesitancy is to listen. Hear the concerns. If we know why someone has not taken the vaccine, only then can we change their minds.

To be clear, I support the truckers who were out hauling freight this week. I do not support the protest in Ottawa against vaccine mandates and other public health measures. I am concerned, however, that reactions to this protest may entrench a deep divide in our country. I want to take a little time to examine the events.

People on overpasses cheered the convoy on. They looked excited. On the one hand, this indicates a surprising amount of support for the demand to end vaccine mandates. But I kept wondering why they looked so happy in the frigid weather. They can't have thought that the protest would end the pandemic. Did they think the protest would change the public health rules about masking and physical distancing? The protest was going the wrong direction for that to happen. Those rules were put in place in Toronto and other provincial capitals. I suspect this was a way to release frustration.

On the streets around Parliament Hill, Canadian flags were everywhere, though a few had the maple leaf upside down. I accept that the main organizers believed they were fighting for a better Canada. Still believe this.

A cement truck leaving Owen Sound had "Truth is the antidote" painted on the side. This brings up another issue. What is truth? I heard the premier of Saskatchewan say that vaccines don't prevent omicron. That is true. But it is only part of the truth. People who are vaccinated will not get as sick, most of the time.

Just as troubling though was a Facebook post arguing against the protest that said, "we can't let people circulate lies." Calling people liars is as useless as yelling in their face. And it is divisive. The premier of Saskatchewan wasn't lying. The medical experts urging people to follow public health measures are not lying. The people who say that we need to learn to live with covid are not lying. The people who warn that with omicron you can end up with Long Covid are not lying. It is not helpful to think our position is true, while others speak falsehoods.

Among the Canadian flags that so many carried, there were also swastikas and confederate flags. There were hate messages. A couple with a pride flag in their window had things thrown at the window. Later in the day, protesters came back to hassle them again. Staff in stores and restaurants who tried to enforce the mask mandate were harassed. To protect their staff, businesses closed. On the other hand, someone felt safe enough to hold up a sign that read "Vaccines save lives."

Because this was and is a freedom rally, people are pushing against all kinds of rules. Promoting freedom from public health mandates has led some to abandon other, normal social rules. And I learned when I was a teenager that as well as claiming freedom from, we need to think about what we have freedom for. What are we doing with our freedom? Where is freedom taking us? What is the purpose of freedom? What is freedom's vision? It is not enough to claim freedom from.

The problem is that although freedom is a right by law, freedom is also a responsibility. The more freedom we have the more responsibility we have. Our culture emphasizes individualism. I think that when we absorb the knowledge that we are part of a community of people and a community of creatures in creation, this teaches us to take responsibility for how our actions affect others. We think about what freedom is for.

Cathy Hird lives on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation