Jun 27 2008
Are We Truly Free?
A friend at KnowTheNetwork, wrote a rather interesting opinion regarding liberty and freedom. Tsudonimh wrote:
Liberty - 1: the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one pleases (Merriam-Webster)
What does it mean to be a free society? Or for a citizen to possess freedom?
Liberty allows you the free will of action and speech up to the point that you infringe upon another’s liberty. The ideal of liberty is uncomfortable and uncompromising and belief in such an ideal makes me a radical in most every circle.
My response is as follows:
Tsu, I would agree with the very principal of your belief. I have become a little more jaded in the simple fact that people have forgotten a very primary component of Liberty - the responsibility and accountability that accompanies such a power as being free.
Freedom, in my humble opinion, is much like love. I can be selfish and call it love - but true love is a relationship where both partners are committed to the other selflessly. This creates restraint and borders where both parties can feel completely protected. Why? Because each party has the other’s best interest at heart.
Extend my argument to liberty: You are correct in that your freedom ends where it will infringe upon another’s liberty - but who is to decide this? The problem here is liberty works only in a society where its members are focused upon an attitude of service and selflessness - protection for each other.
Every argument in a marriage - every argument - comes from one party doing, saying, or acting in a selfish manner. As such, every conflict in history stems from another’s belief in something that is opposite from another and an unwillingness for compromise.
One thing that people have forgotten is that government is supposed to be the people. We in point of fact, live in a more socialistic culture where we have traded our rights of freedom for creature comforts - traded our liberty as currency to pay for the outsourcing of our hassles and worries.
Some efforts by our “government” have been good, but most have been stretched and twisted - resembling something wholly different than the original spirit of law intended.
Keep in mind, legalizing everything is not the answer, excusing irresponsible behavior is never the solution. Successful societies hold to the covenant of some standards - and agree to live by this social contract. Why? To preserve the greater good, to perpetuate humanity itself.
I admire your idealism, and I once to held to a standard that everyone could self moderate, but what I have been sadly made aware of through experience is that so many people do not - or worse - will not self-moderate their behavior.
What is truly sad to me is that these same abusive and selfish individuals claim it is their “right” to act in such a way as not acting in this fashion would impose upon their freedom. If you need any grander social experiment as proof, I would encourage you review a little thing called Woodstock 1967… Great ideals, but a miserable failure exemplifying self-indulgence and excess which resulted in soulless physical exchanges, malnutrition and disease.
No my friend, we are not mature enough to handle a “no holds barred” society.
Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. Ken is also the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.
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I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
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I have this huge, "Costco" sized can of worms I need opened....
Liberty And Freedom
The American ideals of liberty go back to the birth of our nation and the French revolution.
The Liberty and Freedom that American’s and those who live here without US citizenship enjoy is illustrated by the words of the Founding Fathers in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Indeed, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written for a populace, a citizenry, who believe Liberty and Freedom are not handed down by any government(even a government of the people), not derived through the monarchy but given by God. (put that in your “Separation of Church and State” pipe and smoke it)
This is the cornerstone of the Constitution and the American ideals of freedom. Most US citizens have forgotten this basic concept. Indeed no public school would dare to teach Constitutional subject matter and actually mention God.
What is even more alarming today is that the framers of the constitution believed that this beloved ruling document would only work within a society of people who believed and tried to live under the Ten Commandments – if the people don’t acknowledge the Commandments, the Constitution will fail.
Therefore wen Freedom is given by God -
If you kill God
Then
Freedom can only be given by men.
Concluding -
Kill God, Kill Freedom or Kill God and obtain the power given to God by the people, over the people.
This is pretty basic “the opium of the people” and “cling to guns or religion” stuff.
Anarchy and Socialism never put a man on the moon or invented the artificial heart...
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That is a startling moment of clarity. I've always believed that my rights are initially defined by my Creator and only recognized by my government. I've also noticed the determination to remove God from any element of our national consciousness. Now the 2 make perfect sense. Thank you sir.
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BTW, your blog gets better and better. Keep it up.
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This is not Rocket Science or Brain Surgery, but it is not remembered.
Have a good 4th.
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