FREEDOM

Ok, so it's long I know, but I don't post too often, so you can read it in parts if you like. I have been thinking a lot about freedom lately. We are all free to act according to our will. I can do anything within my ability. The only true way to take away someone's freedom is to physically restrain them. To cast someone into prison, or to lock them up. Of course you can always take away their life and that takes away their future freedom to make decisions. Other than that everyone is still free to act as they may. The only thing that stops us from acting in a contrary manner is consequences. When the consequences of an action become to great a person will not act in a certain way so they might not have to suffer the consequence. The ultimate consequence to any action would be death.

We can think of consequences as a range too. From completely natural and unchangeable, to completely made up and ever changing. It does not matter how hard you try, you can't reach your bare hands into a fire and expect not to get severely burned. This is a consequence that will not change. No law can be passed to change whether a fire will burn you or not. On the other had we make laws that change how people act. If you steal, you will be punished, if you kill you will be put in jail and possibly lose your own life. The consequences to these actions are determined by the people. Of course there are consequences in between. How you treat others determines how they treat you.

I have been reading a book called "The 5000 Year Leap" by Cleon Skousen. In it he talks about laws and states that there are two extremes to power. Either nobody has any power and anyone can do whatever they want without consequences, or one person has all the power and that person forces his/her will on others. These two extremes are anarchy and tyranny respectively. This got me thinking about how someone can have total control over someone else? How can a dictator rise to power? How does someone restrict another's freedom?

Consequences! That is always what it comes down to!! Whenever we are faced with a decision innately we think of the consequences and then decide how to proceed. From years of learning as a baby and then as a teenager and finally as an adult we gain knowledge of the natural consequences to our actions. We learn that if you fall down you might scrape your knee. We understand that if you say nasty things about someone that person will not want to be around you. We learn that if you don't go to work on time you might lose your job. These are natural consequences.

When a society is formed, a group of people with similar ideas get together and decide what consequences will be imposed on the society in order to make the society better. These differing societies range from Anarchy to Tyranny and everything in between.

Let's take a look at both extremes. Anarchy has no consequences imposed by a ruling power. With every decision you must only think of the natural consequences. There is no such thing as a crime because there is no law. So, for example, if you were to go out and murder someone, you would not worry about a police officer coming to your door and arresting you. You would, however, have to worry about the natural consequences like the guys brother or father beating down your door and shooting you, remember there are no laws!!

Now if we were to be ruled under tyranny there are a whole new set of rules. There would possibly be hundreds of rules and these rules and regulations would change under each new dictator or king. The most basic of freedoms like going to the church that you like or working at the place that would want might be taken away. I like to think of Saddam Hussein's regime as a tyrannical regime. If you were to speak out against the dictator, you would most likely get shot. Very steep consequences are put in place in order to force others to act a certain. way.

So it comes down to consequences. The consequences we as a society impose on one another is what determines how free of a people we are. The ideal is to get right in the center of the spectrum from Tyranny to Anarchy and create a society where laws are enforced to keep people from hurting one another, but where laws don't become so burdensome that the people suffer under a supreme leader's rule.

Throughout history we can see examples of both ends of the spectrum. Most European governments were set up with a Monarchy where one person is given complete control. The people suffered under the burdens of leadership changing and rules changing every 20-50 years. We see how Russian rule went from a Monarchy to a President, with only the title and the way government was run changing, while the basis of freedom stayed the same. The people were oppressed by leader after leader. Forced to act exactly as the union wanted or facing severe consequences.

The natural tendency of a people is to move from Anarchy to Tyranny. Then once the Tyranny has taken control it can only be overcome by severe means. Bloodshed and violence are the only things that overthrow a king. It is difficult to push back against a supreme leader without suffering huge consequences. Our freedom was paid for with the blood of many Americans who would not suffer under the plight of a tyrannical leader any further. Let's not give up any more of our freedoms!