When the Athenians finally wanted not to give to society but for society to give to them, when the freedom they wished for most was the freedom from responsibility then Athens ceased to be free and was never free again.
We as Americans have spent the better part of the last two years asking questions like: Is the US ready for a female/Mormon/black/old/Hispanic president? The answer has always been unclear, but one thing remains certain. As a whole, we are not ready to be free.
All too similar are we to the ancient Athenians. We have relinquished responsibility at every turn. If we live in an unsafe neighborhood, we hold not ourselves but the government responsible for our protection. It doesn't matter to us that we are the ones who chose to live in that neighborhood, nor does it matter to us that we can take care of ourselves. Accountability? What's that?
If we fall under hard times, we spend half of our hours blaming people and the other half expecting someone to bail us out. We demand that the responsible people, taxpayers, pay for the mistakes of the irresponsible people. Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against voluntary charity. But when it is mandatory and the receiver does nothing but sit and wait for it, the entire process is bastardized.
If we took out a loan that we can't afford to pay back, we blame the lender for not knowing any better. Or we blame the government for not making a law that stops companies from practicing unsound business, or for making lenders approve loans for all under the guise of "fairness" and "equality." No one wins in a game of pass-the-buck.
Without individual responsibility, freedom is the chaotic free-for-all that typically comes to mind upon hearing the word "anarchy." With it, freedom means I can't force you to pay for my protection, and you can't force me to pay for yours. Freedom means that our neighbors can't force us to live only in a way that they approve. Freedom means each person taking it upon themselves to protect their own rights and account for their own successes or failures. Freedom means that your neighbors' failures don't get funded by your successes.
We may be ready for a woman, a Mormon, a black man, an old man or even a Hispanic man as president. But are we ready for freedom? No way.
- Edward Gibbon
We as Americans have spent the better part of the last two years asking questions like: Is the US ready for a female/Mormon/black/old/Hispanic president? The answer has always been unclear, but one thing remains certain. As a whole, we are not ready to be free.
All too similar are we to the ancient Athenians. We have relinquished responsibility at every turn. If we live in an unsafe neighborhood, we hold not ourselves but the government responsible for our protection. It doesn't matter to us that we are the ones who chose to live in that neighborhood, nor does it matter to us that we can take care of ourselves. Accountability? What's that?
If we fall under hard times, we spend half of our hours blaming people and the other half expecting someone to bail us out. We demand that the responsible people, taxpayers, pay for the mistakes of the irresponsible people. Don't get me wrong--I have nothing against voluntary charity. But when it is mandatory and the receiver does nothing but sit and wait for it, the entire process is bastardized.
If we took out a loan that we can't afford to pay back, we blame the lender for not knowing any better. Or we blame the government for not making a law that stops companies from practicing unsound business, or for making lenders approve loans for all under the guise of "fairness" and "equality." No one wins in a game of pass-the-buck.
Without individual responsibility, freedom is the chaotic free-for-all that typically comes to mind upon hearing the word "anarchy." With it, freedom means I can't force you to pay for my protection, and you can't force me to pay for yours. Freedom means that our neighbors can't force us to live only in a way that they approve. Freedom means each person taking it upon themselves to protect their own rights and account for their own successes or failures. Freedom means that your neighbors' failures don't get funded by your successes.
We may be ready for a woman, a Mormon, a black man, an old man or even a Hispanic man as president. But are we ready for freedom? No way.
Being a student with not much political knowledge or backround I do agree with the overall view of this message. Many people including close friends and family will want freedom, but pass the blame when they make a mistake. I believe as an American with your freedom comes responsibility, and that is what we are lacking, our own political leaders won't even live up to their mistakes and also tend to blame others for their actions. Saying everything that is wrong and how to fix it, but not taking action. I believe its not the thought of this perfect nation called America that is the problem, but some of the people living here that are not responsible enough for freedom.