Just about everyone claims to be in favor of freedom. But few seem to agree on what it means.
One person’s idea of freedom can actually violate another person’s freedom. To one person, it means doing what he wants with his own life. To another, it means doing what he wants with other people’s lives. Both say that the other one’s concept of freedom is tyranny.
To the laissez-faire businessman, freedom means an end to all government regulation. To the communist, freedom can be achieved only when individual incentive has been crushed and “the people” own everything. (Are you starting to feel uncomfortable?)
Some people believe that job quotas for minority groups promote freedom. But to a person who is truly anti-discriminatory, quotas are a violation of freedom.
Throughout history, men have miscommunicated on this subject. Since conservatives, liberals, fascists, communists — and every other group — all claim to be in favor of freedom, they cannot be talking about the same thing.
The dictionary defines freedom as “being free.” In turn, free is defined as “not under the control or power of another.” How can there be so much confusion over a definition so clearly stated?
Utopian thinkers have always confused freedom with equality. But nothing could be more incorrect. Nature has made freedom and equality totally incompatible. “Freedom and equality,” wrote Will and Ariel Durant, “are sworn and everlasting enemies, and when one prevails the other dies.”
When most people talk about freedom, they tend to think in terms of freedom for themselves. They see freedom as a license to do as they please. Thus, you may be surprised to find that when people espouse freedom, often they are referring to their freedom, not yours. Worse, you are likely to discover that their freedom necessitates the violation of your freedom.
The only way freedom can be rationally viewed is as the freedom for each individual to do as he pleases, so long as he does not commit aggression against anyone else.
Presidential candidates love to talk about freedom, even while telling us how they intend to further limit our freedoms. They do this by manufacturing “rights” out of thin air. The last batch of candidates was especially bold in this respect.
The problem is that all artificially created rights are anti-freedom. Because in order to fulfill one person’s rights, another person’s must be violated.
At the heart of such thinking is what I call GAVEC. (That stands for guiltism, angerism, villainism, envyism, and covetism.) People suffering from GAVEC are usually unable to achieve success in a free society. Thus they yearn for an external force (government) to “level the playing field” and equalize results.
True freedom means freedom for the “poor,” the “rich,” the “handicapped,” the “oppressed,” the “weak,” and the “strong.” Simply put, it means freedom for everyone.
Think about this as the 2010 candidates start to step up their promises to fulfill artificially created rights. Everything in life has a price. And, make no mistake about it, the price of artificially created rights is the exchange of your rights for someone else’s.
Look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Is that what I really want — for me or my children?” I would hope not.
[Ed. Note: To learn how to survive and prosper during the turbulent years ahead, check out Robert Ringer's powerful audio series Succeeding in a World of Chaos. And be sure to sign up for a FREE subscription to his one-of-a-kind e-letter A Voice of Sanity in an Insane World.]
———————————————-Highly Recommended —————————————————
$440,000 From the Lost and Found - A Nebraska family got a $440,000 estate from a long lost uncle. Thousands collect money like this every day. Forgotten bank accounts. Utility deposits. Old money orders. It’s all part of a $36 billion “unclaimed cash fund.” Read more…
—————————————————————————————————————————
Latest News
- Over at Investor’s Daily Edge, the editors and analysts are revamping their “Sound Profits” newsletter. They are zeroing in on certain investing sectors. These are specific market niches that they’ve studied for decades. And you can bet their recommendations will be solid. Find out more about the new “Sound Profits,” and get a glimpse at the track records of the gentlemen putting it together here.
- Earlier this year, at a conference in New York, Bob Bly outlined exactly how he brought in $16,000 a month — just six months after he started his first online business. Sure, Bob is a veteran copywriter and the author of more than 70 books. But when it comes to the Internet, he was starting from scratch. It’s too late for you to attend that event. But the cameras were rolling…
—————————————————————————————————————————
My “Heisting Hall of Fame Headlines” article recently ran in the American Writers & Artists Inc. Golden Thread newsletter. It got quite a response:
“It is probably the best one I have read in ages.” — W.L.
**
“Excellent. As usual… the king of copywriting teachers offers a gem. More articles by Michael Masterson.”
**
“It taught me a great lesson on headlines. I am currently writing a Web page for a gun dealer. After I read this article I came up with this headline: ‘Under the 2nd amendment you have the right to own a gun.’” — J.R.
**
“Great advice… never hurts to get back to the basics! More stuff like this… breaking down a tool and really making it simple.” — Catherine
**
“Today when I opened my e-mail I thought just for a second about what today’s topic would be. And for the first time since I became a subscriber, the article damned near knocked me out of my chair. I had no idea that what we consider ancient would have such a positive effect on me and the way I normally think.
“WOW!!! And you’d be surprised that I have seen this headline before and never even thought about the underlying effects it has on the reader. I know it opened up my way of thinking and the emotions I felt. And thank you for taking the time to really get down to the nitty gritty of the article.” — J.H.
**
“One of the best issues. Really sparked some ideas that I can apply immediately.”
Similar Articles:
- Obtain the Rights to a Product With Little to No Money Upfront – Let’s say you come across a great product that you think will be a big seller. You could obtain the …
- Shame on Wal-Mart? – Forget that Wal-Mart employs 1.3 million people in the U.S. alone. Forget that it saves consumers bi…
- Get Rich With Rights – “If the TV ads do as well as we hope, you’ll get a big payoff,” said the company’s president as she …
- Worth Quoting: Dale Carnegie on 6 Ways to Make People Like You – “Principle 1. Become genuinely interested in other people. Principle 2. Smile. Principle 3. Remember…
- The Secret to Selling the Rights to Products – Obtaining and selling the rights to products can be very profitable for entrepreneurs, even those wi…
- When Making Sales, Pricier Is Not Always Better – You created an e-book, tested various price points, and determined that you can sell it for as much …
- Making Time Your Ally – You can be the envy of every stockbroker… floor trader… and intra-day trader who is a prisoner of th…
Freedom is not the problem and it is not one person’s freedom that infringes upon another’s freedom but rather it is the misappropriation of the responsibility that freedom brings. Every entity from a neighborhood association to a national government realizes that there are boundaries that every inhabitant interprets differently and as rational, imperfect human beings, we will always accept the interpretation that annures to our individual and collective benefit. Our comfort is more real than someone else’s discomfort.
Government cannot be all things to all people but it can serve to lessen the detrimental impact levied by more powerful citizens(corporate or individual) upon citizens of less means when the former abuses the responsibility afforded by a “fredom”.
History is full of tragic abuses.
When I do look in the mirror, I do not want to see people starving or homeless in the wealthiest(?) country on the planet, nor do I want to see millionaires taxed into poverty, but somewhere in between, I sincerely believe, is a comfort zone for everyone. Maybe it amounts to just doing the right thing.