Decisions, Decisions,
It's not good to make the wrong decision. Making the wrong decision would be a mistake. That is, after all, the definition of the wrong decision.
Is it ever good to make the wrong decision? No! That is also part of the definition of the wrong decision.
So should we be sure that people never make the wrong decision? No.
WHAT?
Freedom is the freedom to make the wrong decision. If we take the freedom to make the wrong decision away, we take away their freedom. How is there any choice if the only choice is already made for you?
Is Freedom even a good thing then? After all, if freedom means making poor choices, why should anyone be free. Why should anyone WANT to be free?
First of all, I want to make sure we all understand that that is a very good question. Don't just blindly accept the notion that freedom is always a good thing, and to simply dismiss anyone who ever says that it might not.
Even though they are wrong to say that freedom is bad, we still need to know why freedom is good. We need to understand it ourselves. What is the absolute? What makes it good? Why should we care?
Engage bad ideas. Not for the benefit of the one who is wrong, but for your own benefit.
Know what you believe.
Why is it good to be free to make the wrong decision? Because if you don't make the decision, someone else is. A government bureaucrat most likely. A Bureaucrat who don't know you, doesn't know what you want or need.
Who knows you better than you? (Besides your family that is.)
All of this in short,
Don't save people from themselves. Freedom is the freedom to make mistakes.
You can help them after they've fallen, but don't control their life to prevent them from falling in the first place.
Is it ever good to make the wrong decision? No! That is also part of the definition of the wrong decision.
So should we be sure that people never make the wrong decision? No.
WHAT?
Freedom is the freedom to make the wrong decision. If we take the freedom to make the wrong decision away, we take away their freedom. How is there any choice if the only choice is already made for you?
Is Freedom even a good thing then? After all, if freedom means making poor choices, why should anyone be free. Why should anyone WANT to be free?
First of all, I want to make sure we all understand that that is a very good question. Don't just blindly accept the notion that freedom is always a good thing, and to simply dismiss anyone who ever says that it might not.
Even though they are wrong to say that freedom is bad, we still need to know why freedom is good. We need to understand it ourselves. What is the absolute? What makes it good? Why should we care?
Engage bad ideas. Not for the benefit of the one who is wrong, but for your own benefit.
Know what you believe.
Why is it good to be free to make the wrong decision? Because if you don't make the decision, someone else is. A government bureaucrat most likely. A Bureaucrat who don't know you, doesn't know what you want or need.
Who knows you better than you? (Besides your family that is.)
All of this in short,
Don't save people from themselves. Freedom is the freedom to make mistakes.
You can help them after they've fallen, but don't control their life to prevent them from falling in the first place.
posted by Paul @ 4:21 PM
4 Comments:
At 6:03 PM,
Anonymous said…
In pretty much anything in life you'll encounter a problem or defect with anything in life. The question is whether its worth it or not, in which freedom I think it is.
To quote Voltaire "I don't agree with what your saying but I'll defend your right to say it."
At 10:18 PM,
Susan said…
This reminds me that I keep thinking I need to call my senator and assemblyman and tell them I'm against the smoking ban. But every time I think of it, I'm driving the car, or it's after 10:00 at night.
At 8:32 AM,
Heidi said…
That's a good point, and it applies to more than politics. It could apply to parenting too.
At 1:02 PM,
Paul said…
I think it can be applied to parenting, but to a limited extent.
Parents know their kids better than the kids know themselves.
A parent shouldn't let his kid do something to ruin his life.
But it is good to let the kid make small mistakes, to show them that actions have consequences, to help them mature, and to show them that when Mom or Dad says it's bad, it really, truly is, indeed, bad.
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