Freedom vs. safety rambling musings
Mar. 8th, 2012 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beth_leonardBecause of Jon's blog post, I was reminded recently of the incidents in 1989 during the fall of the Berlin wall. That was a really significant event in my life. Freedom was always an important value to me. In 1984, I remember my mother reading the book "1984" and sneaking a peak at the first few chapters out of curiosity. I got as far as the Ministry of Love before I was caught, and I had nightmares for weeks.
Some of the images are still vivid for me -- I dreamed there were people escaping the oppression through the sewers, and one popped his head up in the toilet in our house. As a young child I had to decide whether to flush him down or allow him to escape through our house. Faced with the decision, I woke up.
"It's a free country"
"...with Liberty and Justice for all"
Liberties, freedoms, our ability to make choices for ourselves is a core value that goes to the fundamental heart of who I am. I was struck by a sense of sadness this evening as I realized not only how much that has been eroding with all of the nanny-state laws we've passed (I've been sad about that for ages) but how those nanny-state laws will affect the next generation of children.
What decisions will those children make as adults? What will they value? Will they value liberty when they have grown up in a world where 7 year olds must be in a booster seat every single time they ride in a car, based on dubious science. When children are not allowed to be left in a car at all, while a parent returns a grocery cart? When you have to be practically strip-searched to get on an airplane, and your grandparents can't meet you at the gate? When you can be monitored by video or GPS, everywhere, anytime.
When decisions about what kind of car you are allowed to drive and what kinds of food or toys can be served at fast-food restaurants are made by the state and not the individuals, for what is right for them in their circumstance, in a world where they hear their parents grumble about the laws, or see people blatantly disregarding them (think hands-free cell phone laws, or carpool cheaters) how will our children's generation value liberty? How will they value rule-of-law?
Liberty is the freedom to make your own mistakes, and justice is the consequences for when you make mistakes that intrude on the liberties of others.
If my children live in a city when a wall is erected, will they turn the other way and pretend it doesn't exist? If the wall is opened for just a few hours and then closed, will they value freedom and jump the wall? Or safety of the known, and stay home?
Perhaps we have all these nanny-state laws in the first place because the previous generation post WW-II was raised in relative safety and security?
--Beth
Some of the images are still vivid for me -- I dreamed there were people escaping the oppression through the sewers, and one popped his head up in the toilet in our house. As a young child I had to decide whether to flush him down or allow him to escape through our house. Faced with the decision, I woke up.
"It's a free country"
"...with Liberty and Justice for all"
Liberties, freedoms, our ability to make choices for ourselves is a core value that goes to the fundamental heart of who I am. I was struck by a sense of sadness this evening as I realized not only how much that has been eroding with all of the nanny-state laws we've passed (I've been sad about that for ages) but how those nanny-state laws will affect the next generation of children.
What decisions will those children make as adults? What will they value? Will they value liberty when they have grown up in a world where 7 year olds must be in a booster seat every single time they ride in a car, based on dubious science. When children are not allowed to be left in a car at all, while a parent returns a grocery cart? When you have to be practically strip-searched to get on an airplane, and your grandparents can't meet you at the gate? When you can be monitored by video or GPS, everywhere, anytime.
When decisions about what kind of car you are allowed to drive and what kinds of food or toys can be served at fast-food restaurants are made by the state and not the individuals, for what is right for them in their circumstance, in a world where they hear their parents grumble about the laws, or see people blatantly disregarding them (think hands-free cell phone laws, or carpool cheaters) how will our children's generation value liberty? How will they value rule-of-law?
Liberty is the freedom to make your own mistakes, and justice is the consequences for when you make mistakes that intrude on the liberties of others.
If my children live in a city when a wall is erected, will they turn the other way and pretend it doesn't exist? If the wall is opened for just a few hours and then closed, will they value freedom and jump the wall? Or safety of the known, and stay home?
Perhaps we have all these nanny-state laws in the first place because the previous generation post WW-II was raised in relative safety and security?
--Beth
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Date: 2012-03-09 08:10 pm (UTC)Also, it does seem really odd that they would pursue this case even if she did violate the law, because it wasn't an egregious offense. (Not like those cases where a person leaves a baby in the car who dies.)