To develop one’s judgment properly, one first needs the freedom to make decisions for oneself, because judgment, like other skills, must be practiced to develop. But one must also be held responsible for one’s decisions, because it is through feedback – negative or positive, as the case may be – that one learns to correct, hone, and develop one’s judgment.
-James Otteson (Seven Deadly Economic Sins)
Decisions have to be made about everything and at all times (ok, only mostly if you get a touch of procrastination, like me, from time to time). The real question isn’t if you put them off but if you get to make them in the first place? Here in the Land of the Free, we are seeing decisions made for us by others who generally don’t know who you are in the first place. There is no sense of whether the decision is right or wrong – or even if it applies to you in the first place. It is, however, made for you by some bureaucrat or some legislator that believes they are doing this “for the common good”.
Freedom removed. Decision taken away. Once again I ask you: in how many aspects of your life is government making life “easier” to not have to think what to do? I defy you to tell me in what area Government has not decided that you are incapable to make such decisions?
No, not everything, not yet anyways. But with millions of bureaucrats and thousands of legislators, do you really think they are going to stop doing stuff “for you”?
Are you a wolf or a dog? Dogs are cuddly, they give you unconditional love, and all they ask is to go outside, get fed, and get patted once in while. But notice that few, once highly attached, make a lot of decisions for themselves. By becoming domesticated, they have given up some of their heritage nature and behaviors. Mine are always looking backward at me when walking “keep going this direction? Am I doing the right thing? This one or that one? Can I please have…”; you get the idea – they’ve become pets. sure, working dogs don’t act the same but they’ve been trained for certain activities.
A wolf that has become “human accustomed” (perhaps raised from birth) is more of a partner – willing to work with but not submissive like a dog would be. They don’t wait on every word or action to figure out what THEY should be doing next.
So question: with the massive pieces of legislation coming out of both Concord and especially Washington, what will you be? What will you be allowed to do? Will you be in a box of their own design or start your own Irish Democracy?
(H/T: Cafe Hayek)
