Saturday, August 14, 2010

Why Move Out of the City

Our move from the city to the country has stirred many emotions and broken many ties. Distance from family members stirs many emotions. Leaving the concentration of population strains and breaks many ties. The excerpts taken from Eric Andrews' essay describe the ties we choose to change in our lives and hope our move will facilitate. The whole essay is published online on Of Two Minds.

taken from an essay by Eric Andrews entitled
TRUE CONFESSIONS (on Liberty and The Republic)

"Remember the phrase “Be the change you wish to see in the world”? Yes, that’s Mohandas Gandhi. So what did our Founding Fathers just tell us, what did promise to uphold? That true power lies NOT with the Federal Government, but with the People of the United States. So why are we looking to the Federal government to save us? When there’s a disaster, who do we look to for help, who do we blame? The Federal Government. When somebody spills oil in International Waters, which then washes ashore in State waters, who do we look to? The Federal Government. When somebody smokes in a restaurant, throws their taco wrapper on the streets, talks too loud, will or won’t hire you, pay you, promote you, doesn’t like the look of your jib, who do we want to pass a law to make the men with guns come down and stop it? The Federal Government. When stocks go down instead of up, who do we cry to for help? The Federal Government.

I thought the Federal Government, the concentration of money, power, and influence was the problem. So why do we look to the Federal Government for the answer? Not only do they not have the answer, they are specifically prohibited by the Constitution from acting on almost any problem you can name. That’s YOUR job, people. YOU are supposed to fix the stuff you want fixed. That’s called “Liberty”, the poor lady who’s been banished from our coins and now all but banished from society. “Liberty” is Freedom, but with the addition of restraint not to hurt others, and responsibility to work and do what must be done.

America was not founded on Freedom and Democracy: America was founded on Liberty and Republic. Freedom is when the strongest do whatever they want unless you have the power to stop them; Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what’s for dinner. Liberty demands the strongest are restrained by justice and due process, and Republic restrains the 51% from doing whatever they like to the other 49%. I regret to say that presently Freedom and Democracy have free reign in the United States: Freedom for the Strong to do whatever they please, and for any privileged group to vote to themselves the rights and property of anyone who can‘t defend themselves.

And you look for this government to save you? You’re looking for it to reform itself? Liberty asks that if you want something done, YOU do it. You don’t pass a law to force your neighbor to do it.

Liberty asks, what am I going to do? What is my duty, to myself and to my country? And what are my limitations, so that other men are able to live free without being oppressed by me?"

LESSON: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

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