Our modern human world is dominated by governments – national ones, regional ones, local ones. And all of us are led, managed, controlled, manipulated (and pay taxes to) several of these “institutions” simultaneously throughout our lives.
Governments are monuments to our laziness. “Why bother with the hard, menial stuff? Why worry about the poor, elderly, struggling? Why participate and work with members of my community when government promises to handle the tasks and chores that I don’t want to be bothered with?”
There’s an answer to that ‘Why.’ Because if we don’t own all aspects of our lives, in our communities (tribes, villages, etc.) we lose our dignity, self-confidence, passion and purpose. As we do less, we learn less, grow less, mature less. As that happens, the opportunity gap widens – I lose more of my freedom and choice, while others exploit our all-too-obvious weaknesses, taking the money and power we have given them.
We can blame government, politicians, leaders, bureaucrats. But if we were in their place, with millions of naïve people giving away their money, responsibility, passion, power – we would do exactly the same thing. “A fool and his/her money are soon parted.” No, if we are not happy with the status quo, WE must stand up, in courage, and demand change.
So, bottom line: What IS the proper role of government? To be PUBLIC SERVANTS. That’s it! Nothing more. And CERTAINLY not to oppress the very people we were pledged to serve. Whenever a government goes one inch beyond their proper role of public servant, they have gone too far! It is our responsibility and obligation to protect, demand, even fight for our freedom. Many courageous ancestors have fought and died for that freedom – is it right that we do any less for those to come?
Owning our lives = freedom. But freedom must be fought for – don’t expect some politician to give it to you. No, you and I must STAND UP for the freedom and equal opportunity we crave.
The U.S.’s Declaration of Independence gave specific instructions as to what we should do if government goes beyond its role of public servant:
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
We are not suggesting to abolish governments, but just to bring it down to right-size, returning our choice, power and passion to us, all 7 billion humans, in each of our communities, villages, tribes.
For every function that government takes on, questions should be asked:
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What are the long term consequences?
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Should we be doing this task ourselves?
Yes, government (like technology) can appear “convenient.” But at what price?
If you are concerned about government overreach, send us your comments and join us. Together, we can return to peace.