THE FALSE PROMISE

“False is the idea of utility that sacrifices a thousand real advantages for one imaginary or trifling inconvenience; that would take fire from men because it burns, and water because one may drown in it; that has no remedy for evils except destruction. The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crime.”

Caesare Beccaria as quoted by Thomas Jefferson

One of the interesting aspects of the test in the Garden of Eden is the conclusion that God appears to honor personal freedom. Think about it. If it was more important that Adam and Eve never sin, God could easily have put enough guard rails and safety nets in place to prevent them from failing. He did not. He gave the first couple the choice, and therefore the opportunity to make the wrong choice.

Funny, our culture does just the opposite. We exalt the state--the nanny state--over individual freedom. We don't trust people to make their own choices, wrong or not. We try with all our laws and regulations to ensure that nobody fails, no one suffers from wrong choices. It dosen't work. The problem with legislating safety is human nature. Modern, secular philosophy denies human nature. It believes that man is simply a clever animal, an advanced ape. Therefore, there is nothing standing in the way of training, or conditioning us to make choices advantageous to society.

And that's the bottom line. For all our pretense of individualism, modern man exalts the society as a whole over personal freedom. Regimentation of the species only works to a certain extent. Human nature--me first--will always take precedence in making choices. Until we approach life with that understanding we will continue to fail in building a better culture.

GIVE THANKS FOR THANKSGIVING

The Pilgrims came pretty close to not ever having a Thanksgiving celebration. They were almost starved out of their toehold in North America. You see, the contract they had entered into in London was an early experiment in Communism. That is, the Pilgrims agreed, "everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well. They were going to distribute it equally. Nobody owned anything."

The ambitious plan was a dismal flop. They barely survived the first winter, losing half their number, including Governor Bradford's wife, to death. Problem is, though their communal ideas were noble they did not take human nature into account. Working for the common good gave no incentive to work hard. Does that sound bad? That is human nature. Ignoring it is as reckless as ignoring your auto's need for oil.

Bradford came to the conclusion that, "young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense, that was thought injustice."

Finally, the Pilgrims decided to work each his own land and market his own crops and products. With the help of the local Indians, who taught them some farming techniques, the pilgrims brought in enough to face a comfortable winter. This sparked the first Thanksgiving celebration that we remember today. It was personal freedom that brought prosperity to the new world. We ought to celebrate that as we give thanks today.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.