POLITICS AND NATURE

"The subject of this essay is not the so-called 'liberty of the will' so unfortunately opposed to the misnamed doctrine of philosophical necessity, but civil, or social liberty; the nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual." John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Liberty. Such an indeterminate term during this tumultuous time. People love to talk of freedom and liberty. They take sides and argue over the meaning of freedom. Liberty from the constraints of mediocrity, corporatism, and military power. What is liberty? This is a defining question for this social order. Who will keep us safe, who will watch over us, who will stand up for order? These are questions dominating political debate today. 

Republicans argue the nation needs relief from bureaucratic oversight to bring liberty to America. Republicans offer the status quo. The loud voices supporting the way things are don't confront the individualistic ideals of Americans. They refuse to discuss choices facing American people.

There is a belief in the ideal of personal responsibility. These are voices saying "trust us". The day is near where someone will use the government for effective purposes.

Liberty

People are afraid of liberty these days. They have supported the liberty of business interests at the expense of personal liberty. The people of this nation need to discuss liberty more than they have thus far in this political time. Liberty has fallen behind other slogans but liberty is the essential ideal of the United States. Government is considered evil by many people in this nation. They think there is nothing available to those in the private sector outside knowledge of the evils of America. The United States of America is its government. Like it or not.

What is liberty with a hopeless population uneducated and lacking hope? Today liberty has a different meaning than when Mill wrote about the connection between government and people. So much of liberty today is boring and dull. There are powerful voices supporting the ideal of corporate liberty in the pursuit of consumer rights. And a vast portion of society just doesn't care. Liberty has become liberty of the powerful and the rich. It is up to citizens who care.

Liberty is a method of assuring people's rights. People's rights have changed since 1789. What will the social order come up with to challenge order and uphold liberty? It is up to the thoughtful and the courageous.