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Fred Koschara |
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Fred Koschara |
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This is a "living document" that will grow intermittently as I have time and inclination to work on it. As a child in grade school, I pledged allegiance to a nation with liberty and justice for all. With the innocent faith of youth, I expected to grow up into that country, and take my place as a productive citizen in its ranks. For a long time, the dream persisted, but I can no longer say I believe the world I live in is the one I expected to find when I thought of it from that young age. On this page, I will describe some of the characteristics of the world as I think it should exist. This is a place I go, as a retreat in my mind, when the reality of the world as it exists becomes too much of a burden. One day, I hope to actually live in the world I describe here... Liberty, more than anything else, is about having control over your own life. A single person, alone in the environment, can live - or die - in any manner they choose. However, it's been millions of years since there was a single person, alone in the environment. Consequently, where two or more people are together in a space, an individual is not completely free to do as they please because their actions may intrude on the liberties of those around them. Laws provide a set of objective rules - uniform guidelines, independent of who they are applied to - that define how people within a society may interact without intruding on the liberties granted to the people around them. Thus, the purpose of law is not to provide for a more orderly world, but rather to protect the rights and liberties of members of society from unjust intrusions by others. This, in turn, begs the questions - What is justice, what is a crime, and is there a difference between "illegal" and "unjust", i.e., between "unlawful" and "wrong"? For a discussion, please refer to the Law section of my The Dark Side page.
rights and responsibilities - responsibilities are what make rights possible. individuals must be responsible for their own actions, but cannot normally be held responsible for the actions of others (see the discussion of drug crimes for a discussion of exceptions) the things you truly believe in are the ones you live your life by - and will go to jail, or even die, to protect and preserve parents and children - too many people undertake to have children without being prepared for the responsibilities; in a "perfect world" people will not become parents until they are prepared to raise their children until they have become independent, and teach their children respect and responsibility in the process respect for honest people should be a way of life - why does "too honest for your own good" have any meaning in society? recognition of achievement and ability in the workspace, rather than artificial certifications everyone should have an opportunity to succeed - but no one is guaranteed they will do so security is achieved by maintaining your own vigilance, not by depending solely on policing forces that may have their own agenda voluntary trade for mutual benefit - the true and proper meaning of Capitalism - is the only form of economic system that does not require crime to function Please use the following form to request priority for this page. None of the fields are required (unless you wish to be notified when this page is updated), but we would like to know who you are, to help us have a better understanding of our community. We would therefore appreciate it if you fill this form in as completely as you are comfortable with. Any information you submit on this form will be held in the strictest confidence. |
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