The Morning Rant: Minimalist Edition

"Being safe isn't the point of living."

That was a headline on a Dennis Prager Instagram post, and while it may be blatantly obvious to most of us around here, it has become a rare perspective among many Americans.

With freedom and liberty comes uncertainty and danger. An authoritarian society, with its restrictions on behavior will in the short term be a safer place to be. The chaos of a free people and free markets adds uncertainty to life, and that is as it should be, because freedom is inherently more valuable than safety.

And notice that I said that authoritarian societies are safer "in the short term." Like herds of sheep protected by the shepherds, the denizens of authoritarian countries are safe...until they aren't. The slaughterhouse is just over the hill, both for the sheep and for the people.

But as Prager speaks of in this fireside chat, freedom and liberty must be taught...

Liberty Is a Value, Not an Instinct

Liberty and freedom are very rare in human history. The human instinct is not to yearn for liberty--humans yearn to be taken care of. Generally, by the government (socialism & communism).

America's founders knew that limited government and liberty are key to a free society--but we are now witnessing that as Americans become more secular, they value liberty much less.

And where else does our society learn about freedom and liberty? Certainly not our schools, which seem to teach that joining the herd is the optimal life. Civics is a thing of the past, and even reading the political philosophy that was the basis for the founders has fallen out of favor.

So how will the next generation of patriots learn to be free?

posted by CBD at 11:00 AM

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