It is nearing July 4th. A holiday in the United States where we celebrate the birth of our own country and its liberty from another country an ocean away.
The quote above, attributed to Patrick Henry, displays the passion with which the "colonial rebels" desired to "break away" from the "mother county" and seek their independence. In this Sharing of Wisdom article let's look at liberty.
Liberty is 1) the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views, and 2) the power or scope to act as one pleases.
The word liberty indicates "free choice, freedom to do as one chooses," and is from Latin libertatem "civil or political freedom, condition of a free man; absence of restraint; permission," from liber "free"; see liberal which indicates "extravagant, unrestrained," derived from liber "free, unrestricted, unimpeded; unbridled, unchecked, licentious."
According to the web site Freedom in the World [1],
“scores for ... freedom of personal expression have … declined over the years amid greater invasions of privacy, harassment and intimidation, and incentives to self-censor both online and offline.”
They further note that,
“when Freedom House issued the first edition of its global survey in 1973, 44 of 148 countries were rated Free. Today, 84 of 195 countries are Free. …Although democratization has slowed and encountered setbacks, ordinary people around the world, including in Iran, China, and Cuba, continue to defend their rights against authoritarian encroachment. … Over the last 17 years, the number of countries and territories that receive a score of 0 out of 4 on the report’s media freedom indicator has ballooned from 14 to 33.”
In 1973 some 30% of the world's countries were free, while at the time of the report cited above some 43% of the world's countries meet these criteria. The image above indicates this study's ranking of freedom in the world with green being more free than those countries in yellow or red, and those in dark red being the least free. They continue:
It is of great importance that the citizens of any State have a wide degree of individual liberty and that they be secure against an infringement of their liberties, not only on the part of other individuals, but also of the government. The degree of liberty and security a people enjoy will profoundly influence their progress." [2]
"The strongest and most progressive States have been those in which the sphere of individual liberty was large. The progress of the State is the progress of the individuals who are its members. The State lives in its citizens. Arbitrary infringement of private rights weaken the State, because they paralyze the initiative and self-reliance of the individual." [2]
Most seem to agree that liberty is necessary. Most claim to desire liberty. Many, it seems these days seek to impose THEIR own personal liberty upon OTHERS; as in “I can do what I want and you can’t stop me” as they violate civil laws intended to keep the peace of civilization -- basically strangers living in a confined space.
"Liberty is that natural power which man hath of his own person, whence a free man is said to be … [to his own authority], in his own power; and it is defined in the law ... to be a natural faculty to do that which every man pleaseth, unless he be hindered by law or force."
“It is natural for man to be his own authority--to be free, James Dalrymple (Viscount of Stair) says. “The only capacity hindering this freedom is "law or force."
Humans may band together in agreement to live and act under some restriction or other of their natural liberties, or they may choose to abandon the group and pursue their liberties elsewhere.
Humans may also have their liberty hindered by force such as when some authoritarian imposes limits that have NOT been agreed upon, as it appears that over 50% of the world's countries are wont to do.
Dalrymple points this out:
“Such freedom is restricted from time to time throughout a man's life. Duties such as parental authority, spousal authority, and the lawful authorities established by society will, from time to time, restrict the liberty of the human. The natural design of man, however, is that a human is capable of choice and is free to choose as he will, and he is capable of claiming and enforcing. Though the natural law is to allow man his choice, it is also natural that the strong will seek to use their strength to add to their own power by limiting the power of others to make such free choices.”
Some seek to improve their own unrestrained desires as the expense of the liberty of others.
“The natural faculty to do that which every man pleaseth, unless he be hindered by law or force, is evident. It cannot be traced back to the dominion of animals or from obligation, for without Liberty the human is capable of no other right. A human in bondage, or the under the dominion of others, removes man from being a ‘person’ and rather relegates him to being a ‘thing’ to be owned. There is no right so onerous to lose as is the loss of Liberty, for it lowers man from a natural and free will state to that of an object to be disposed of by others.
"Liberty is wholly taken away by bondage, slavery or servitude, which is diametrically opposite to liberty; for as liberty is that power, by which men are …[of his own law], so by servitude they became … [strangers of law], in the power of another, unto whom they became as the rest of their goods … and were possessed by them, and might been gifted, legated, sold, and other ways disposed of at their pleasure. ... they were accounted as no body, or as dead men."
What an apt description of a society where government desires to subjugate its own members, or where its members seek to subjugate other of its members. So as liberty is celebrated this July 4th remember the universal law of non-interferance and allow others to enjoy their liberty and be discerning and judicious in your use of the law, or of force, in order to limit the liberties of others.
Remember too, that Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Be careful in giving up your ability to make choices!
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[3] The Institutions of the Law of Scotland; Deduced from its Originals, and Collated with the Civil, Canon and Feudal Laws, and with the Customs of Neighbouring Nations. In IV Books. By James, Viscount of Stair, Lord President of the Session 1693