If you are considering moving to the Citadel it is crucial that you understand this concept and what it implies for you. It is the philosophical basis for our community and if you don't understand it, you can't live it.
Most people are good with the first part, "unobstructed action according to our will", and typically this is what they think of when they hear the word liberty. Unfortunately the second part, "within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others", is frequently ignored or misunderstood. Folks, this is an ABSOLUTE limit on your actions. However, it's not about rules or laws and an iron fist enforcing them. It is about self restraint and self control. It is about being aware of how your actions affect those around you and recognizing when those actions infringe on their equal rights. It is about caring about those equal rights of others. Laws and rules don't create Rightful Liberty. Individuals do, by their day to day actions.
Most people don't seem to understand this and, of those that do, many would be unwilling to actually live it. Self restraint and self control are not highly valued in our society any more. A common attitude is, "if there isn't a rule against it then it's ok for me to do it, no matter what." If you live in a quiet residential neighborhood and have to ask, "what if I want to have a loud, drunken party at my place all night?", then you don't get it.
If you are not willing to accept the responsibilities that come with Rightgful Liberty along with the benefits, don't apply to live in the Citadel. You won't fit in and you won't be welcome. You will be a liability instead of an asset. Remeber, the Citadel is a survival plan. We will have to trust and rely on each other for it to work. A true respect for Rightful Liberty will be the basis for that trust.
VJ
Methinks the same folks that would think it was OK to have a wild and loud party that all of their neighbors have to suffer through, would be the same kind of folks who'd think it was OK to yell 'fire' in a crowded theatre just for kicks, and think that their 'freedom of speech' was protected enabling them to do thus.
ReplyDeleteFolks, your freedom and liberty only extend as far as it impacts someone else.
I've heard people argue about their 'rights' when it comes to smoking. Sure, you have a right to smoke. Puff away. But you do NOT have a right to force me or my family to have to endure it second hand. And if someone had half a clue, they'd make sure that it was taken care of so that it didn't BECOME something that irritated your neighbors.
If there's any doubt, one can always ask. Like, "Hey Vern, I know I sometimes smoke cigars here in my back yard, and the smoke sometimes drifts your general direction. Does this bother you any?" You'll either get a yes or no, and can then proceed accordingly.
This past summer one of my neighbors was burning a lot of scrap wood that created a ton of smoke. And this went on for two days. It was so smokey that I had to stay inside with the windows shut, the smell was not only nauseous and choking, but potentially dangerous. The idiot was burning logs with poison ivy all over them. Aerosolized Toxicodendron radicans can kill you if you breathe it in. Imagine poison ivy INSIDE your lungs. Not fun. He and I had a bit of a come to Jesus talk, and in the end he basically told me that if I didn't like it then I could just 'stay inside'. That was his answer to doing something that was affecting my quality of life and which had the potential to kill either myself or my family. Don't like it, stay inside, he says.
Yea, I live out here in a semi rural area just so I can 'stay inside' for two days straight when I need to do yard work myself, just to avoid breathing in potentially lethal smoke from their brushfire.
Too many people just assume that they can do something because it's their 'right', but they never take the time to even ask the folks around them if it's something that's infringing upon THEIR liberty. When it doubt, just ask.
Well said!
ReplyDeleteYeah, laws and law enforcement wouldn't be needed in a society in which every member was enlightened. Many utopian societies have been tried before (communism anyone?), but they devolve once you get 3 or more people together.
ReplyDeleteAs Jon Stewart just pointed out, the rigid organization and rules (I won't call them laws) sound suspiciously like laws, and the consequences of not following the rules sound suspiciously like law enforcement.
Good luck with this. Jefferson did not believe in a society without law. The whole reason for law is to refine the social compact that is necessary in order to have a society, and that is pure Locke and Jefferson.
We don't believe in a society without law, either. The County, State and Federal laws will all still apply. I've never quite understood why so many people think that the law of the land will somehow suddenly disappear because we build a planned community.
DeleteYou make a fundamental mistake that is very common about the Patriot Agreement. You are confusing the idea of a law with the idea of a voluntary contract. The Patriot Agreement is a voluntary contract between all of the residents of the Citadel. Unlike a law, which you have no choice about obeying (other than not obeying and being arrested), a voluntary contract is something you agree to in exchange for some perceived benefit.
Those of us who founded III Arms Company and started the Citadel project discussed what we wanted it to be. We decided on the basic principles, specifically Rightful Liberty, and then agreed on what we were willing to do to defend our homes and our lives. The Patriot Agreement is the result. We, metaphorically speaking, looked each other in the eye, shook hands and agreed to do these things. This is how we plan to live. If you aren't willing to put in as much effort as we are to defend our home, we don't want you living there. Why should you gain the benefit we do if you aren't willing to put in the same effort we will?
Nobody will be forced to live in the Citadel. Those who do will choose to live there and choose to live by the Patriot Agreement because of the perceived benefit. Someone who signs the Patriot Agreement and doesn't live up to it has broken their contract with the rest of the residents, knowing that the consequence is no longer being allowed to live there. To complain that is somehow unfair would be like complaining that you got evicted from your apartment after refusing to pay the rent. Live up to your agreements or face the consequences. It isn't any more complicated than that.
VJ
"Nobody will be forced to live in the Citadel."
DeleteExcept children, who then become adults and either are coerced into accepting this "voluntary contract" or are expeled from the community.
If the parents of an 18 year old said, "start college or get a job and pay rent or move out" would you claim he was being coerced? There are always choices to be made. We each weigh our options and decide if the cost is worth the benefit for each option we face. Same here. It's still a voluntary choice about cost and benefits. Why should he gain the benefits without being willing to pay the cost that every other resident is willing to pay?
DeleteVJ