What is Liberty? -Matt

“Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”

― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

Liberty is the freedom from any non-natural forces which may hinder my ability to seek my own good, whatever that may be, as I determine it (natural forces are concepts such as  gravity, weather, and disease which my limit freedom but do not interfere with my liberty).

The concept is simple; I am my own man, free to make my own decisions.  Since I am my own man, as in no one owns me, I am free to be my own man and pursue my own desires as I see fit. 

The main objection to such an unrestricted view of liberty is that if it is let to play out it would result in anarchy and chaos.  That people would go around murdering each other, taking whatever they wanted and cats would be sleeping with dogs.  This line of thinking would be valid except that everyone it entitled to the same liberty.  As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.’  It may seem strange to have the word ‘liberty’ and ‘limits’ within the same sentence since on the surface they oppose each other.  But this dynamic is the critical aspect of true liberty. 

If we were to think of liberty as spheres around us, each man in a hamster wheel of freedom, what we would see is many bubbles walking around, bumping into each other.  Every time two bubbles bump into each other rights are exercised.   This is what Jefferson referred to as the limits drawn by equal rights.  Since you have the liberty of life, I do not have the right to take that life.  Since you have the liberty to own property, I do not have the right to take that property.The list can go on and on.

If we were to let the exercise of rights happen naturally we would run into a ‘might makes right’ situation.  Those less physically able may not be able to defend against those who are physically fit.  This is where the government comes into play.  As a people, we have decided that the government’s job is to protect the rights of the individual and keep liberty within the sphere of the individual. We have given it the authority to strip liberty from an individual who interferes with the liberty of another under the arm of justice. This is really the only legit function of government.

Unfortunately, what we see today is that the biggest interloper in our liberty is the government we implemented to protect it.  Isn't it ironic, don't you think? Direct taxes, welfare, unwarranted surveillance, the drug wars, conscription, marriage, abortion, gun control, and many more go directly against my individual liberty. 

If we were to some how return to a government which protected liberty instead of taking it away we would see a return to personal responsibility, which to many is frightening.  I would own myself and because of that I would be responsible for myself.  Safety nets like government welfare and mandatory Social Security benefits would be abolished.  The drug laws would be repealed and individuals would be free from any government overreach such as oversight of marriage and gun control.  Property rights would be restored and property taxes would be abolished and I could drink milk straight from the cow.  That is real Liberty!