I've been around for nearly half a century now. Sounds like a long time, when you say it that way. I remember when I was a kid. My mother put a great deal of effort into teaching me the difference between right and wrong. That was a MONUMENTAL task, in light of the poor example my father set. When I would go into the street, she would correct me gently, and explain why that was a bad idea. Then, if I went into the street again, she'd swat me on the rear and remind me that she had told me not to do that.
As I got older, mom stopped worrying about the street and began giving me lessons with a bit more substance, and if I violated the tenants of those lessons, my posterior would remain pain free. My FREEDOM, however, would become... shall we say... INFRINGED UPON.
Eventually I became an adult. (much more like my father than mom would have liked) After some... difficult years, my mother's teaching slowly began to evolve from a list of restrictions, to a pattern for living that, became more and more liberating, the more consistently I applied them to my life.
Looking back on it, hind sight being 20/20 and all, I can see a pattern develop between my behavior, and my mothers' restrictions... let's call them... LAWS.
As I became more and more rebellious, moms laws became more and more restrictive, until eventually I had no rights at all, beyond the requisite "3 HOTS and a COT". This is, of course, an overstatement. Mom never made me sleep on a cot, and not every meal was hot. She would tell me, as I now tell my kids, that she would prefer to be able to trust me with the basic set of "LAWS" and allow me to be free to make GOOD choices. BUT, since I repeatedly made POOR ones, I left her no option except to make ANOTHER rule... oops... LAW. Each law leaving me with less authority over my own life.
She was right, of course, in her determination to make certain I lived long enough to turn out alright. And who was I to complain? After all, she was the one making sure I had everything I needed.
HOUSING... FOOD... TRANSPORTATION... HEALTH CARE... See where this is going?
Eventually, I did what we all do... USED to do. I moved to a foreign territory (5 miles down the road), where I could be free to do as I saw fit. I established the Sovereign State of TOM and made my Declaration of Independence. I probably even threw a party to celebrate my release from an oppressive and tyrannical government... I mean mom.
Okay, I've exaggerated a bit in the interest of holding your attention, but you get the picture. The amazing thing is... after ALL THAT... After all the complaining about the unfairness of it all... I've walked my little clan of law breakers down the same path.
I'm confident there is no need to spell out the parallels I have drawn. The distinctions, on the other hand, may not be so obvious. The laws we as parents set down for our children, with the exception of the basic set, which from this moment forward shall be referred to as THE CONSTITUTION, have a built in sunset clause. Once they've established themselves, achieved statehood so to speak, our kids are free to pursue their own self-interest, unfettered by the restrictive regulation of their parents. Generally speaking, this system works with astounding results. Each generation achieving things the one before it couldn't imagine. When was the last time you heard any lawmaker say something like, "we no longer see a need for this law,"? Hmmm... I can think of one... two... ... three? TROUBLE IS, all the examples I can think of are part of that basic set. THE CONSTITUTION!
But by far the greatest distinction, and most dangerous to overlook is this...
The FOUNDING FATHERS of this Union, (to maintain the metaphor) did not put quill to parchment for the sake of controlling the kids, or protecting them from their own foolishness.
THE CONSTITUTION WAS WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN FROM AN OVERBEARING PARENT.
In their wisdom, the Founders understood the nature of man is to RULE rather than to GOVERN. They made a set of laws that would make it difficult for this to occur. I imagine that from the moment our Constitution was ratified, there have been those who have sought to break it down, and with some measure of success. Today our... I think I'll just call them POLITICIANS, as opposed to LEADERS, have concluded that the only way to get around that set of laws, is to BUY US OFF. Remember the part about mom providing everything I need?
It took me about 30 seconds to come up with a name for this blog site. The point of ME THE PEOPLE is to underscore the idea that The Constitution of the United States, misunderstood as it has become, is not about WE, the collective, working together to make a better America. It's about ME, the individual, and YOU too, of course, being free to pursue our own self-interests, thereby making a better America.
Click here to veiw that BASIC SET
Click here to view the text from the Declaration of Independence
No comments:
Post a Comment