Do you remember the childhood game, “Mother May I?” There would be one child who would be the “mother” and then the other children would line up opposing him or her. Then one by one they would ask the “mother” if they can take a certain number of steps forward in order to reach her/him. The person who reaches “mother” first wins. Of course, the person that wins is solely at the discretion of “mother.” If he/she didn’t like you, you would probably never win.
It didn’t occur to me until just recently how much this game reflects the property “ownership” system in our society today. I have encountered some friction in my dealings with our government officials over the past few years. These experiences have lead me to realize that we need to stop asking for permission from these fallible men and women to use our property as we see fit.
I have also had conversations with people who have felt that government officials often over step their bounds. Some will even say that it is a citizen’s duty to keep these officials in line. Most will acknowledge that property owners know better than the government on how to use their own property….but….. (There is always a “but”), it depends on where we live and the established laws in that area. If you live in the city, you have to follow their laws and if you live outside of the city then you follow those laws, which tend to be more relaxed, but none-the-less, they must be obeyed. After all, I am told, they are there for a reason and our own good. It doesn’t seem to matter what the laws actually say and do, they must be followed for peace to exist. I wasn’t surprised by these answers, but I was saddened.
We are playing the game of “Mother May I?” “Mother, may I build the house I want?” “Mother may I grow vegetables to feed my family?” “Mother may I do my own plumbing and electrical in my house?” Mother may I collect the water that falls from the sky?” “Mother, may my child sell lemonade out in front of our house?” “Mother, may I put a fence in my front yard?” “Mother, may I go fishing or hunting?”
Do we not see how absurd and childish this sounds?
Do we not see that we are stroking their narcissistic egos and causing this sickness in them to grow? It isn’t healthy for us or for them. As Thomas Paine wrote in Common Sense, “nothing flatters vanity, or confirms obstinacy in Kings more that repeated petitioning — and nothing hath contributed more than that very measure to make the Kings of Europe absolute.” A few centuries ago this writing inspired a fledgling country to stand up to a great empire. Where has this spirit gone?
Do we not realize that we are sacrificing our natural right to property due to our unwillingness to question whether something lawful is also legitimate? By doing so are we becoming slaves to our governing officials each time we go to them and beg for their permission. The mind of a slave asks, “Is it legal?” The mind of a free person asks, “Is it right?” Is it right for someone else to tell you what you can and cannot do with your property under the threat of force? Is it right for them to rob you of any portion of the fruits of your labor?
Do we not see how intellectually inconsistent it is to acknowledge that we own ourselves and the fruits of our labor, yet we must often ask permission of a governing body before we can taste of those fruits? Do we believe that we are not capable of acting in a civilized manor without these masters? Our action would suggest that we do. Do we really think that we would be constantly stealing, trespassing, and killing with no regard for others without some worldly authority figure to compel us to follow some sort of ambiguous man-made code under the constant threat of punishment? Does this not leave most of us in an infantile state of being and keep us from progressing as a society?
Private property does not exist through the consent of the governed. Rather, it is a natural right given to all humans who are willing to work to obtain it. Each time we ask for permission, we are saying that a governing body (the collective) holds a negative over our bodies and our property. “Owning yourself in a world where the collective owns everything means that you cannot exercise your self-ownership without asking for permission from the collective. If you have to ask for permission of the collective to exercise your “self-ownership”, you do not actually own yourself and the ownership of yourself is a fiat right [1].”
I get that it always seems “easier” to just do what they tell you. But what would that be communicating? It would be abandoning our God given right to property to be disposed of as we see fit, to some other entity. It would be telling government officials that they have ownership over person and property and we are just paying rent for the privilege of living on their land. It would communicating that private property does not exist and these God given rights aren’t worth standing for. It would be continuing a precedent set long ago, when rulers began to perpetuate the idea that individual rights and freedoms come from them. We have come a long way from the times when we held certain truths to be “self-evident”. After nearly 250 years of legislation many may think that those words are antiquated. They are as true today as they were when they were penned. These rights come from our Creator only and not our legislators. It is dangerous to allow them to think otherwise!
Pieces of paper don’t grant us our freedoms. Governments don’t write them into existence, they are Natural rights, given to us by the Creator, and they will still exist long after this government or any other is gone. Requiring me to buy a permit that “allows” me to collect rain water, or build a fence, or produce food for my family, is NOT freedom. The very air we breathe, the food we eat, the land we use, and the water we drink, is not a political right that can be granted or taken away as they see fit. Any governmental regulation that restricts use, possession, or exclusion is an invasion of our natural property rights. When will we learn that our rights do not come from what is written on a piece of paper by highly fallible men? When will we learn that “freedoms” that are subject to government whims, or are put up for a vote, aren’t really freedoms at all? When will we learn that the government doesn’t hold a higher claim to our person or property, nor to the water, air, or any other element on the periodic chart? Stop letting them think otherwise.
These laws that are created by men are based on ideas that some men hold. But laws aren’t just ideas. Such laws exist when ideas intersect with the use of force thus creating a monopoly on ideas. Just as corporate monopolies harm a market economy by creating price distortions, stifling innovation, lowering the quality of goods, and diminishing the standard of living, monopolies on ideas are highly caustic and cancerous to the economy of ideas. Until these laws are treated only as suggestions and the force component is removed, we will not be free. Once we truly acknowledge a higher Law and higher Judge that can, and will, set all things right, then we will finally experience freedom in our lives and in our society.
True freedom is a ridiculous and dangerous notion to those that are in power and wish make a living at our expense. But it begins with the individual. It begins when we say that we own ourselves and the fruits of our labors. It begins when we recognize where our rights actually come from. It begins when we stand up and recognize that they don’t come from any man or man-made documents. It begins when we get off our knees, grow a backbone, and stop petitioning to those in power. We made them masters and kings and until we recognize that we do not need them and that they can only cause harm, we will continue to give them the power to enslave our brethren and future generations.
Disclaimer: I am in no way encouraging any use of force or violence against any person or institution. Resorting to such practices is counter-productive to the dissemination of ideas.
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