Principles of Good Gov’t (Pt. 4)
Personal Responsibility
There is a burden that comes with freedom, and if we wish to enjoy the blessings of liberty, we must (as Paine said), “undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”
But what does “support” look like? An initial thought would point to serving in the armed forces or it may take the form of being informed and participating actively in the civic process. All of these are good answers, but only get us half way there.
The Other Half
The other half of the burden is the willingness to accept the natural consquences of the choices I make. The willingness to accept personal responsibility. Personal responsibility requires that as citizens we accept the fact that we are agents to ACT and not to be acted upon, and then behave accordingly. I firmly believe that in the generally wide acceptance of the princple and concept of personal responsibility is one of the key factors which has helped separate America and it’s success from other experiments in freedom. The whole idea of the “American Dream” is rooted in the accepting of one’s circumstance and then working to improve it.
When we begin to push government to remove the natural consequences of our actions or allow government to create policy that disincentivizes individuals from taking personal responsibility, we begin down the slippery slope of oppression and tyranny.
Let us be anxious to account for our actions/decisions good and bad. Though the bad may be painful at times, it is far less painful in the long run than having to bear the weight of an oppressive government.
