What Is Freedom?
There sure are a lot of people using the word freedom these days. I hadn’t noticed, but apparently I’m living under the yoke of tyranny, which is probably a big surprise to the Burmese people. Anyway, I had an interesting conversation a while back with a dear friend over a bottle of wine. We are both great dog lovers, so I put the following question to her:
Who is more free: the dog running loose in a fenced yard, or the dog walking the neighborhood on a leash with his owner?
Now, the dog in the backyard has freedom of movement, and he can lay in the shade, or lay in the sun, without having to worry about the desires of someone else. To make a finer point, he can lay all day, as opposed to walking briskly and getting tired. If he wants to chase squirrels, so be it. He has the freedom to do many things, but one thing he can’t ever do is leave the yard. So, in a sense, he is a prisoner.
The dog on the leash has another set of issues. She is confined to a small area surrounding her owner. She must obey commands, and is expected to maintain a steady pace over a long distance. She cannot decide to lay down in the sunshine (although mine tries to.) Her leash is a shackle which restricts her movement. Of course, unlike her counterpart, she gets to experience life beyond the fence. In the course of her walk, she can meet and play with other dogs, and smell things that dogs smell. People will call her cute, and pet her, which makes her happy. She sees a much larger world than the dog in the yard.
There is [sadly] a third scenario. The feral dog lives in the city park, or a vacant lot. He has no concerns about fences or learning manners. He never yields to the command, “stay.” In a true libertarian sense, he is unencumbered by societal concerns and responsibilities. Unfortunately, his life is not only hard but very short. As we all know, if feral dogs aren’t rehabilitated at a young age, they die quickly.
So, what is your idea of freedom? Every form requires some kind of sacrifice. That is the point we so often overlook when we’re painting our protest signs and complaining about taxes. If we want to enjoy the benefits of living in an organized society, then we have to do our part to keep it organized. The alternative is the feral dog.
