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Modern politics concerns itself with policy, not permission.

Rarely do politicians stop to ask whether they should act. The question is always how to act, how much to spend, or how far to go. The very premise, that the state must act, is never interrogated.

This creates a machinery of intervention, not restraint. The default assumption is that government must do something, and that every problem demands a political solution. But what if that assumption is flawed? What if restraint, non-intervention, or decentralization are not failures of leadership, but acts of wisdom?

Ask not, what we should we do. Ask if we should do anything at all.

#00

Nic ⛄ 5mo ago 💬 2

Words shape meaning, and meaning shapes thought and behavior. When we change the words we use, we often change the way we conceptualise and implement ideas.

“Life, Liberty, and Property” to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, completely alters the conceptual foundation of society.

Property is tangible. It implies boundaries, ownership, self-sufficiency. It assumes that liberty includes the right to the fruits of one’s labor and to be left alone.

Happiness, by contrast, is abstract. It invites interpretation and intervention.

Governments that promise to secure your property are limited in scope. Governments that promise to secure your happiness are potentially limitless.

By changing one word, you change the implied contract between the individual and the state, from protection to provision.

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#96

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Discussion

atyh 5mo ago

nailed it, eloquently

atyh 5mo ago

there is has been steady pressure to feel afraid and guilty to say, “this is mine. you many not use it, or take it without permission.”

there is no generosity without the ability to say no. if you cant say no, it is theft.