July 27, 2002
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Freedom Vs. Responsibility
I'm an American, and I'm a Christian of the Protestant tradition. This means that I believe that individuals have free will, soul competency, and the right to exercise their freedoms in accord with their private standards of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I also believe that a "right" is a farce unless the person who exercises that right assumes responsibility for the results of that action.
I had a conversation with my neighbor yesterday. She's a smoker and she's really upset with a law enacted by the Indiana legislature while I was out of town. It's now a misdemeanor with a mandatory fine if you toss a cigarette butt out the car window.
She was ranting and raving about how this enfringed on her liberty. I listened and nodded, but I have to admit that I don't see her point. I've had the experience of driving down the interstate when the driver in front of me tossed a cigarette out the window. It blew in my window and burned a number of holes in the fabric of my car seat and one in my clothes (behind my back) before I was able to snag the butt and extinguish it in my ashtray.
In my world view, a person who causes damage to the property of another person, even accidentally, is morally obligated to make restitution. I will grant readily that I live among people who do not subscribe to this standard and I'm okay with that too. For me and mine, if we cause damage to your stuff, we'll make it right - because that's what Verrette's do.
I'd prefer to live in a place where people where assumed to be competent to take responsibility for their own lives. If I know that failure to wear a seatbelt will contribute significantly to my injury in the event of a car crash - my insurance company should be able to deny a percentage of a claim I might submit following such an accident. In legalese, I was guilty of contributory negligence.
If I smoke and I contract a respiratory problem, likewise, I am responsible for my contribution to the condition. If I live my life overweight and I suffer as a result, well, I don't have a right to demand that you pay my medical bills or offer me a job as a model. My choices have consequences. In other words - my right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness extends only as far as my willingness to acknowledge my responsibility for the choices I make in those pursuits.
I don't like it that I live in a country where I pay taxes that demean the humanity of my fellow Americans by taking the responsibility for their bad choices away from them. Right now we are hearing a lot of talk about the people who lost their life savings when the stock they had invested in turns out to be worthless due to corporate fraud. These people are suffering due to no fault of their own, they were victims of fraud. But I don't hear anyone talking about a government buyout of their retirement plans.
My neighbor wants to toss her butt out the window, without taking responsibility for cleaning up the litter along highways or paying for repairs to the vehicle that might incur damage as a result. Why shouldn't she feel affronted by the demand that she take responsibility for proper disposal of her cigarette butts? She's never been held accountable before. She doesn't see it as a matter of protecting everyone's rights - she views this law as elevating the rights of non-smokers above the rights of smokers.
A few weeks back I had a conversation with a woman who invested for years in corporate stocks that were worth (she thought) about $50 a share. She just retired and within the past year, she's seen her stock tumble to a value of $3 a share. But you know the difference? The woman who had the life-long habit of taking responsibility for living within a budget and using financial discipline to save isn't asking for anything. She's taking responsibility for making changes in her lifestyle and financial assets to live out her retirement in spite of having been defrauded. She said, "That's what I get for putting too many eggs in one basket."
I've heard a lot of chatter about what it means to be an American and whether we are a nation "under God." I've heard a lot of well-meaning but poorly informed people who claim that the Christian faith was never central to the ideas that undergird American government. The Judeo-Christian idea of Free Will underpins our entire judicial system, and every step we take away from the understanding of the philosophical foundations on which our country was built is a step away from the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that the framers of the Declaration of Independence saw as self-evident in the context of a Sovereign Creator over all mankind.
Comments (23)
Hear! Hear! Man you are on a roll! You sound SO official in that last paragraph. There is only one problem. The definition "self-evident" is in question. Many think it means "self-absorbed" I think.
"My neighbor wants to toss her butt out the window, without taking responsibility for... repairs to the vehicle that might incur damage as a result." Hey, if people are tossing their "butts" out the window on a regular basis this could get real ugly... real fast, LOL!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Seriously, I am a bit of a Libertarian at heart. Such laws are for those who REFUSE to govern themselves. Thanks for making us think!
The only exception I'd plead for is for my neighbor: Her butt is so cute that if she tossed it up into the car window, a good, God-fearing yet woman-loving American man would feel truly deprived to have missed it.
I love my Xanga reader friends. These are great comments - I was feeling WAAAY to serious about all this freedom and responsibility stuff, now I'm laughing my "butt" off.
MOre people need to feel serious about what you have said. Don't apologize. Here, where I live and many other places when people do something like tossing a cigerette butt out the window it is easy to burn down a forest .... it doesn't hurt for people to be held accountable for their actions.
About all I can add to that is "Yep!" Nicely stated.
God Bless - Dale
A guy in front of me at the gas station bought two cartons of cigarettes. The total? $52!!! Maybe they (smokers) feel that they've already paid for cig clean-up... and maybe even paid to pave the road, with taxes liked that! Get off their road!
But seriously, you are right on target. Amen to that one, sister.
...... (shaking head) ....... I am trying to get the image of Barb's butt flying out the window out of my head ...... (still a bit dazed) ...... I may need to go lay down.
Of course she shouldn't be responsible for her butt. It's the cigarette companies. They caused her smoking and lied to her about it's addictivness. They should pay right? Stupid irresponsible corporations ruining everday American's lives.
Amen, Sister.....I agree with you completely.....I also feel that if someone is gay they shouldn't be discriminated against....but neither should they have special rights....I don't parade around flaunting the fact that I am hetrosexual....
Good job......
Aww man, all the good butt jokes are taken! Anyway, the government really does give smokers a rough time. I don't smoke, but I think they people should be allowed to without all the hassle. There aren't any restaurants with smoking sections these days
But in the case of people tossing butts everywhere, it's littering and people needa fine for that.
Yeah, the country was founded under Christian morals. But the nation has changed alot. Looking to that set beliefs for modern society is like looking at a Commodore 64 manual to fix an iMac.
so true!
You got to take responsibility but you got to have freedom of choice too ! Loved NFP's comment
i completely agree with you..but then, sometimes it's easier to say that our problems stem not from our decisions but from those made around us..i guess that's why we'll never be 'perfect' beings..
Fugitive - I swear to God - if you didn't read my blogs you'd never get a nap! LOL.
I am happy about that law change - over in England the streets are a disgrace because of cigarette ends and litter. They instituted on-the-spot fines for people throwing plastic containers out of their cars - some people continued to do it out of habit. (You see the problem!)
I remember seeing a sign in our local pub back in England (The Royal Oak, for anyone who is passing by
), "Would you please use the ashtrays when the carpets are full up!"
Smokers in England are definite litterbugs - and totally set in their ways...I think that Denis Leary was right about limiting them to only smoking under beds with the lights out!
As for the roots of religion in America...the Christian faith was brought over from Europe - and the first settlers did not share this faith. America has always been a very adaptable nation in terms of understanding and tolerating differences of opinion. The Constitution was not written for any particular faith - but encompassed freedom for all. (We all need to live up to the dream of the founding fathers of this nation...very rarely do we, though.)
By the way...welcome back!
Great entry.
LOL @ NFP.... I have always taken "Free Will" by the grace of God as to do so without harming others... that of course is my own interpretation. I cannot stand it when other people inflict themselves on me, ie. cigarettes out the window... that is infringing on my Free Will to not have a burnt car seat or inhale it!!
Bravo bravo....clap, clap, clap! Although I did giggle about the "butts" comment as everyone else did and thought my trip to Chicago in a couple weeks might get interesting! hehe
I've grown up in and continue to live near Spanish missions founded by the padres - that 'other' part of America, the part that was once part of Spain and Mexico. The idea of Christian faith and free will is a bit different in that setting - especially from the view of the natives.
I agree with your thoughts about freedom coming with both consequences and responsibilities.
Nice blog.
I've had the glowing cig butts come in through my drivers window or passenger window a few times too. Talk about a scramble to get it out of the seat before getting burnt! Sheesh!
Faith
I love the way you think! I'm a smoker and I think that's a wonderful law. I'm guilty of tossing butts on occassion, but no more!
The pledge thing - I'm not sure I'm clear on your stance there. I went back and read it a few times. What confuses me is that is close to the argument I've used to support the court's decision. IMO removing the "under God" is a step in the right direction BASED on my Christianity.
Fascinating discussion and beautiful Summer theme. Just wish responsibility for one's own actions was the norm and not the other way around.
Will you toss your butt my way?
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