A radio speaker recently mentioned that the word ‘Liberty’, once frequently praised as a core aspect of American life, has fallen into disuse. We don’t refer to our liberties as much as we used to, or give thanks to the God and soldiers and decision makers who provided and preserved them for us. The word we bandy about now-a-days is ‘Rights’, and it shifts the focus and perspective in significant ways.

America was established as a place where people had the liberty to conduct their lives, households, and businesses in any manner they saw fit, according to their traditions, cultures, and beliefs. Except in extreme cases, they did not have the government or neighbors looking over their shoulders, judging their decisions or undermining their efforts. This was liberty, one of the ideals stated as a self evident inalienable right endowed by our Creator. Those who left other countries under other government systems cherished the objective of a government of, by, and for the people. They protected this system, in part, by being personally responsible for their own decisions and cooperative with their neighbors.  It was the neighbors, then, who got together to set straight those things that were clearly wrong, from bringing food to a hungry family to standing against a bully in the community, even if that bully was a government representative. 

At some point, a shift occurred, and the word used to express one of America’s greatest ideals was no longer ‘liberty’, but ‘rights’.  I have the right to do as I wish, and I’m willing to go to the public square and argue whether you have the right to tell me I’ve made a poor choice.  The idea of “you stay out of my face, and I’ll stay out of yours” shifted to an adult version of two siblings in the back seat crying “tell him to stop looking at me!”.   We’ve gotten the idea that we have the right to not be disagreed with, when the whole American experiment was about giving each person the liberty to disagree peaceably without repercussions. 

Both sides can agree, though they may not realize they’re doing so, that it is wrong to forbid another citizen from participating in public education and commerce on any basis other than a demonstrated disregard for appropriate behavior within the system.  If a student is determined to not only refuse learning but also disrupt the learning of others, send him home – the school of hard knocks is open to educate anyone.  If a merchant operates his business in a way you don’t agree with, don’t spend your time or money there.  That shop will or won’t maintain business based on the customers who spend money  for their quality of products and services.  Some people call this ‘natural consequences’, an effective learning tool that doesn’t require overhead.  Unfortunately, a lot of modern commerce relies on that overhead.  Attorneys, lobbyists, and insurance firms, once in the business of aiding the disadvantaged, have become exploitive organisms that create or enhance situations in order to collect fees for their own survival.  In bio-science, the term is ‘parasite’. 

I challenge you, as you observe the news or the retelling of American and world history, to identify how many times you hear thankfulness for our liberties, and how many times you hear complaints about our rights.  Ask yourself why we’ve managed to let others convince us to spend money and energy fighting one another for alleged rights that were once tucked, undisputed, within the boundaries of liberty.  Then ask why the assertion of rights for a few has resulted in the reduction of liberties for many.  People once said “your right to swing your arm extends until it reaches the end of my nose” – is there still a chance to restore this logic?