To Be Free Is To Stop Watching

First Written on March 20, 2019

True freedom is not in your ability to say and do whatever you please without any legal repercussions or interference from another party. As long as a society needs a set of laws to be civilized, it is uncivilized.

Freedom is when people understand that taking someone else's life or property creates disturbance and mistrust in society. It causes people to become defensive and quick to judge others negatively. Such mistrust worsens the socioeconomic climate, which everyone has to participate in. It is when people understand that lies and false testimonies weaken the entire society. You need watchdogs to watch the lairs (let's say the SEC to monitor corporations), and security cameras to watch the thieves. Then you realize there is no one to watch the watchdogs. This creates a chain of watchers, everyone constantly up and alert, watching the other watchers. Some western nations have already reached this paranoid stage.

True freedom emerges from within when people understand that their best interests lie in the interests of society, and vice versa. It is when people understand that his actions either improve or worsen society, both of which determine their quality of life. True freedom lies in freedom from watching, and in trust, that everyone is doing his job.

Do these societies exist? Yes. Your close circle of friends is an example, where everyone intrinsically holds values, ground in trust and truth, without any contract or police. They are, thus, civilized.