A lot has been written about various forms of government (democracy, republic, monarchy, communism, etc.) and how they enable or hinder freedom. But not enough has been said about an essential element of freedom and prosperity – morality.
John Adams said that,
Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
He understood that a nation can have either freedom or social order. But it can only have both – as America aspires to do – if it has a strong sense of morality.
A society can exist via:
- Anarchy – freedom without social order.
- Autocracy – social order without freedom.
- Self-governance – freedom with morality.
Freedom (from outside control) without self-regulated behavior (i.e., morality) delivers anarchy. It is a state of chaos in which the strong are free to prey on the weak. Pillage and plunder become the route to individual prosperity, while collective prosperity is stymied by unrelenting looting. Why should one work hard, when the fruits of one’s labor will be stolen? Such societies exist as warring clans which will never advance their society, but merely continually redistribute an ever-shrinking wealth.
Consider the current state of Gaza. Any sense of right and wrong is virtually nonexistent. Morality is whatever justifies the plunder. Even the slaughter of children has become a matter of context, rather than pure unquestionable evil. The only path to prosperity that the Palestinians seek, is the destruction and looting of Israel. Has that advanced the condition of the people of Gaza? Are they more prosperous now than they were 50 years ago.
When a nation’s people – or those with power over them – don’t observe shared values, social order must be maintained with force. When a communist leadership values the collective, but their subjects value the individual, the behavior of the population must be controlled by the state. There is no individual freedom.
Such police states achieve social order. But without individual rights, members of the public are only motivated for minimal performance. Why should one work beyond what is necessary to avoid punishment, if the extra effort isn’t rewarded? Police states are always marginal performers relative to general prosperity.
Freedom with social order is only possible when the population self-regulates. An overwhelming majority of the people – including those in government – must observe jointly held moral values. When we agree that we each have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – and behave accordingly – minimal enforcement is required to maintain social order. Only an occasional corrective action must be taken in response to social outliers.
With freedom and shared morality, individual achievement is rewarded, and social pressure maintains order. The creation of wealth is maximized, and the entire society benefits.
However, for stability, a free and ordered society must have a static sense of morality. Without an unchanging sense of right and wrong, conflicts are inevitable. The American Civil War was the result of a moral conflict that had been left unresolved. Citizens disagreed on every man’s right to be free. 700,000 people died to resolve that moral dilemma.
Now America faces another moral crisis. Moral relativism is causing a divergence in what Americans consider right and wrong. The claim that morality is defined by men in response to changing social norms, creates an ever-changing ethical landscape in which conflict is inevitable. Today in America:
- One group believes that everyone has a right to life. Another celebrates the assassination of a health insurance CEO. Our moral fabric is under stress.
- One group believes that all people have a right to the fruits of their labor. Another insists that individual wealth is a resource for redistribution. More moral tension is created.
- One group believes that all people have a right to express themselves. Another insists that speech must be regulated by the government. The moral stress increases.
- One group believes that all people have a right to self-defense. Another insists that people be denied the tools of self-defense. The moral fabric is fraying.
- One group believes that all people have a right to worship as they wish. The other says that religious observance is subservient to lifestyle choices. The fabric is beginning to tear.
Over 600,000 abortions are performed each year in America. Proponents say the matter is no longer subject to debate, and insist that opponents be imprisoned. Is the tension on the moral fabric which has held Americans together for 237 years approaching rupture? Has moral relativism almost completed its destruction of our shared sense of right and wrong?
When we no longer have agreement on standards of socially acceptable behavior, what will come next? When self-governance fails, will we become an anarchy or a police state?
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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