Freedom and responsibility are inseparable and it is amply evident in this culture that as freedoms disappear so do the people's sense of responsibility. During the first Great Depression, those impoverished tightened their belts, refused "charity" because they felt that it was demeaning of them and then proceeded to forge ahead and take care of themselves and their families as best they could until economic conditions allowed them to find jobs and income again.
The coming Great Depression is going to be much worse simply because most people have a huge sense of entitlement. They expect the government to take care of them and provide jobs and stimulate the economy, right on up the food chain to the very players who will crash the economy, lose money and demand the government compensate them for their greed and bad judgement.
I love being able to speak freely and gladly accept that not everyone will agree with me. I'm always open to discussion and when perhaps we reach an ideological stalemate, am happy to let that person believe whatever they want to believe, as long as they don't try to impinge on my beliefs.
People are social animals and being part of a club or affiliation or political party often shapes their beliefs. At that point they have stopped thinking for themselves and suffer the effects of "groupthink." This is a problem since mob mentality gives the false impression of righteousness. From the Salem witch trials to the McCarthy Commission, to the War on Terror, groupthink destroys personal responsibility and thus endangers freedom for the rest of us.
I'm a loner and not a joiner and so am quite the square peg in a world full of round holes. That's why I feel the responsibility to scream into the hurricane and hope that at least one person hears me. And if someone doesn't like what I'm screaming, at least they heard me.
Thanks for another great article. Resteemed and upvoted with my paltry 3 centavos worth.
¡The problem isn't that life isn't fair, it's that we believe it should be!
"An excerpt about Hermit Crabs"
Uhm.. ¡We gotta find one of those vacancy chains quick! or else, we'll need to convert us, join and embrace fully some kind of zen asceticism sooner than later.
Oh! And yeah! of course.. "Nothing worthy of a discussion fits on a bumper sticker" };)
What a great reply. It's a post unto itself.
We're taught to believe that life is fair, or should be. But of course, it's not. That's just reality.
Love the hermit crabs. Cooperative with a hint of competition. Not really hermits after all.
And the zombies really are out to get us.
Bienvenidos, Venezuela!
I feel you and I will not be able to add much to the comment. Thanks.
For me, I enjoy exploring all groups rather than avoiding all as it gives me insights into myself that I am unlikely to see without that mirror, or miss as I look elsewhere.
Indeed, group membership itself is quite a silly idea for anyone wanting individuality but I think that if the group is filled with truly individual thinkers and can be maintained on that uniqueness, it may be quite the reference group.
Personally though, I am tired of people pushing their agenda expecting no resistance to heavily flawed positions. It is like you say, part of their feelings of entitlement. When the next great war or depression comes, it is going to destroy many minds who grew up thinking they have already faced adversity.
All upvotes have value and are appreciated. :)
That is why I love posting on Steemit. We are all individuals. I've never seen any of you and probably never will, and yet we can network and find deep thinkers and uncover so much more useful information than solo research ever can, even with the data power of the Internet. I suppose we will in time affect each other's way of thinking and eventually form some sort of consensus, more or less, but the more thinkers arrive into our little universe, the more it and we will evolve. That's a wonderful thing!
Your reply is so excellent I'm disappointed my upvote is worthless!
Hang in there. It won't always be.