In the book, the absence of adults to model and nurture responsibility is palpably felt. Adults matter to children. They guide, protect, tend, reassure, and mediate. The lack of calm, care, and stability that adults offer children is what ultimately triggers the boys’ downfall. Of course, the great lesson from this great book is that it isn’t just children who would descend into brutality when calm, care, and stability are missing; it’s all of us.
Tag: consequences
Compounded Ignorance Leads to Hubris
A broken clock is correct twice a day, so the adage goes. I think I’m correct at least as often, possibly, hopefully, more. The other day I had an epiphany, of sorts, and shared it on Facebook. It went as follows: A person is mostly ignorant. People are ignorance compounded. Government is evidence of people’s hubris.
How the World Should Be
Yes, governing others is wrong. It is totally messed up. So I don’t do it. I don’t support it, contribute to it, or participate in it. I won’t attack others, nor take their stuff, not even through politics. I can’t make the whole world stop doing wrong, but I can try to make sure I’m not part of the problem.
“Welcome to Our Future”
A friend recently told me something scary and … sad. Something I am still trying to digest and ponder. Something which haunts me. He recently participated in mock “job interviews” of some college journalism students. One of the questions he asked them was “What’s the purpose of government?”.
A Public Choice Perspective on Trade
Let’s say you could make a strictly economic case for government interference with people’s trading activities, that is, with their ability to cooperate freely with others across the world. (I have no idea what “strictly economic case” even means, but stay with me.) Would we free traders have to give up? No way.
Love and Assertiveness
Love and Assertiveness are two sides of the same coin; one necessitates and depends on the other. Loving yourself requires asserting your rights to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Loving a partner requires assertiveness in creating and protecting an environment of honesty and communication. Loving a child requires asserting certain boundaries or limits around their behavior.
Cops: Good, Bad, or Something Else?
I say cops are bad guys, but that is not a popular observation. Many people desperately want to cling to their belief that cops are good guys. Yeah, it’s kind of pathetic, but that’s how they are. But there’s a third position which I’ve seen hinted at that is about halfway between the two views. It deserves consideration.
System-Bound III
I was thinking, a few weeks ago, as I was approaching Chicago from Northern Indiana, a jumble of converging and diverging routes, that the last thing I needed was some electronic message carrying ironic propaganda — it was all I could do to keep from making the wrong turn. I needed focus, not entertainment.
System-Bound II
Not only do we have unforeseen consequences, we have failures to learn from the lessons of history. The course of humankind has shown a continual advancement in both the ability to kill one another and the capability of deriving wealth from the process.
Guilty Statists?
How much guilt does the “average statist” have for their beliefs, and how much slack should we cut them? I’ve been having an interesting discussion with Jim Henshaw, the former Chair of the Hawaiian LP, recently of regions closer. He says I “come across as a bit unforgiving at times“. And, I can see that. I’m pretty sure this has caused me to lose followers and financial supporters. So, I asked his advice.