He pointed out, after reading it, that few people in this country (and really most people on this earth) could handle a society like Mr. Williamson spins in his story.
Too much freedom would terrify most people from "western" countries today. Too much freedom also means too much responsibility. Too much freedom (and too few regulations) would make most of my countrymen hide under the bed and cry for mommy.....
I, and most of my close friends (and many of my readers), would love to be in a society like that. We would thrive (or fail happily) in a society where the responsibility is on the individual.
But we aren't most people.....
This is true... Dammit!
ReplyDeleteLess than 3% of us now.
ReplyDelete... maybe more than 3% if you count the "Americans who haven't made it to America yet".
ReplyDeleteTo many non-US residents, "being American" is not an accident of birth-place, but rather a matter of chosen philosophy - an ethos of individual freedom and personal responsibility.
To those people, America really is "that shining beacon upon the hill".
Please don't f*ck it up before we get there.