Free Associations
Imagine a row of balloons, all of which have a different entity in them. One has 'family' in the balloon, one has 'religion,' one has 'community.' All lined up, you see the following:
These are "free associates"- and they perform an important job. Edmund Berk refers to them as "little platoons" that stand between the loning individual and the looming state:
Freedom is when all of the associations, of the mediating entities, are balanced. For instance, community can do things that the government cannot. Religion can do things that education can't do.
So how do we keep these free associations balanced? We compromise! Each entity naturally has checks on all and/or any of the others. One problem today is that, instead of compromise, we use FORCE (such as the law) for everything. Each time you've got one above the other, such as tyranny over everything else, we've got tyranny. Our new diagram looks like this:
Family~ Religion~Community~Business~Education~Media~Government
These are "free associates"- and they perform an important job. Edmund Berk refers to them as "little platoons" that stand between the loning individual and the looming state:
The Individual <----> Free Asscociate <----> Free Associate <----> The State
Freedom is when all of the associations, of the mediating entities, are balanced. For instance, community can do things that the government cannot. Religion can do things that education can't do.
So how do we keep these free associations balanced? We compromise! Each entity naturally has checks on all and/or any of the others. One problem today is that, instead of compromise, we use FORCE (such as the law) for everything. Each time you've got one above the other, such as tyranny over everything else, we've got tyranny. Our new diagram looks like this:
Governement
over
(insert all free associations here)
This is where our country is headed right now. People compromising in society equals for freedom. People who run to the government for every little thing brings about tyrrany. Freedom is hard, force is easy.
~Conclusions drawn from Constitution Study today.