A prior post introduced the idea of values.  Values, as stated in that article, are those things one believes are always right and always wrong.  Values are important to a society.  Values are an important feature of the culture of a nation.  Culture is much more than music, dance, and visual art.  People living together as a group must agree on what behavior by the people within that group is tolerable, state what is intolerable, determine just punishment for intolerable behavior, and finally establish a fair system to deal with any offenders of the system.  Such a system is known as a government.  The only reasonable means of establishing a system of government is for someone to determine what is always wrong.  That “someone” can be an individual within the group, the majority of the entire group, or individuals selected by the majority of the entire group to represent the the beliefs of this majority. From it’s inception, the United States of America has used this last style of government.

So, what about Freedom and Individual Rights?  The most wonderful gift of being an American citizen living within these United States is that we have both.  Both freedom and individual rights.  The wonderful gift bears a great burden.  “How so”, the reader asks?  How can freedom and individual rights be a burden”?  Well, back in the dark ages (1952 AD until 1970 or so, and please keep in mind, I can only honestly draw reference to the period of time that I have actually experienced life) my parents, my adult relatives, the parents of my friends, all social studies teachers, and most of my teachers and school administrators agreed, “Young man, your rights end where the rights of all other people begin”.  So the burden is, I must put your rights ahead of mine, and you must put my rights ahead of your own.  And you and I have the freedom to choose to do just that, or not.  I’m not certain a majority of American citizens believe this today.  I’ve witnessed a slow change in this belief.  I’m not certain this concept is stressed in most American schools today.  This belief that it is all about me is frightening.

This system is based upon the agreement of the majority of the persons governed as to what is right 100% of the time, and what is wrong 100% of the time.  Values.  There’s that word again, values.