Choosing slavery-- A bewildering choice
Is every choice a person can make legitimate? I honestly don't know.
What if you choose to be a slave?
Choosing slavery seems to be the choice to kill off your liberty, just like suicide is the choice to kill your own body. Yet I am less uncomfortable with the choice to commit suicide (even though I don't like that choice) than I am with the choice to be a slave. I doubt you'd be able to regret killing yourself after it's done, but you'd certainly be able (and even likely) to regret-- for a long time-- choosing to be a slave.
Once you've chosen to be a slave, how do you change your choice if you come to regret it? If you can change your mind are you really enslaved?
I think about this when I see how many people choose to celebrate being a "citizen", which I consider to be the choice to be a slave to a collective; a government or a nation. Will that collective ever really let you change your mind once you've accepted the terms of your enslavement?
I understand the promised benefits of this arrangement. I can see why some have the desire to belong. I also realize that if certain conditions are met, the government in question will consider you a "citizen" regardless of your wishes. If you believe this government's claim is bogus to begin with, I don't really see much point in paying tons of money and fighting for years to make this government withdraw its claim to you. I'm more thinking about those who make this a big part of their personal identity and are proud of it.
If you choose to be a slave to a collective in such a way, is that a self-destructive choice? It sure looks like it to me.
Thank you for helping support KentforLiberty.com.
Donations and subscriptions are always appreciated!
I once read a fantastic article which outlined the differences between Rand and Rothbard, by using backing out of voluntary-slavery as an example.
I've been looking for it for a few years now as I'd love to revisit, but can't find it.
It astounds me the unconscious slavery that people 'sign up' to it, by putting themselves into debt...
I think there is a distinction to be made between debt voluntarily assumed due to time preference and debt involuntarily imposed due to matters like taxation though.
I agree with that - but the 'unconscious' slavery of taking on of debt through lack of education. Intentionally in my opinion..
People take on debt without thoughts of the responsibility...(student loans for example...)...then they find themselves - unwittingly - as debt slaves.