America, Land of the

Classically, the myth of America is the myth of freedom. Freedom of speech, assembly, worship, weapon ownership, voting. No one can take your freedom from you. You can only lose it by in some way interfering with the freedom of others (ie, by theft, murder, deception). And freedom to make your life better no matter from where you start. And if you choose, you can make your life worse. Freedom to care for those who move you. Myths are not just facts, but also are vision statements. Myths help us see the future as well as understand the past. Myths give passion in the present as we move towards perfection in achieving our goals.

However, one could re-frame the myth, change it, pervert it into something different. What if the myth was not freedom, but equality? That would change everything!

• The 4th of July: Equality Day! This is the day the British citizens of America declared their equality with British citizens of England, and being unable to persuade the King, formed their own country, the United States. After the revolutionary war and the war of 1812, the USA won its equality with Britain and other countries on the world stage.
• We looked into ourselves and saw inequality, the slaves were not equal to the free men, so we strugged with this, eventually needing a civil war to enable the slaves to achieve some degree of equality.
• Again, we looked into ourselves and saw another inequality, and with much effort, persuaded the Luddites among us that women also should be free to vote.
• We looked around and again saw inequality. Some people had more money than others. So we created a taxation system that attempts to equalize income.
• We looked again and saw that health care was not equal. So, we are attempting to create an equal health care system.
• We looked again and saw to our horror that the US military was unequal to others. We decided we needed to find ways to equalize this. We created rules of engagement that gave the enemy at least a fighting chance. Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes has been resurrected, eliminating the advantage of smart weapons.
• We looked again and saw that the economy of the USA was unequal to other countries. We enacted laws and regulations that handicap businesses. We will get cap and trade to further reduce our private sector economy. We will tax businesses, increase the open season of frivolous law suits, and weigh businesses down with bureaucrats, regulations, taxes, quotas and whatever other restrictions we can use to equalize our private sector with that of other countries.
• We have come a long way in the last 100 years, but still have a long way to go. Some still have more money than others, more status, more possessions, more knowledge. All this can be equalized. We still have the free market, which needs to become the equal market. We need to equalize our enemies viewpoints with our own. One man's terrorist is the other man's freedom fighter. Who are we to say what is right? We need to continue our myth until everyone is equal (except of course those who we will need to enforce this equality).

So, what myth, what vision is true? Can both be true? Can people be both equal and free? Is there not a paradox? If you and I are free, would you not have the freedom to become unequal to me? If you and I are equal, would you not be prevented from doing something that made you my better?

Some may read this blog and believe it is reductio ad absurdum. But is it really? If it doesn't prove either to be absolutely correct, then perhaps the answer is not at either extreme. Perhaps some degree of equality and some degree of freedom are both needed, both in the pursuit of something else, some bigger, more fundamental end. The continued push towards more equality is progressively (what an ironic use of this word!) being opposed by those who yearn for more freedom. It may be true that we have moved the pendulum too far towards equality and it is time to move back towards a balance that will lead us towards the next level of human advancement. I think I know what that is, but will leave it up to the reader to consider what this might be.