Because
 of this sense of entitlement, many people believe they can
do anything they want as long as it hasn't been declared illegal by
our government.I disagree. My mantra to my children has always
been "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." This assumes
that one has some sort of moral code.
Our right to free speech protects even those who choose to let
loose a volley of four-letter words upon a playground full of
preschoolers. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
It also protects those who would stand in a town square under a
white mask of cowardice and spew racial hatred into the ears of
passers-by. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Our laws allow people to smoke until they die, as long as they
aren't doing it in a public building, and they can get as drunk as
they want as long as they aren't operating a vehicle. But... just
because you can, doesn't mean you should.
In our country it is not illegal to cheat on one's spouse, but...
just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
One definition of democracy that was used frequently in my
husband's seventh-grade classroom is "Democracy is the art of
disciplining oneself, so that one need not be disciplined by
others." Seventh-graders need to hear that, but so do adults.
This, I think, goes further than simply not breaking the law to
avoid getting arrested. In a perfect world, we would not need laws
at all to keep citizens from causing harm to themselves or one
another. However, many adults are like their children and cannot
discipline themselves. Therefore, we need laws to protect everyone.
We have citizens who seem to think that the universal laws of
civility and common decency do not apply to them; that they are in
some way exempt from good behavior. This is why our government is
busily making up new laws every day to cover that which should be
common sense. We are apparently unable to discipline ourselves or
our children; therefore, we must be told what we can and cannot do.
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 This is why, slowly but surely, every freedom we have will
eventually be so constricted that the definition of the word
"freedom" will have to be rewritten.
We have so many more laws now that protect the criminal rather
than the victim. In the scenario where someone breaks into a man's
home and threatens his family and his property, the man should be
able to defend himself, his family and his property, with any means
available to him, without being sent to jail or fined if he happens
to hurt or kill the intruder. The intruder knew his risks and did it
anyway. It is only this lame interpretation of the law that impedes
real justice.
Government has even begun to tell parents how to raise their
children. From teaching sex education to elementary and middle
school children to informing people that spanking is inappropriate
discipline, government is stepping into the once-sacred parental
arena. Our government does this because, not only are there parents
who fail to teach their children the birds and the bees or anything
else that should be considered nonacademic, but there are also
parents who think that walloping the daylights out of a child should
be interpreted as a spanking.
The more laws that are written, the more rights will be impinged
upon by our government, because we cannot manage to discipline
ourselves or our children effectively.
The character of a person is assessed by how he behaves when
nobody is judging him. In other words, you must judge yourself.
If you are ever unsure about a moral dilemma, you can always
repeat my mantra to yourself:
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
[By LAURA SNYDER]
Laura Snyder is a nationally syndicated columnist,
author and speaker. You can reach her at
lsnyder@lauraonlife.com
or visit www.lauraonlife.com
for more info. |
