Freedom and Crime

in #freedom5 years ago

"Liberation?" Amazing, the extent to which criminal instincts persist in human nature. I use the word "criminal" deliberately. Freedom and crime are linked as indivisibly as....well, as the motion of the aero and its speed: when its speed equals zero, it does not move; when man's freedom equals zero, he commits no crimes. That is clear. The only means of ridding man of crime is ridding him of freedom.

I started reading the book We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and this quote is the topic that I am going to write about today.

No one likes crime. Part of the reason why we elect to become a member of society is for protection. Without an orderly society to keep us safe, we would be left to the animals of the world, both human and beast alike.

Crime is one of those things that we are obligated to mitigated as possible. But how much would be too much? Where do we draw the line?

The reason why this quote spoke to me so much is that there are conceivably very simple measures we can take to reduce crime dramatically.

  1. Ban all guns and weapons so he/she isn't tempted to kill
  2. Give him/her limited to no contact with other humans
  3. Give him/her food for free
  4. Give him/her a cell
  5. Give him/her access to recreational drugs so he/she can stay happy

There. Crime would instantly go away when a man treated a like a house pet. No freedom to move or act dishonestly.

Just like in the quote, when man's freedom equals zero, he commits no crimes. I would like to add that there are other things that occurs when a man's freedom equals zero. His freedom in this case, must be all encompassing. He must not be given the freedom to feel. Just as how he wouldn't be capable of crime, he also would not be capable of committing heroic acts. He also cannot love, he cannot hate, he cannot feel passion, he cannot feel any emotions.

Do we want to live in a world like that? Of course not. We are humans not robots.

There is a price to be paid for everything. There is a price to be paid for safety and there is a price to be paid for freedom. And coincidently, the price is each other.

Personally, I would choose freedom over safety. I have lived a relatively simple and safe life. Needless to say, I felt bored and lifeless. Like many others, I find some enjoyment indulging in various forms of entertainment. But those small doses of artificial dopamine, from living in virtual realities can only take me so far. I felt like I was coping with my inability to experience a sense of excitement, and danger in the real world. So I read books, play video games, watch TV etc. But something just didn't feel right.

Nowadays, I want something authentic, something that is longer lasting. I want the ability to feel scared, to feel happy and excited.
To move on from video fighting game to something like actual boxing
To move on from adventure books to an actual adventure
To move on from TV suspense to actual suspense

If that means that I may get hurt or killed then it's a small price to pay. A safe world doesn't mean it's a good one.

Thanks for reading!

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I too would choose freedom over safety. this sure isn't an easy question to answer, but you've made a lot of very interesting points. Thank you for sharing.

I found your post because @ajorundon featured you in a Pay it Forward Curation contest entry.

good article ,am i enjoyed reading it

Interesting post. I agree that no freedom is a bad thing, though I agree with wolfhart that it doesn't necessarily mean no crime... However, I agree with your overall premise.

I came here because @ajorundon featured you in the Pay it Forward Curation Contest. Keep up the great work!

when man's freedom equals zero, he commits no crimes.

That is a false assumption . The same then would have to be said that there is less crime in countries with less freedoms.

Freedom and safety are not related and one does not take away or add to the other.

Getting killed is the largest price that is paid for freedom. Freedom is not cheep.

I came to your post because it was featured in an entry to @pifc's Curation Contest:Week 48
Posts that have been selected by the entrant will be visited by other members of the PIFC Community and given support.
You are welcome to submit other author’s post in future contests. The PIFC community has a support Discord Channel that you are invited to join. For more information about the PIFC family along with a great way to meet new people. We are a group of like minded people that focuses on assisting one another.

I see what you are saying but I think you are a little biased. There are certain freedoms and safety precautions that you value more than others, which is why you believe that freedom and safety isn't related.

For example, a country can take away our right to bear arms. That is a restriction on on our freedom. However, most people consider that a win their books because they had no desire to bear arms to begin with plus they will be able to visit places safely. They do not value that freedom so all they see is the safety benefit.

What safety precaution do I value more then others that make me bias ??????????

they do not value that freedom so all they see is the safety benefit

So the relationship between freedom and safety are based on feelings or values

I didn't mean to single you out like that. Bias in this case is to be expected (So am I). I do not know you personally so I am only offering examples.

So an example of a safety precaution that you may not care about is the banning of kids food

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwimmumAvPPgAhXpguAKHSiTD3QQzPwBegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonexaminer.com%2Fopinion%2Fcalifornia-gives-new-meaning-to-nanny-state-with-proposed-regulations-on-kids-meals&psig=AOvVaw0uA8YpZ4e6oMsdqtctyiyH&ust=1552166249681163

So the relationship between freedom and safety are based on feelings or values
I 100% agree with you. But the original quote in question used the number zero, meaning nothing. When we change it to a small number or like you said less freedom/less crime then it is subjected to feelings and values.

Thanks for your comments. Made me think about the topic from a different perspective.

Made me think about the topic from a different perspective.

don't feel like the lone ranger. I to had to give this some thought.

California what can you say. 😉

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In as much as we want any good thing, we should be prepared to pay the sacrifice. Thanks for sharing @snoreball

In addition, this post has been featured by me in the payitforward curation contest - week 48

https://steemit.com/@ajorundon/my-entry-for-the-payitforward-curation-contest-week-48-jt46jfqk

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