The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Politics might be an amusing hobby, but it is a horrible basis for a society.

One should never confuse government with society. Society grows naturally from the voluntary interactions of people, while government is anti-social; imposed by those who imagine themselves at the “top” onto everyone they see as beneath them.

Unanimous consent is the way to get things done without coercion or theft. Let those who agree work together without forcing anyone else to go along. If your idea relies on forcing people to participate, it’s probably a bad idea. Anything that depends on force or coercion to survive should be allowed to die. Never use mob rule — democracy — to force people to do things they oppose.

Allegiance to a group shouldn’t be assumed, mandatory, or dependent on where you live. Let people choose their own groups, and let the groups’ territories overlap the way those of clubs or churches do. Let people switch between groups, or opt out, as their needs and circumstances change.

If your culture can’t survive contact with a different culture, it may not be worth saving. Are you so dependent on the behavior and opinions of others that you can’t live the way you believe you should if you don’t have company?

Yes, there is comfort in numbers, but you’ll often find yourself in the minority over the course of your life. Embrace it. Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority you should re-evaluate your position. The majority is rarely right.

You have no right to enslave people for their own good, or what you imagine to be their own good. Let people find their own path, as long as they aren’t stealing or attacking the non-violent.

You are responsible for yourself. You can take some responsibility for others, as long as you aren’t imposing yourself on them. It’s OK to allow others to make mistakes; to be wrong. It’s usually how people learn. Don’t let them drag you down with them, but realize when you need to back off.

You don’t need others to live as you do, and everyone has the natural right to defend themselves from anyone who tries to force their way on them.

Remember that your ideas of what people should be doing may not be their ideas. If it would be wrong for them to force you to live as they want, then it would be wrong for you to force them to live as you believe they should.

Farwell’s Kent McManigal champions liberty. Contact him at: [email protected]