Tags for this video have been changed from 'free, freedom, greek, enlightenment, hunter rawlings, individualism, service' to 'free, freedom, greek, enlightenment, hunter rawlings, individualism, service, democracy' - edited by blankfist

The great thinkers of the Enlightenment learned from the mistakes of direct democracy. I fear we're trying desperately to go back to that broken model of human government.

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." – John Adams (1814)

^They didn't learn from all of their mistakes. The Founding Fathers - men of the Enlightenment - still denied women many fundamental rights, and many of them owned slaves. So they were only willing to take freedom so far.

I do like the Greek argument that we've given up some of our freedom by having representatives be our voice, instead of doing the job ourselves. Most people bitch about politicians, so why not take them out of the equation? Note that I'm not talking about eliminating our basic protections against the tyranny of the majority (the Bill of Rights) nor giving unchecked power to the government, nor eliminating the other branches of government, but I do think we need more direct democracy. If we really want liberty, we should be willing to actively protect it through direct participation in governance. If that means that we have to study the issues carefully and then cast our votes on all legislation, then so be it. We are a huge country, but with technology it is not outside the realm of reality for direct democracy to take place. If states allow ballot initiatives for so many issues, then the federal government should do the same.

If we have the fundamental right to throw off the yoke of bad government (as America did in its revolution), it is understood that you probably will have to fight for it. Freedom isn't free, or so they say. Therefore if we have to be willing to literally fight and possibly even lay down our lives for our freedoms, we should also work directly in maintaining the freedoms that we fought for. Your job isn't done once the revolution is over. One man's opinion.

Freedom costs a buck o' five.

I'm just gonna put a "Legalize Freedom" sticker on my car and call it a day. Let someone else worry about the sheer stupid irony of that statement.

Freedom is self control. Nothing more and nothing less.

According to the ancient barbarians, the Greeks weren't free, either.

And never forget that "doing it Greek style" is what Wall Street was founded upon.

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