As a child, I wanted nothing more than to be released from the bondage of my parents, to be freed from their lavish rules and to do as I pleased. I don’t think this desire was unique to me, as many of my peers complained just as ardently about their parents as I did mine. I am sure you, the reader, can relate to this feeling of wanting to be liberated from whatever chains may have confined you in your youth.

This common desire that we all shared in our early stages of life never really goes away. It simply matures. Now, instead of wanting to be free from the despotism of our parents, we just want to be left alone by everyone to live our lives as we see fit. Most of us just want the freedom to do as we please, so long as we are not hurting others. We have a word that we use to describe this universal feeling: liberty. Whether you know it or not, you love liberty just as much as I do, and rightfully so. It is as important to our psychological nature as food and water are to our biological nature.

As young children, we were dependent on the care of our parents and as such enjoyed less liberty. As an adult, we no longer require the care of a constant overseer, thus we are able to fully enjoy the fruits of liberty. Without it, the likelihood of reaching our ultimate potential is small. We require liberty in order for us to think. We need to think in order for us to grow. We need to grow in order for us to reach our full and unique potential. In this day and age, however, we seem to be sacrificing our liberty to our government in the name of safety – safety from terror, corporations, drugs, trans-fats, and yourself. This attitude is nothing short of destructive and undoubtedly hampers personal growth and responsibility. The right to take in information as you please harms no one, thus there should be no law regulating the dissemination of knowledge. This is a widely accepted view. Yet, when one uses knowledge to harm another person, it is the role of the government to step in and provide consequences. These consequences are used to punish as well as to deter.

What if there are negative consequences for a behavior that harms no one, like when one is imprisoned for betting on a sporting match, or smoking pot? Who besides the person making the decision was harmed by this behavior? Nobody. But by punishing this behavior, society is ultimately harmed due to the reigning-in of personal liberty and the decimation of freedom of choice.

Liberty means responsibility, which is why most people dread it. But it is most definitely required in order for each and every one of us to become the person we wish to be. By limiting liberty, what are we to become, and for who?