(This essay is reprinted here from a column I used to write for The Beach Reporter in Manhattan Beach, CA. Even though I wrote it twenty-five years ago, it still seems appropriate to post.)
Living in a country where individual freedom is valued so highly is something most of us treasure. In the news every day are stories of individuals standing up for what they believe are their God-given rights. Presumably they are able to do so because of the democratic system we operate under.
The individual right to choose a religion, to choose where we want to live, to marry or have sexual relations with whomever we choose, to carry a picket sign against the spraying of malathion. These are all rights that we as individuals take for granted.
Of course, individual rights are not left completely up to man’s will. As a society we do recognize that there must be laws and rules governing some of our actions. These laws are carried out on the premise that they are for the “common good.” Such laws as those prohibiting minors from purchasing alcohol or operating motor vehicles, preventing people from purchasing firearms on a whim, or preventing us from raising roosters in our yards are agreed on by consensus.
Then there is a gray area. A big gray area. In fact, the whole issue of individual rights could be regarded as a gray area. As some would say, “Your individual rights end at my front yard.” Continue reading
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