I don’t trust the government. Not in one of those weird conspiracy theories sort of way — I’ve been to the DMV, I don’t think the government is smart or organized enough to carry out conspiracies on a grand scale. I don’t trust the government because I don’t think the government can solve my problems.
Before I go on, I ought to mention that I know we need roads, mail and other government-run services. I don’t advocate anarchy, just limited government.
As election season gears up, there are a lot of promises — and a lot of demands –passed around.
Demands for health care reform, budget reform, lower taxes, gun control and so on.
Here’s the deal: you can’t legislate a better country. Churning out an ever-growing body of laws will not work.
Legislating away guns will not work to save lives. Remember that smoking pot is against the law, as is driving over the speed limit, even the standard five miles over. As for murder, I don’t kill people because it’s against the law — I don’t kill people because I have respect for human life. It’s about choices and values, not what the government describes as law.
A more respectful, law-abiding citizenry is created from each of us. Putting the fear of law into people — increasing penalties, jail time and so on — will do two things: create a generation of people afraid of breaking the law and overcrowd our jails. On the plus side, increasing fines puts money in the government’s coffers.
I’ll admit I don’t know what the answer is. Part of the answer lies with quality civics education, teaching character and citizenship in schools.
Far more important, I think, is individual education — changing ourselves, raising kids with values and seizing leadership opportunities.
All of us, however, are in a position to change ourselves.
One of the pillars of Buddhism is causation — every moment has an infinite number of causes. Nearly all of them are uncontrollable, but we can control our own actions and reactions.
I can’t do a whole lot to stop Kony or end any one of a number of genocides. But I can make a difference in the lives of the people around me. It’s like those insurance commercials where one person’s service inspires another’s, which inspires another’s service and so on.
I don’t think the world will change because Congress tells it to change. Honestly, I don’t think it will change if anybody tells it to change.
The world will change because we change ourselves.
It’s like Ghandi supposedly said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Kasen Christensen can be reached at [email protected]