Control vs. Freedom: A Snapshot of Two Worldviews

Control is the objective of a government that sees low potential in its people.
Freedom is the objective of a government that sees high potential in its people.

At the core, there are basically two worldviews. One sees control as the solution to all problems. The other sees freedom as the solution to all problems. Sure, there’s a spectrum with countless positions in between—but those are the two poles.

Government is necessary to maintain order. The ongoing debate is about how that order should be maintained.
Control? Or freedom?
How much control? How much freedom?

One way this debate becomes visible is during something like a federal budget impasse—when appropriations run out and federal parks shut down. That’s when we see which worldview is currently driving the ship. Authorities understandably want the public to feel the pain, hoping it’ll spark quicker resolution.

But here’s where worldview really shows:

One side actively creates the pain by barricading open-air monuments and scenic views, simply because no one is available to clean up or sweep the area. They have to go out of their way to inflict that inconvenience. That’s control.

The other side would leave those areas open, allowing natural consequences to unfold—yes, trash may pile up and streets may get messy. But the pain is not inflicted; it’s consequential. That’s freedom.

Either way, there’s pain. But in the first case, it’s active, imposed by authority. In the second, it’s passive, shaped by how people respond.

In the first case, there’s nothing citizens can do to relieve the discomfort without permission. They’re stuck waiting on budget resolutions or barricades to be removed. That’s control.

In the second, citizens are free to step up—if they choose. That’s freedom.

Yes, it’s possible the trash might remain until government workers return. But in a true national moment, I find that unlikely. This country still has an army of citizens who take pride in where they live—who would show up. Scout troops. Church groups. Families.

They don’t need a paycheck to get involved. The reward is spiritual and psychological—and they know it’s worth it. That pride, that ownership, still lives in many Americans. They just need the freedom to act.
Unless, of course, they can’t get to it—because a barricade’s in the way.

There it is: control vs. freedom, in a nutshell.

10/9/13 Update: S.C. citizen mows the lawn and rakes leaves at the Lincoln Memorial
10/10/13 Update: FreedomWorks organizes a volunteer crew to clean up DC on Saturday

Note from the author:
I believe ALL people have unlimited potential.
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