There are two ways to look at the world, and both are true in their time and place:
You don’t know how good you’ve got it.
Or
You don’t realize how bad things have gotten.
This contrast came to mind this past week. Especially the second part.
I didn’t realize how bad my eyesight was, even with glasses, until I had surgery to fix it. I thought I was seeing OK- at least out of the eye that was still working after the retina reattachment.
Even when I got the left eye fixed, I wasn't really able to comprehend how much better I would be able to see after both eyes were working together again. And working correctly, basically for the first time in my life.
If I hadn't taken the risk and the expense to fix my eyes, there's no way I could know what I was missing.
If I refused to make the change, knowing that this would mean I would need reading glasses from now on, I would be missing out. Sure, it's a trade-off. It's worth it.
This made me think...
People in general don’t realize how enslaved they are until they experience, or can truly envision, living in liberty. They can’t comprehend how much better life could be. They use the first view as a crutch to avoid responsibility to make things better. They only see how things could be made worse by fiddling with them, but rarely understand how much better things could be. They let their fear rule them, and they want their fear to rule you, too.
I understand how good it could be. I know how good we have it now, but I know there's room for massive improvement, and I won't be satisfied not giving it a shot. I'm not willing to be mostly blind for the rest of my life because most people are too scared (or criminal) to accept liberty.
Is it a risk? Yep. I'm willing to take the chance. I wouldn't force it on anyone else, but they have no right to stop me by continuing to inflict their statist anti-system on me, either. To force statism on you and me!
Unless they can find a way to coexist with liberty, they are going to lose their "system" of authoritarian oppression completely. For themselves as well as those of us who won't be enslaved.
We both know which path they are doomed to choose. I think most of them will be glad, eventually.
