Das ganze Leben
The entire life
La vie entière

September 2010

Freedom and guidance 2
The personal freedom and its limits

The personal freedom

We want to express ourself freely and we want to configurate our life as we like it to do. Because we all claim this right for us, we must give it to all others too. The law has to accept that people are very different and that they have a right to their own personality. So it can happen that some of our neighbors maintain a lifestyle that we do not like. By respecting the right of the individual freedom we have to tolerate unpleasant and even ugly things, as long as they do not lead to a harm. The free personal space, we have to tolerate includes, that people are disgusting, do disgusting things and that they argue for irritating points of view.

Distinguish limits and setting signals

As much freedom as possible, as much bondage as necessary - this is the maxim of a free society.
A culture can only be successful, if a majority of people recognize and respect a frame of habits and rules for living together. It is therefore important that some habits and rules become ingrained during a childhood routine. As far as it is the schools responsibility to give shape to the habits of youngsters, the school must also have the means to enforce it. An engagement in leisure time or during the holidays can be ordered for a infraction. A youngster can improve his social skills by cleaning public facilities, by helping in the lunchroom or by helping and assisting younger children or elder people. It is not about punishing him. The idea is to make to him clear that if he does, what the society does not want, then he receive some activity to do that he does not want to do. It is in the interest of the society that a youngster learns already to deal with his dark sides and to see where and when he becomes a burden for himself and for others and how he can improve.

Crimes that are not always recognized as crimes

Many crimes are clearly visible to the public. For fraud, burglary and murder, it is a certainty for everyone that these are crimes. Less clearly are things such as the disruption of our social structure and the degradation of our natural resources. Maybe that someone who steals a monthly wage will strictly be condemned, while others are not even prosecuted if they cause harm by ruthlessness and greed in industries and ruin the lives people, or if they cause great environmental damage. Some crimes are a part of a culture. This makes a thorough and persistent education particularly difficult and necessary.

A contentious point is the freedom of religion: You are certain that you have the right of choice in religious matters just as other people have the right to make their own choices. As well the members of your family.

An other contentious point is sexuality: The society has to protect minors and in a dependent relationship standing people against every sexual activity. Sexual activities can be tolerated between nearly grown-up people and adults under the condition that there is no dependency and that the difference of age is small. A problem is the different perception of sexual pleasure by men and women. Men need to learn that coercion and rape are for women disasters with widespread consequences. Women commit few sexual crimes. It would be helpful if girls learn how to react when men are trying to profit sexually from them. Young girls also need to know what risks they face when they use their whole art of seduction.