TUESDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2004
“Good government” and adequate identification data
It should be one of the objectives of good government to facilitate the process through which people acquire adequate identification data (not necessarily to provide this data); to create an environment that is conducive to the individual identifying him or herself with something greater than him or herself.
This “something greater” should, however, NOT be the government itself, nor the state – rather the “nation”, or historical figures, language, culture, etcetera.
As an active agent in the constructive process through which people identify themselves to themselves, to others in their community, and to people both within and without their national borders, good government can and should play an important role in producing results beneficial to both the individual and the community within whose midst the individual lives and works.
WEDNESDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2004
The contradiction in my idealism
I believe every man, woman and child has a right to dignity, and I believe it to be a birthright of every man and woman to satisfy their natural desire for free, creative work under their own control.
Here is my problem: I cannot ignore the hypocrisy of my position. To be free in my own pursuit of creative fulfilment, I need an army of people to ensure the smooth running and administration of the world outside my front door, knowing full well that the ways in which they run and administer this world are sometimes in direct contradiction to values I hold dear.
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