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During Covid I was fighting with some guy on spaces and he said, “we get it, you think your freedom is more important than other people’s lives” as if that was some sort of a put down. I responded “Not only is it more important than other people’s lives… it’s also more important than my own life” He was confused by that. He could easily file me away as selfish, but not as someone willing to die for others freedom. He considered himself the selfless one. And tbh his moral instincts of reducing harms and preserving life were noble. But to preserve freedom at the cost of life is the higher moral ground, because a life without liberty has no purpose. So I told him “give me liberty or give me death and if you won’t do either at least don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re the moral one here” Then they kicked me from the space. I think about that interaction a lot.

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One of the complexities in politics is that there are multiple decisions that seem useful in the short-term but erode long-term value. Being able to appreciate that long-term value and its various bulwarks is important for dealing with short-term things. The basic exercise is to imagine your least favorite politician. Any power you give to your favorite politician today has a decent chance of landing in the hands of your least favorite one eventually. Still want to hand that power over? Another classic example is the first amendment. Some hateful idiot is saying all sorts of bad things. The best answer is, “look, what he’s saying is awful, but we need to let him say those things and for people to counter-argument them rather than suppress them. If he is wrong, the long arc of debate will show that to be true. Because otherwise that power can one day be used against good things, too.” View quoted note →
Glad we own guns, Covid would have been Nazi government level. Seattle was basket case crazy. Closing churches, not aloud to sing, half the congregation was all for it. We moved twice, Idaho was ok, we didn’t care at all. Texas gov didn’t care much, still a lot of people believe doctors and got the shots. They have weird authority issues.
If liberty is worth more than life, doesn’t it demand greater responsibility? Dying for freedom is noble, but living for it; expanding liberty for others even at your expense where we need to be focusing. What does fighting for liberty look like for you?
Sometimes people experience negative emotions, not because someone said something that caused them pain, but because someone said something that touched the rot that was already there. Speaking the truth about reality can do that, because some people aren't integrated well enough with reality to take on the density necessary to handle what's real when it's spoken.
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I've come to believe that the biggest deception we suffer from as humans is the idea that we're supposed to put others needs above our own. The idea of virtuousness. It causes more pain & suffering than anything else I can think of & it's done with the best (although misguided) intentions. Humans act. They act because they believe that action is in their best interests. No exceptions. The most damaging lies are the ones we tell ourselves. I like helping others. It makes me feel good. I also don't like to cause pain or suffering in others. Pure selfishness that when extrapolated out at scale leads to harmony & not chaos. The ultimate paradox is that there is no other. What we do to others, we do to ourselves. It's truly a beautiful simulation that we have created for ourselves. 💚🫂
This is not a wise position to take. You were imbued life, which you did not earn, from your parents, but also from your Creator, God, who imparts to every human a soul, again, which you did not earn. Your life, given to you by another, is infinitely more important than the virtue of freedom. Freedom of life, freedom to live life, and freedom to make your own choices: all are good, virtuous things. But they are not you, and must be actively sought and fought for in this sinful world. Your life was given to you because of love. Therefore, freedom, while good and virtuous, is not more important than your life. If you choose to sacrifice your life in pursuit of freedom for others, yes, that is an act of love for others, but it does not make freedom more important than your life or your love for others.
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"a life without liberty has no purpose". good words but why do many people here suggest that Ukrainians end the war by sacrificing their freedom? and "stop funding" their desire to freedom? looks like we can be smart in words only
I was rejected from vending at my small local farmers market for refusing to wear a mask.... people found out about it online and came to support my sales. It was pretty epic. Pretty scary when you have 100 dozen of eggs coming at you everyday with no outlet.
I really do not understand this type of thinking. When COVID happened, I’m as freedom loving as the next person on NOSTR but I thought ON MY OWN that it was good scientific (and common) sense to isolate and mask for a short while so MFers (a lot smarter and technically focused on disease transmission/spread than me) could figure this thing out. I had friends who were full on FUCK YOU and your isolation/masking. It all comes down to You’re Not the Boss of Me-ism and ultimately, natural selection: adapt or die….and a lot of those who couldn’t adapt did in fact die from COVID. 😕
i choose life over anything as i loved life . in the era of slavery , the slave can take any beating , harm and humiliation as long as they can still alive . living is the great blessing that God give us . i think it is not right thing to say : give me death or give me liberty , thinking liberty is more precious than life is western or extremist way of valued liberty . man can try to balance and accept that there is no 100% liberty and in some way , man need to follow what the majority norm or rules .
It's wild how people just don't understand how important Freedom is. There is literally nothing more important - NOTHING Its quite simple to understand, 9 out of 10 people want ______ should we now force the remaining person? And its also quite simple on where to draw the line on freedom - does it physically harm someone else? Ironically, when it physically harms someone else your now infringing on that persons freedom. For 99% of situations this works but ill concide there will be examples not so cut and dry - thats why there is a justice system.
epic #siamstr
HODL's avatar HODL
During Covid I was fighting with some guy on spaces and he said, “we get it, you think your freedom is more important than other people’s lives” as if that was some sort of a put down. I responded “Not only is it more important than other people’s lives… it’s also more important than my own life” He was confused by that. He could easily file me away as selfish, but not as someone willing to die for others freedom. He considered himself the selfless one. And tbh his moral instincts of reducing harms and preserving life were noble. But to preserve freedom at the cost of life is the higher moral ground, because a life without liberty has no purpose. So I told him “give me liberty or give me death and if you won’t do either at least don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re the moral one here” Then they kicked me from the space. I think about that interaction a lot.
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