Freedom or Restriction?

"Most prefer restrictions and regulations to absolute freedom of choice, even though they might deny such a preference"

Who has ever heard of a "restricted" fun or party? Democracy works on the basic principle of freedom. People have fought and died for their freedom. The basic nature of any living soul is to be free. Even in a war it is a bad strategy to not give enemy any room for maneuver. Every cell in our body screams that we are free.

Yet we cannot deny that without rules and restrictions our life would come to a standstill. Yes, most people do prefer restrictions and regulations in many things. Law and order, schedule, time-table, organization : these are some of the words that have become embedded in our daily lives. These are the words which are enough to remind us how much we prefer restrictions and regulations. Without rules lives would go haywire. There would be utter chaos and total destruction.

So, what is wrong? What do people really prefer, after all!

The truth is that people in general prefer stability, fun, freedom and growth. The people are supposed to be free. However this freedom needs to be defined clearly and enforced equally to hold any meaning. Failing this it will not be freedom, it will be anarchy. Absolute freedom may work perfectly for a hypothetical perfect society. In real life it amounts to anarchy. As ironical as it may seem, the aim of regulations and restrictions is to make freedom flourish! It also has an additional task of preventing chaos and misuse of freedom. A man is free to move, eat, talk, vote, love, work, spend and worship. He is not free to steal, kill, loot, threaten and fight! A schedule has to be maintained so as you can do your work more efficiently. A organization needs regulations to ensure smooth working. Nevertheless it cannot dictate its employee's personal lives, discriminate between them on racial grounds or refuse to pay them. There are rules that prevent them from encroaching on an employee's freedom and vice versa.

Concluding, freedom and regulations co-exist in a delicate balance.Saying that most people prefer absolute freedom is as absurd as claiming that they prefer restrictions and regulations! Preferences of the people in particular and masses in general differ from place to place, situation to situation. Generalizing such preferences is simply not possible. The boundaries of freedom and regulations have always clashed trying to strike the right balance. But that is another story...