Self-Governing Individuals Are Necessary for a Self-Governing Society

by Diane Rufino

April 14, 2013

Self-governing individuals are necessary to have a self-governing society. That is, only a moral and disciplined people are capable of being governed by a limited government. Those who are not need greater government. The Pilgrims taught us this when they established the successful colony in Plymouth.

The term "self-governing" refers to the ability of individuals to exercise control over oneself. It is the internal obligation one feels to do the right thing. It is the willingness of individuals to consciously choose and hold onto productive principles that apply in diverse situations. Self-government means self-reliance, self-discipline, and self-improvement. As Thomas Paine said, self-governing individuals are necessary to have a self-governing society. Representative democracy ultimately depends on the moral character of the people and of the representatives elected. As James Madison, chief architect of the Constitution, wrote: "To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea."

Self-governing individuals are necessary in order that the United States can hope to maintain a government of constitutional limits and of a size and scope that can be accountable to the people.

The debate at the core of the growing socialist nature of our government is how much should government do to help those who are less fortunate than others? An entire political party and an entire social movement has been created to answer that question: Total redistribution and equality of status. They are devoted to redefining what the United States stands for, the nature of government, and the new rights that individuals are entitled to and those that government can now regulate in the name of social justice. They are devoted to the tearing down of the fundamental institutions on which successful self-government is based, such as the family, church, and an education system that educates and not indoctrinates. They are devoted a tireless agenda of trying to "do good without God."

But good government depends on the character and virtue of the people it represents.

Character is built by overcoming obstacles. People can and do raise themselves out of poverty. The success stories of millions of immigrants paint a picture of the long-run rewards of discipline, perseverance, and sacrifice. If those stories are to continue, we must protect our liberties, accept our responsibilities, and practice virtue. We must never lose sight of the primary functions of government, as laid out in our Declaration of Independence; otherwise, we have a government in charge of defining its functions rather than We the People defining our government. If we wish to hold on to the grand notion, established for this nation by our Founders, that sovereign power to govern rests first and foremost with the People, then we honor our founding principles. According to the Declaration, protecting persons and protecting property are the two main functions of good government. When government steps beyond those legitimate functions, it steps outside the bounds of justice. As James Madison wrote: "That is not a just government, nor is property secure under it, where the property which a man has in his personal safety and personal liberty, is violated by arbitrary seizures of one class of citizens for the service of the rest."

But the more fundamental debate that is going on in this country is the one which speaks directly to the character of each individual. And that debate is ultimately the one over religion and its proper role in our society.

MUCH MORE AT:  http://forloveofgodandcountry.com/2013/04/14/self-governing-individuals-are-necessary-for-a-self-governing-society/