1st Prize Winner
Age Group 16-18

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Untitled

by Amber Grunte, age 17

          Freedom is a right. It is not a privilege. It is not a privilege because privileges are "given" to people. No one gives us our freedom; we are born with it--ALL of us. Besides, who could possibly be in such a position to "hand out" freedom like it was some kind of reward for being "good". No one has that much authority--or at least no one should.

          Many feel that a society bound by no rules would be a society run amok. People would run wildly through the streets burning, raping, and pillaging everywhere they went. The idea is that government exists to "help" its society "run smoothly". But there is an underlying flaw here: the assumption that mankind is inherently evil. People believe/ are led to believe that authority is necessary to suppress our natural destructive tendencies; that we would be of harm to ourselves and others without its guiding force. That if left to our own devices, we would not make good choices.

          Nothing could be further from the truth. Increased responsibility is a result of increased personal freedom. It is not as if deep down everyone is desperately aching to murder their neighbor, and the only thing holding them back is the knowledge that they will be imprisoned if they do. Instead, the more personal liberty an individual retains, the more likely they are to do what is right. Because the more one has to do in developing his/her own morals, the more they will want to abide by them. If a person does something they know in their heart is wrong (and humans are definitely born with this instinct), they are no longer just "breaking the law", they are going against their own conscience. And this suffering is much greater. Sure, some will argue that there are in fact those who deep down are desperately aching to murder their neighbor; but these people are the exception, not the rule, and they need help.

          For humans naturally are good--sure, we may have our faults--but we do not need a higher authority to rule over our lives. Government is actually a bit ironic here; by forcing laws upon us--most of which we would naturally adhere to anyway--it is creating resentment among its people, and defeating the purpose. An example is the minimum drinking age: few young people I know just absolutely crave the taste of a beer; yet it becomes appealing by being legally forbidden. Those who drink become "cool" and "rebellious"--but more significantly many die in drunken driving accidents, or suffer long-term effects like kidney and liver disease, or become alcoholics, and no longer can even choose for themselves whether or not to drink. The forbidden fruit is always the sweetest; if alcohol had never become legally controlled, it would not be an issue today. It is too bad the government did not decide to prohibit vegetables and studying--teens would be a lot better off, with a lot fewer problems.

          Responsibility is not lost with increased freedom; the opposite is true. The more control a person is allowed in managing their own life, the more they will take it. Despite what some would have us believe, we are good people capable of making good choices--we just are not given the chance often enough.

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