People & Policy
I believe if all people were just, moral, and good, we wouldn’t need any laws beyond the Golden Rule. If everyone would do unto others as they would have done to themselves, conflict would cease, courtrooms would be silenced, and the majority of political debate would stop. This is clearly not the world we live in today.
You may have heard it said, “You can’t legislate morality.” Too often today, we can’t even agree on the definition of morality. While we may be able to establish laws to prohibit hate crimes and hate speech, we cannot eliminate hatred itself. For the vast majority of people who live honorably and conduct themselves in a moral way, laws are not necessary. For the immoral minority, laws are never enough, but they are the only remedy we have in an imperfect world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “It may be true that morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated.” Here in America, we believe that we are endowed by our creator with the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Rules and laws must be put in place that allow everyone the greatest liberty without infringing on anyone else’s liberty. Harry Truman often repeated, “Your right to swing your fist ends at my nose.”
In a free society, we must be willing to stand up for, and even fight for, other people’s beliefs even if we don’t agree with them. Everyone believes in freedom of thought and expression as long as they agree with the sentiment expressed. Where it becomes difficult is when our collective liberty requires us to protect people’s thoughts and expressions that we do not agree with. The latitude we give others to pursue their own life, liberty, and happiness is the same latitude and freedom we need to pursue our own.
Tolerance does not mean we agree or even remain silent about our disagreeing. Tolerance means that we give everyone the right to their beliefs and actions to the extent that they don’t infringe upon others’ beliefs and actions. Liberty never provides consensus, but it remains the best way for each of us to reach our highest ideals and pursue our destiny.
As you go through your day today, remember that liberty and tolerance are two-way streets.
Today’s the day!