Through freedom and liberty only can man find himself; freedom to pursue passion, thought, love, meaning, liberty to make for himself the world in which he best sees himself fit. Individuals who have the opportunity to reach self-actualizion, rather merely play a role in society, are the leaders of the world according to the drive within their hearts. To pool a society of individuals, given the freedom to pursue their passion within, can only create a nation of energy, courage, drive, and productivity. In the words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "Each of us contributes to the group his person and the power he yields as a person..." Unfortunately, the world contains evil, in which individuals must protect themselves against. There are those whos passion lies in deeds of harm, those who seek dominion over all, and leeches whom live off the blood of its host. These evils provide a necessity of protection, in which those who are free, must enter an agreement of government, to protect against those evils which outweigh the power of these single persons.
In a world with limited resources and the presence of said evils, the necessity for strength and protection seems self-evident. Man must protect himself from things such as invasion of a foreign power, theft of property, and most importantly, the abolishment of his freedom. Though counter-intuitive, the only way man is able to maximize his liberty, is to limit his freedoms. This is done through law. "The individuals who compose it being known as citizens in so far as they share in the sovereign authority, as Subjects in so far as they owe obedience to the laws of the State..." -(Rousseau). This law is referring to the body politic formed by the people for the people. Its function as Rousseau so rightfully articulates is to increase freedom through law and order. We as a society are now free to walk the streets with little to no fear of robbery, rape, domination, and so on. Through law, criminal acts are defined; through enforcment of the law, fear instilled to those whom consider evil acts. The result is a civilized society of individual equality regarding law and justice.
Virtue, as defined by Aristotle is a means between two extremes. For a government to have complete dominion over its citizens is the extreme of power. A non-existent government is the extreme of chaos. Lao Tzu preaches a government of subtle action, little involvement, almost ruling as a ghost. Tzu does not lie on the extreme of a non-existing government, but definitely leans that way, or atleast to the illusion of such. This idea of subtlety is expressed in his statement "When the Mster governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists..." he expands, "When his work is done, the people say, "Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!" This form of govenrment is to promote individuality. The master is an aid to a group of individuals, and the significance of such a society lies within the coherency of this group. Rousseau's ideas parallel this thought of Lao Tzu's. With the agreement of individuals to band together as a body politic, pool their powers, protect one another, and live in such a way as to promote the individual, therefore the group, the society and the citizens within will thrive.
The State must not become something other that the sum of its parts. Through elected officials the state is born. The duty of these officials is to represent its colony within the nation. The United States congress is a perfect example of citizen representation. The state is essentially a whole of colonies, united under one banner; it is a machine composed of many cogs, working in harmony to produce the product of social order and to uphold the virtues of its citizens. In the United States, officials are elected to represent the people in a specific geographic location, i.e. the fifty states. The United states congress is a collaboration of these representatives, each negotiating for the best interest of his state. Points are made, perspectives are evaluated, and compromises met. The role of congress is met through an agreement among the powers of the states. In the past, each state agreed that their effectiveness as a people will increase through an agreement of individuals, to join together. The United States of America is the result of said agreement, and has lead to the becoming of the most powerful nation on Earth. Each man remains an individual within a system of pooled power and agreed-upon law. In large, the man remains free; he is free to pursue the level of education he best sees fit, to work as hard as he wills to reap, to love who he wishes to love, and follow the faith of his heart. The law abolishes the freedoms which so obviously take liberty from others. Examples of such freedoms would be the freedom to murder, rape, and steel. Laws that are less clear on their moral solidity, will constantly remain in debate, as they should. Depending on where the majority of the nation lies on subjects such as abortion and the death penalty, will determine the stance of law regarding these debates. If the state were to somehow allow the rise of a dictator, where machine becomes a single whole, rather than a sum of its parts, then revolution must incur. The dictator, or ruling party must be eliminated to bring the power back to the people and its representatives.
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