Paris and I ~ 'In Search of the Real Criminals'

iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ In Search of the Real Criminals ~

In Search of the Real Criminels, originally uploaded by Paris Set Me Free.

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Have you ever wondered what gives governments the right to rule over us? Even in a so-called 'democracy', were you ever asked if you wanted to belong to the club? Come to think of it, were any of your ancestors either? And even if they were, what legitimacy does a system created in the past have on someone born recently, after that event? Are we not all prisoners of a system we had absolutely no hand in creating?

Maybe it's that we believe we have arrived at a pretty good system, or one that isn't too bad, or maybe it's just too much effort or there would be too much resistance or it would give you too many problems in your personal life to rail against the system currently in place.

The temptation might be for those of us living in a so-called democracy to believe that we are the lucky ones, and that we do indeed have a great amount of freedom.

But what about if we decide to drive at 73 kilometres per hour on an empty road in a zone where the law says the maximum permitted speed is 70, and are caught by radar, and have to pay a 20th of our monthly salary as a fine. Is that a 'freedom' we are happy with?

And if the principle of a democracy is to provide everyone with the basic minimums of housing, food, education and why not 'dignity', whatever that is. And if it's based on these principles that we accept and submit to certain 'laws', including paying speeding fines such as the one above, instead of going to prison. Well then, what about those members of our society who don't benefit from these principles, such as the homeless, the hungry and the disaffected, who haven't signed up to the democratic social contract? Which, for that last point, would be, umm, all of us? Why should they, or for that last point any of us, respect any 'laws' at all? What have they got to do with us?

Democracies generally tumbled out of tumultuous rebellions of the down-trodden who rose up against those who had previously grabbed power through manipulation and violence.

But if we were living in a purely equal society where everyone had exactly the same possessions, rights, opportunities and satisfactions in life, would we spontaneously choose to install a system where the wealth and power of the country or the world is held by a privileged few who would hold powers to impose their will on the rest of us, including prison and death, and if so, how would we choose those privileged few?

It's somewhat bizarre, isn't it? Like life. I always find it intriguing and just a little ironic that we aren't asked if we want to be brought into existence, but we are. Followed some time later by a total disregard for whether we want to be taken out of that same existence, but most of us will admit that we will be, based on past evidence.

All I can say is, enjoy it while it lasts if you can, and if we do happen to be in a position to at least feel we are leading a good life, it would almost be a crime not to make the most of it, don't you think?

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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