Law — the set of rules that govern a society — can be either an instrument of justice or an instrument of tyranny. It can either set men and women free, or it can bind them under an oppressive body of regulations, government oversight, and abusive police power.
Common sense dictates that when there are more rules to follow — more regulations, ordinances, civil codes, criminal laws, and so forth — then there are more things that a person has to remember if she wishes to be a law-abiding citizen. As the number of laws expands, the law itself becomes voluminous and arcane, difficult for the average person to understand. A person may not even know how many laws there are, or whether she might be accidentally breaking one. Lawyers come into the picture, acting as the high priests of good conduct, necessary intermediaries who can interpret the foreign language of law to the common man and woman.
It may seem counter-intuitive, but the simple fact is that the more laws, the less justice — and the less freedom which exists in society.
Today, we live in an age when almost every waking activity is regulated in some form or another. Even whether a person is allowed to cross the street is covered by a law. Yet we are as far away from justice as at any other point in history. There are still people who needlessly suffer, who are in pain that might be remedied, accursed with social afflictions that could be easily cured. When people get angry there is still violence, even shootings and murder. Neighbors still seek to take advantage of the other, families needlessly quarrel, friends forget their mutual connections, lovers their shared desire.
Inherent in freedom and liberty is the reality of responsibility. They are two sides of the same coin. When laws increase, humanity’s sense of responsibility begins to atrophy and expire. People come to see themselves as mindless machines that need only obey directions and avoid the police. Society is not seen as a shared endeavor amongst its members, but rather a game of cat and mouse between the powerful and the remainder of the population.
If people are to live together in peace, then they must see the connections between themselves and their friends, neighbors, and enemies, and recognize that by protecting others, they protect themselves. When we help other people and respect their claims for life, liberty and happiness, we create the very same social conditions that will ensure that our own claims are similarly upheld. This is the undeniable reality of the interconnectedness of humanity.
Thus, the fewer the laws, the greater the responsibility and the more freedom that exists in society.
In truth, humanity only needs one law, the law we are all taught at birth but which we tend to forget every now and then: Do unto others what you would have them do unto you. This so-called “Golden Rule,” common to every religion and spoken by every messenger of God, is as basic as it is profound. If people acted in accordance with this precept, we would have no need for militaries, police, or any other forms of coercive government force. If people were to really adhere to its guideline and think about how their actions might affect other people or how they would feel if someone were to treat them in the manner they treat others, ninety-nine percent of conflict on this planet would cease in an instant.
Is this not just a simple statement that we ought to do less harm on this Earth and seek to love others? For while hate is met with hate, love is met with love. Anger and hatred may trickle down for generations but it is easily stopped by a simple act of compassion and mutual affection.
If we are to believe the various religious scriptures that claim a divine force in humanity — that we are made in the image of the Almighty — then we have a basic obligation to enquire into the nature of this divinity. Is the Creative Spirit one that obeys laws and regulations? Does it cower in the face of government power? Did God utter, “Let there be light!”, or “Is this legal?” This is a serious question — for if a person is to assume her rightful place as an individual incarnation of that immortal breath flowing through this universe, then she must learn to act in a divine fashion. And I know of no conception of God which requires any sort of allegiance to any human master.
The full expanse of liberty that is the birthright of every human is intimately tied to our abilities to act out of a shared sense of responsibilty to the rest of the species. To put it more simply: liberty is tied to our ability to love, and to act out of love in all of our affairs. “Love,” Saint Augustine wrote, “and do what thou wilt… Let the root of love be within, of this root can nothing spring but what is good.” There is no difference between freedom and love. The day when the common law of love binds together every human, as it surely must, will be the day of shared liberation for the species as well.
