The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

294 THE FREEMAN MayEach man's right to be different isa right. James Madison delineatedthis point. Writing in the NationalGazette in 1792 he noted:... as a man is said to have a rightin his property, he may be equallysaid to have a property in his rights.When an excess of power prevails,property of no sort is duly respected.No man is safe in his opinions, hisperson, his faculties or his possessions.Few of our youth, if allowed tochoose individualism, will resignthemselves to the "security" ofmass equality. They, like thegreat Goethe, know "as soon asyou trust yourself, you will knowhow to live." Not only do theysee the satirical paradox in: "Bemy brother or I'll kill you"; theysee it as well in the vaunted revolutionaryconcept of Rousseauthat individuals must "be forcedto be free." The right of the individualto, choose must includethe right to choose unwisely. Itfollows, moreover, that a matureindividual will accept the responsibilitynot only of choosing, butalso of the consequences. In a freesociety each individual does whathe thinks is best for him individually.An acquaintance of mine retiredfrom the Navy as a ChiefPetty Officer in 1960. An uncle ofhis was highly critical. "Twentyyears in the service," the elderkinsman said, "and you're stillonly an enlisted man. My son'sbeen in for just six years and he'sa Lieutenant Commander/'During the ten years which haveelapsed since the incident, the retiredChief has been a high schoolhistory teacher. Recently his unclecommiserated with him againfor his lackluster showing. "Youstill stuck in the classroom?" theold man asked. "By this time youshould be a principal." He is completelyunable to accept the behaviorof his forty-five-year-oldnephew as rational. That thenephew may value· satisfactionover prestige in his work is whollyincomprehensible.Let Each Be Responsible forThe Results of His ChoicesMy professor in an industrialmanagement course described anaccident which occurred in a cornstarchrefinery several decadesago. An explosion in a partiallyfilled railway car caused adjacentcars and loading platforms to bedemolished. Fires spread throughoutthe area. Three workers werekilled in the blast, a dozen seriouslyinjured screamed in painand terror. The manager was inshock, walking about mutteringaimlessly: "What will I do? Whatwill I do?" A dispatcher from theshipping office took charge. He