The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 I VISIT A MANAGED SOCIETY 683ward the unknown guard whoneglected to put my call throughwhen he should. After all, I wasnot a paying customer. His jobdoes not depend upon service, butonly upon compliance with regulations.He is paid by the state. Underthe same situation I might actwith similar discourtesy. And theCaptain? He probably deals constantlywith lawyers trying to digup "social injustices" to keep himin eternal hot water. Under similarcircumstances my own milk ofhuman kindness might curdle, too.I do not blame these men, nor anyof the San Quentin officials. Theyare doing a thankless job which,under our present system of dealingwith criminal offenders, hasto be done. But they, too, mustresist the pallor of gloom that resultsfrom the debilitating effecttheir managed society producesupon their charges and upon themselves.I came through this experienceresolved to double.my efforts .toresist a growing climate ofopinionaimed at making all men dependentupon a custodial government.The admirable struggle of my newinmate friend was aptly stated inhis closing remark during mylatest visit. "I am determined notto be conditioned to apathy." ~There Must Be FreedomIDEAS ONLIBERTYTHE MOST DRASTIC deprivation which any person can suffer is thatof the freedom to utilize and enjoy the faculties which nature hasgiven him and which his will and desire have developed. Keep aman from exercising his mind, his body, his faculties in the pursuitof his own wishes and delights, keep him from enjoying thefruits of his efforts ""7" and you have done everything evil to himthat you can. The greatest desire of each person, in short, is to befree to get the most· he can out of life. There is no other wayobjectively to define social goals than to call them the sum of thoseindividual goals which can be harmonized in society.SYLVESTER PETRO, The Labor Policy of the Free Society