Vol. 2 - The Nature of Liberty
“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
– Benjamin Franklin, Founding Member of the United States of America
Among the many benefits of our Kingdom, none is so beloved — or so misunderstood — as liberty. Today in Alexandria, liberty is often invoked as a justification for policy changes that may not bring about the change the people truly desire. It’s used on both sides of the aisle, in defense of policies ranging from stimulus checks to forex fraud laws. It is brandished as a banner by everyone – radicals, reactionaries, and reasonable Alexandrians alike. Before we raise liberty as a cause, however, it is imperative we first understand it as a principle.
Let it be said plainly: liberty is not the power to abolish the past. It is not the power to redefine the present. It is not the power to obtain whatever one so desires through the law. Liberty is the protected ability to speak truth, live freely, work honestly, and grow in peace – without coercion from mob or minister.
The purpose of our government, therefore, is not to create liberty, but to protect it. That protection lies not in the endless invention of new laws, powers, and rights, but in our vigilance to protect those we already hold dear: life, property, conscience, and justice.
The thoughtful Alexandrian stands not for wild revolution, nor the suffocating crackdown of a tyrannical majority, but for the enduring balance between freedom and order. This balance, which is hard-won and easily lost, makes for a strong Kingdom and free people.
Let us remember this always: liberty without order is anarchy; order without liberty is tyranny. A wise government will seek the golden mean.
– Veritas