Vol. 5 - Virtue in a Free Society
“Liberty cannot be established without morality…”
– Alexis de Tocqueville, French Philosopher
The laws of the Kingdom may restrain evil, but they can never create good. Institutions may bring about order, but they cannot build strong, moral character. The Constitution may limit the government, but it cannot sustain the liberty of a people unwilling to engage with their own individual liberty. Freedom can never be preserved by a paper – it must be preserved by virtue
We often hear, in the modern age, that the individual is supreme, and that the state’s job is to protect liberty, and that the citizen may do as they please so long as they break no law; but liberty in such a society becomes a void. A people with no virtues will vote themselves into a dependence on others, spend themselves to ruin, and entertain themselves into a depression – all while demanding more rights without responsibilities.
Truly, liberty is not simply the freedom to do whatever we wish, but the freedom to do what is right without coercion. And that kind of enduring liberty requires moral citizenry.
In order to truly preserve our liberty in the Kingdom of Alexandria, we must uphold some kind of moral law – not in Parliament, but in our own selves. Virtues which preserve freedom cannot be legislated, but must be sought after by the people: self-restraint even when it is hard, responsibility as a citizen, loyalty to the Crown and Kingdom, honesty in our speech, and reverence for the truth and the law. These ideals must be practiced, taught, and passed on in every generation of Alexandrians.
Alexandria may pass wise laws and elect noble leaders, but if the people abandon virtue, no law can save them.
– Veritas