Hey freedom lovers! Curt Derby here, author of Everybody’s Happy, Everybody Wins: How to Build a Perfect Society. I want to share some thoughts with you today about something that is super important to all of us:
Freedom
It’s the core of my book, and it’s something we all believe in deeply.
Have you heard about the analogy of the frog in boiling water? There has been a popular video on YouTube for the past fifteen years that you may have seen. It’s a “science experiment” using a frog and a saucepan of water on a stove.
The experiment goes like this: if you toss a frog into boiling water, it’ll jump right out. But if you put it in cool water and slowly turn up the heat, the cold-blooded nature of the frog will adapt to the changes in temperature. The water gets warmer and warmer, then hotter and hotter, until… well, you get the picture.
It turns out that the video is actually not scientifically accurate. Watching the “frog” (which, SPOILER ALERT, turns out to be a rubber toy frog) sitting in the boiling water is a very disturbing image.
But it makes a point: like a frog in gradually dangerous then deadly water, human beings are adaptable. Specifically,
Human beings often get used to gradual losses of freedom
accepting things we’d never tolerate if they happened all at once.
In Chapter Three of Everybody’s Happy, Everybody Wins: How to Build a Perfect Society, I dive deep into this concept of freedom versus force.
It seems obvious that a perfect society should be built on freedom, but the truth is, force is sneaky. It creeps into our lives in subtle ways, and we often don’t even realize it.
I explore this in my book, to really challenge readers to look at their own lives and see where force might be playing a role.
In the book, I use the fictional story of Samuel the Frog (based on the YouTube “science experiment”) to illustrate this. It’s a bit of a dramatic example, but it gets the point across.
We’re all quick to condemn obvious acts of force, but what about the smaller things? The little compromises we make that chip away at our liberty?
Like Samuel’s water getting warmer,
We adjust and adapt until we accept a level of control we never consciously agreed to
Adaptability may be humanity’s most beneficial characteristic. But it may also be our Achilles Heel.
Adapting to traffic jams, newborns crying, inclement weather, anything beyond are control, are generally healthy.
But adapting to losing our liberties is certainly UNhealthy.
And in some cases, it can lead to death.
Adapting to loss of liberty and to force are detrimental to any society. And there are many examples of force in the United States.
You’ve thought of at least a couple since you started reading this blog.
We are told that we live in a “free country” but it doesn’t take much thought to realize that this isn’t true. Granted, and thankfully, we have a LOT of freedoms. But
We don’t live in a free country
Not only do we not live in a free country, we know that some people have more freedoms than others. This causes jealousy, tension, and hatred among We the People.
Historically, we look to our politicians to “right the wrongs” of society and to provide a system that is fair and just for all. But how has that been working out?
250 years into the American Experiment, we are failing miserably
Notice I said “we” are failing miserably, not “the politicians” are failing miserably. “WE” are failing because we cling to our current structure of politics and government.
WE allow a back-and-forth tug of war of politics and policies which ALWAYS allows force upon certain groups in society.
To get an in-depth analysis of this back-and-forth tug of war of inefficient government, watch…
Since the birth of our nation, We the People have allowed and participated in the current system that we are living with today. A system that uses force against its people while allowing injustice to pervade society.
The democrats allowed Trump to take office and implement his fascist policies. The republicans allowed Obama and Biden to implement their socialist policies.
“What?! Curt, I didn’t vote for Trump!!” or “I didn’t vote for Biden!!”
Even though you didn’t vote for them, you continue to allow this current system to exist.
You foster a system where the republicans and the democrats take turns forcing their ideas and policies on the country.
You allow this unhealthy, unethical, expensive, and antiquated system to flourish.
Half of you know I’m right. And the other half are getting really defensive right now. That’s ok; you’ll come around.
“Well, gee Curt, this is the system that we have. It’s the best we can do.”
True. And false.
It IS the system we have. But it’s definitely NOT the best we can do.
Perhaps the most important foundation of living in a perfect society is REFUSING to use force on its citizens
EVERY American MUST value freedom over force. Only then will we be able to build a perfect society.
“OK, now wait a minute, Curt. First you said that like Samuel the Frog, we allowed force to come into our country unknowingly. But NOW you’re saying that some Americans ENJOY using force against others?! Now you’ve gone too far, pal!”
Have I? Look at any political post on social media.
The right wants to force their ideas and policies on the entire country through Donald Trump.
The left wants to force their ideas and policies on the entire country through Joe Biden.
Makes you stop and think, doesn’t it? As you can see, everyone reading this is comfortable with at least SOME kind of force. And
Some of you are comfortable with a LOT of force.
I talk about this in the book: What kinds of force are you comfortable with?
We are willing to compromise our principles for convenience or perceived necessity. We are willing to use force on each other so we can get “our way”.
And then there’s the whole “the end justify the means” argument. “Well Curt, we “NEED” to use force on people because the end justifies the means!” I dismantle that one pretty thoroughly in the book.
We need to understand that forcing anyone to participate in something, no matter how “beneficial” it’s supposed to be, is wrong.
If you have to force someone to do what you want, maybe the thing you want isn’t really a good thing. If it IS a good thing, it will stand on its own without your having to use force to get it accomplished.
A minute ago, I wrote that half of you are on board with freedom and half are getting defensive. But at this point in the blog, I’ll bet that more of you are seeing the light.
In Everybody’s Happy, Everybody Wins: How to Build a Perfect Society, not only do I paint a picture of a society where freedom is the norm, I also provide alternatives to force.
I write about how instead of using force, we can use other ways, with AND without the government’s help for ALL of us to get what we want.
Remember that part of the title is Everybody’s Happy, Everybody Wins. Not the republicans win when they are in office and miserable when the dems are. And the democrats win when they’re in office and miserable when the repubs are.
When we ALL have true freedom, we ALL can truly pursue our causes.
Not only that, we can truly pursue our overall happiness.
Download the Book for Free
This is just a glimpse of what I explore in Chapter Three. The book goes even further, offering a framework for building a society based on freedom, happiness, and empowerment. It’s a book we need to follow in order to make a difference.
So, are you a frog in boiling water? Are you ready to take a closer look at your own relationship with freedom? Download Everybody’s Happy, Everybody Wins: How to Build a Perfect Society for FREE today! You will enjoy this journey of REAL freedom. Let’s spread the word in order to build a freer, happier world.