The struggle between order and freedom has been ongoing throughout all of history. Everyone is born into a society that attempts to balance the two conflicting ideologies. The trouble, however, is finding the right ratio of the two: how much freedom is a society willing to sacrifice to maintain a necessary level of order? I believe that either extreme of the freedom-order spectrum deteriorates a society and that it is not possible to find the perfect ratio of both.
Extreme levels of order are commonly seen in dictatorships. A prime example of too much order in the form of a dictatorship leading to turmoil and conflict is the Libyan Revolution. In 2011, the Libyan people demonstrated and fought for six months to overthrow their tyrannic leader of forty two years, Muammar Gaddafi. The circumstances leading up to the revolution were full of oppression and intense government control. Societies like this, were the people are heavily oppressed, form resentment and hatred towards the government, eventually leading to conflict.
Similar to an extreme level of order, too much freedom can lead to dissent and anarchy in a society. An example of too much freedom leading a society awry is the Ferguson debacle and escalation. In the Missouri town of Ferguson, a police officer shot a young man for debatable circumstances. He was not charged for murder or any other offense. The people of the town took to the streets in protest to this decision. The protests eventually prompted heavy police action, which partially contributed to escalation, resulting in looting and rioting. The American constitution states the freedoms of speech, press, and demonstration. Although they are arguably the most necessary rights, their exploitation has resulted in the near destruction of a town.
The ideal society would have bountiful freedoms with very little control by ordered forces. The problem with this, however, is that people are generally greedy in nature and always want more. There is a constant struggle between the call for freedom and the necessity of order. While they would gain freedoms, they would lose order and infrastructure, both of which are necessary for the functioning of a society. Because of its constant nature, a society will always drive for freedom and never land on an agreed upon proportionality of the two.
In a perfect world, we would have unlimited freedom without having to be controlled by order. However, most people would let their emotions get the better of them and take advantage of all the freedom they have been given. I agree that it is very difficult to find the perfect balance between order and freedom, because each one is necessary at different times
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