Order and Freedom Balance

Arthur Miller describes the struggle for balance between order and freedom as “impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions.” The balance between order and freedom is extremely delicate. In societies with too much order it then turns into somewhat of a communist state. There is too much power in the hands of the leader and everyone is the same, meaning the individual voice is stifled and often punished. Societies with too much freedom are similar to anarchy with no one in charge and complete chaos. Miller believes that the balance between order and freedom has not yet been achieved. In today’s American society, the balance between order and freedom has not been met despites the many attempts to achieve that balance. American society prides itself on the freedom that it allows its citizens but often attempts to balance that freedom with order.

Freedom in the United States is exemplified by the changing policies surrounding drugs such as marijuana. President Richard Nixon originally declared a war on drugs but that sentiment has sense changed based on the opinions of the people. Marijuana had originally been illegal to obtain in most states while some had medical exceptions. Recently, Colorado allowed the citizens there to vote on a law passing the recreational use of marijuana. The people of Colorado not had the freedom to partake in recreational marijuana, they also had the freedom to vote for or against it. While this freedom is enjoyable there are also very many risks that order is required to keep people safe. Order is required to decide who gets to manufacture these drugs and what is put in them. Order also determined who was allowed to vote on this ballot.

The American government was built upon balancing freedom and order. The judicial branch is crucial in balancing freedom and order. The Supreme Court works the most visibly in the balancing act. The duty of the Supreme Court is to interpret the United States Constitution and decide if the legislative branch of the government has overstepped their boundaries. The court deals with many cases that challenge the first ten amendments also known as the Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court safe guards the Bill of Rights and strives to protect the civil liberties guaranteed to all American citizens.

The balance between order and freedom is difficult to maintain. A society is able to be their absolute best when order and freedom are balanced. However, that is a utopian goal because order and freedom can be interpreted in different ways. A society that at least acknowledges the need for a balance is the most ideal and realistic.