Order & Freedom

In every society there exists a battle over between order and freedom. Governments and leaders must decide the amounts that will benefit there society most. While order and freedom are somewhat conflicting ideas, a balance must be found between the two for any population to conserve itself. If either force is restricted past a certain point, the society will surely fall apart.

No one can exist in a group without some form of order. Order brings people together through systems such as laws. Without laws people would act purely in their own interests, which would often conflict with the interests of others and lead to mayhem. A good example of this would be modern day countries where the government has collapsed, such as Iraq. In Iraq, Isis has taken over many areas and tortured/killed people who oppose them. That's why it is important for there to be just enough order for people to provide for themselves without being in danger or causing harm to others.

On the other hand, suppression of people's freedom can also have adverse effects. People are designed to pursue what they want, so when that ability is taken away it is only a matter of time before they begin to oppose the power that is suppressing them. The Crucible provides an excellent example of this situation. The girls of the Puritan society of Salem were controlled by adults their whole lives and prevented from doing things that children normally do, such as dancing. As soon as the girls saw an opportunity to grasp onto power through the hysteria over witches, they took it. The events in The Crucible help demonstrate that a lack of freedom can start a chain of events that destroys a society.

It is obvious that there needs to be a balance of freedom and control in all situations. In America we often look only towards freedom and forget the necessity of order. We do this because freedom is overall much more appealing than being controlled. Arthur Miller is certainly right when he states that repressions are crucial. However, this balance is very fine and differs for different societies and different communities in societies. America is going back and forth between too much freedom and too much repression, but I believe we will soon find equilibrium.