A Person must always have the freedom and obligation to choose their own actions.
The concept of “Human Nature” is remarkably consistent, especially considering the randomness of human nature and their interactions with each other. A person will usually act in their own self-interest. I say “usually” because people do have a rather bad tendency to do things not in their own best interests or those around them. They know using tobacco, illicit drugs or excessive use of alcohol will lead to negative results, yet they still use them anyway.
As a rational creature, humans can learn through the self-acquirement of knowledge, such as reading, observing or experience. We can also be taught, by a parent, older sibling, a teacher or a mentor. However, again as a rational creature, we cannot nor should not be trained, as in the reflexive response to a command or condition.
In the Soviet Union before that Socialist regime fell, military units had a Zampolit, or Political Officer (sometimes known as a Political Commissar) in every Army unit and every Navy ship. The Zampolit was responsible for the political education (ideology) of the men and women in the unit. While the Zampolit wore a military uniform, he answered to the Party. He was the same rank as the commander of the unit and could countermand the commander’s orders if they were not keeping in line with the political goals of the unit. The Chinese had a similar officer in their units as well.
When it comes to freedom of choice, it doesn’t matter if it is the best choice for the person or not. This freedom to choose especially matters if you don’t think it’s the best choice for them or not. Unless asked, other people, governments included, should not be forcing a person who has the ability to effectively reason for themselves to choose a particular option, not limiting the person’s options.
I personally don’t want anyone else to limit my options or choose for me unless I ask them to do so. Does this mean I always “take my own advice”? Hardly. A wise man will “seek council in a multitude of advisors” (especially his spouse). That being said, a person’s choice is theirs alone.
This tenet is one of mine (with one stipulation a little farther down) because all of us learn by doing and making mistakes. Ben Franklin is attributed as saying,
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
My phrase is a little cruder.
“The most important life lessons are learned right before the phrase, ‘H-O-L-Y SHIT. I’ll never do that again!’ is uttered.”
If we never make mistakes, we never find out what doesn’t work. If we don’t find out what doesn’t work, we were either lucky or someone else chose for us. You can’t be lucky all the time and you can’t have someone else choose for you all the time. Eventually you will run out of luck or you won’t have your “adult supervision” available. It’s at this point where making the wrong choice will probably be catastrophic and you will choose wrongly because if you haven’t made the little mistakes earlier that shows you what does and doesn’t work.
My stipulation to this is:
You don’t have the freedom to choose when your actions will negatively affect others without their permission.
If you want to get impaired on drugs or alcohol and operate a multi-ton motor vehicle, as long as you’re the only one who ends up hurt or dead when you hit something, I’m okay with that. That was your choice and obviously not a choice in your own best interests. Your spouse ends up with your life insurance money and they can go find a smarter spouse.
If you want to get impaired on drugs or alcohol and operate a multi-ton motor vehicle with your spouse and children in the vehicle, then I have no problem with having someone stop you, drag you out of your vehicle and severely beating you until you see the light about that being a bad choice. I don’t think your spouse or children wants to join you in the Morgue after you wrap your vehicle around a tree.
I also have no problem if you have the shit beaten out of you after you hit/injure a pedestrian or another driver through negligence on your part.
I have said for years, “If you are killed during the course of a robbery, your head should be put on a pike outside said location to serve as a warning to others.”
Repeat as necessary if you don’t cease destructive behaviors.