DEFEND YOUR INTEGRITY
“Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it” Albert Einstein
Another great man spoke the same. The following are some of many quotes by Henry David Thoreau written in his Civil Disobedience and Other Essays:
“Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” “If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law” “If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law” “If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.”
Integrity, freedom And all that he said in 19th century.
Or this brilliant words said by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
” Every actual state is corrupt. Good men must not obey laws too well.”
Of course, to show civil courage seems not to be an easy decision as one leaves so called comfort zone. That is why Voltaire said:
”It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”
I disagree. If parents do not show civil courage today, their children will not have even that false comfort zone. They will stay without anything. The choice seems easy then. Still, people are sleeping and walking like zombies through their lives as the way of living is exactly so designed that people lose their ability to use their brain and therefore act automatically, gradually and successfully conditioned by those to whom we have given our responsibility letting them to do things for us and in the name of us in belief that they will really do so, which they don’t. When I say they, I mean those who governs our rights.
Believe it or not, the following words are from Howard Zinn's speech "The Problem is Civil Obedience", said back in 1970.
Albert Camus said:” Integrity has no need of rules.”
I choose these words for ending of this article. Why with these words? It is my choice and I cannot explain it better why I choose it than Erich Fromm explained it in his Psychoanalysis and Religion:
” Human history begins with a man’s act of disobedience which is at the very same time the beginning of his freedom and development of his reason.”
Good Luck with your choices!
Mirjana Mut
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I really enjoyed reading this , I totally agree!
Thank you, Romanie.