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When standing police forces first started coming into the world there were some commentators that said it was the end of civilization. And in the end I think they were right, because now that we have police we no longer self police. You can really see this in which parts of society still do tend to self police: law breakers. The people that can’t go to the police enforce their own rules on each other. The law abiding part of society tend to hope problems go away on their own or the cops handle it.

In the old days church was as much about getting the group together regularly as it was about religion. If you know you’re going to be gathering in a big room with the rest of your local society once a week, with a guy up front willing to call you out, you’ve got a lot more reason to keep to the rules. Even if you don’t believe in the religion knowing your entire town will find out about the bad things you do is a big inspiration to not do them.

Well said. I would like fewer police, fewer laws, and a lot more leeway to have a community police itself. I'm sure mistakes would be made, but I feel our entire society has been thoroughly corrupted by an overwhelming sense that "I'm powerless to control anything".

The do-gooders generally do nothing, and they block others from doing anything at all. They just make rules so that people become more and more fearful of actually making a move.

I'd like individuals to behave themselves and control themselves. But if they don't, I would like a business or a neighborhood to step up and say, "Listen, you ..."

When standing police forces first started coming into the world there were some commentators that said it was the end of civilization. And in the end I think they were right, because now that we have police we no longer self police. You can really see this in which parts of society still do tend to self police: law breakers. The people that can’t go to the police enforce their own rules on each other. The law abiding part of society tend to hope problems go away on their own or the cops handle it.

In the old days church was as much about getting the group together regularly as it was about religion. If you know you’re going to be gathering in a big room with the rest of your local society once a week, with a guy up front willing to call you out, you’ve got a lot more reason to keep to the rules. Even if you don’t believe in the religion knowing your entire town will find out about the bad things you do is a big inspiration to not do them.

I think I agree with all of that.

But if I made the promise, I'm going to keep it, even if my promise ends up with someone taking advantage of me, it isn't what they do the dishonors me, it's what I do that dishonors me. I keep my word.

I walk 5 miles to the grocery store, and if I ask somebody if I can get anything at the store for them, and they say yes, 10 pounds of potatoes? I lump them over my shoulder and carry them. That's not for them, it's for me.

When standing police forces first started coming into the world there were some commentators that said it was the end of civilization. And in the end I think they were right, because now that we have police we no longer self police. You can really see this in which parts of society still do tend to self police: law breakers. The people that can’t go to the police enforce their own rules on each other. The law abiding part of society tend to hope problems go away on their own or the cops handle it.

In the old days church was as much about getting the group together regularly as it was about religion. If you know you’re going to be gathering in a big room with the rest of your local society once a week, with a guy up front willing to call you out, you’ve got a lot more reason to keep to the rules. Even if you don’t believe in the religion knowing your entire town will find out about the bad things you do is a big inspiration to not do them.

I think I agree with all of that.

But if I made the promise, I'm going to keep it, even if my promise ends up with someone taking advantage of me, it isn't what they do the dishonors me, it's what I do that dishonors me. I keep my word.

I walk 5 miles to the grocery store, and if I ask somebody if I can get anything at the store for them, and they say yes, 10 pounds of potatoes? I lump them over my shoulder and carry them. That's not for them, it's for me.