05-16-2022, 07:09 AM
People want "freedom" for themselves in some capacity, and most would prefer a democracy where they have a voice to an oppressive autocracy where they don't. Where things fall apart in terms of assuming this kind of broader liberal order is possible is that none of this implies that people are inclined to care nearly as much about other people's freedom. Even in the United States, where freedom is cherished more than anywhere else in the world, only around 50% of people approved of interracial marriage, and in took until around 2011 for that many to approve of same-sex marriage.
Imo, the best thing we can do is focus on policies that draw in the best people. People who really do value the freedom of others, believe in personal accountability, work hard and possess exceptional talents. At the end of the day, most societies tend to get what they deserve. Granted, with this can only ever be true in the most general, aggregated sense, as people in any country very widely in terms of what they deserve, but the older I get, one simple truth becomes obvious: the easiest way to become happier and more successful is to surround yourself with good people and keep yourself away from bad people.
Is it as easy to do this on the level of a nation as it is to do so on an individual level? Unfortunately not, but what we can look at is the incentives created by both our immigration policy and the overall manner in which our country is run. To an extent, I would argue America is already doing better than most. For example, if you look at immigration vs crime, the percentage of immigrants in the French prison system is about 3x higher than their percentage in the general population. Meanwhile, immigrants to the United States are under-represented in our justice system, because America has a culture and policies which have drawn in the most hardworking and entrepreneurial members of other societies for hundreds of years, and imo, there is no reason why we can't zero in on this trend and optimize it for even better results.
Imo, the best thing we can do is focus on policies that draw in the best people. People who really do value the freedom of others, believe in personal accountability, work hard and possess exceptional talents. At the end of the day, most societies tend to get what they deserve. Granted, with this can only ever be true in the most general, aggregated sense, as people in any country very widely in terms of what they deserve, but the older I get, one simple truth becomes obvious: the easiest way to become happier and more successful is to surround yourself with good people and keep yourself away from bad people.
Is it as easy to do this on the level of a nation as it is to do so on an individual level? Unfortunately not, but what we can look at is the incentives created by both our immigration policy and the overall manner in which our country is run. To an extent, I would argue America is already doing better than most. For example, if you look at immigration vs crime, the percentage of immigrants in the French prison system is about 3x higher than their percentage in the general population. Meanwhile, immigrants to the United States are under-represented in our justice system, because America has a culture and policies which have drawn in the most hardworking and entrepreneurial members of other societies for hundreds of years, and imo, there is no reason why we can't zero in on this trend and optimize it for even better results.
ammosexual
reluctant millennial
reluctant millennial