What is best for me?

It seems like a lot of people in this world are looking out for my best interests, whether I want them to or not.

If I smoke cannabis, the government is nice enough to take away my freedoms, take away my property and give me a criminal record for life. Isn't that nice of them?

If I give my son cookies in his lunch for school, the school is nice enough to send the cookies back uneaten with a nice letter explaining what are good snacks and bad snacks and how I'm a bad parent for giving my child cookies. In the future they may even be nice enough to call children's aid to report my "indiscretion"

If I allow customers to smoke cigarettes in my store, the government is nice enough to give me a $5,000 fine. It doesn't matter what type of ventilation system I use. Clearly the science on ventilation is not yet clear or why else would they deny me the ability to smoke in a ventilated work place, for my own good.

It seems that the last person who knows what's best for you, is you.

Who knows what's best for you?

When someone gets a ticket for failure to wear a seat belt, do you think " serves them right, the law is only there to protect you. The law knows what's best."

Of course its best for someone to wear a seat belt. Only someone who rejects logic and reason would not want to wear a seat belt, and people who reject logic and reason need to be protected from themselves.

Does that sound reasonable to you?

Of course everyone should get vaccinated. Only brainwashed people would deny vaccines and we can't let brainwashed people hurt themselves or others. There ought to be a law saying everyone should get vaccinated.

Would you agree with this statement?

If you agree with both statements above, then you know what is best for people.

I don't feel that way

If someone refuses to wear a seat belt, they should not get a ticket. If they die its there life to lose.

If someone wants to run a business that allows smoking, I don't see why I should stop them. I don't agree with them so I won't shop in that store and they can go bankrupt

I know the classic argument against this is "The Cost To Society" and its a scary argument when you look at it.

What is society? How do we define harm or cost to society?

Is my suicide a harm to society due to lost productivity and last tax revenue?

Is my alcoholism a cost to society due to absenteeism at work and a lost of productivity for the company?

How far down does this rabbit hole go?

I think the best advice I could give is:

No one knows what's best for you, and you don't know what's best for anyone else.

It might be a strange world at first, but it might be worth a try.
- Sent From My Blackberry