Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Most systems “work” as we intend when enough people want them to. Those people cooperate with the system and one another.

Democracy works because people want it to. There is much freedom in democratic systems. That freedom works because people want it to. People realize the value of the freedom and don’t abuse it. If they stop cooperating and start abusing, the freedom and the democratic system collapses.

Consider driving. There are lines on the roads. There are Stop signs. There are traffic signals. All those things work because we enjoy the mobility that safe driving provides. We “tolerate” stopping and starting per the signs and signals because we value the mobility more than we dislike the frequent inconvenience. Don’t think so? Go to various places on earth where no one heeds any of the signs and signals.

Most of the systems and machines we build work because we want them to work. We cooperate with the machine and the other people because we want the benefits.

Consider, as one counter example, “free speech” on the Internet. There are many persons who are abusing that. They are pushing as far as they can to almost break the trust and destroy the system. Pushing too far, if tolerated, destroys the cooperation and the benefit of the system. That is one reason the Internet and social media and such are having difficulties at this time.

Remove the trust and the system breaks.

It is important to be truthful and trustworthy. Always encourage these attributes with your words and deeds. Please.