Cousins on a free society

"What is the eternal and ultimate problem of a free society? It is the problem of the individual who thinks that one man cannot possibly make a difference in the destiny of that society. It is the problem of the individual who doesn't really understand the nature of a free society or what is required to make it work. It is the problem of the individual who has no comprehension of the multiplying power of single but sovereign units. It is the problem of the individual who regards the act of pulling a single lever in a voting booth in numerical terms rather than historical terms. It is the problem of the individual who has no real awareness of the millions of bricks that had to be put into place, one by one, over many centuries, in order for him to dwell in the penthouse of freedom. Nor does he see any special obligation to those who continue building the structure or to those who will have to live in it after him, for better or worse. It is the problem of the individual who recognizes no direct relationship between himself and the decisions made by government in his name. Therefore, he feels no special obligation to dig hard for the information necessary to an understanding of the issues leading to those decisions. In short, freedom's main problem is the problem of the individual who takes himself lightly historically."

--Norman Cousins (1915-1990)