How is the policeman at the traffic intersection a symbol of liberty and not of tyranny?
Answers
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Alfred George (A.G.) Gardiner was a British journalist and author. He was a prolific essayist and his style and subject matter easily qualified him to be categorized as what the English would call a very civilized gentleman. His essays addressing the necessary qualifications to fit into proper society are “On Habits,” “On Being Tidy,” “On Talk and Talkers,” and the subject of this question, “On the Rule of the Road.” This latter essay was included...
Alfred George (A.G.) Gardiner was a British journalist and author. He was a prolific essayist and his style and subject matter easily qualified him to be categorized as what the English would call a very civilized gentleman. His essays addressing the necessary qualifications to fit into proper society are “On Habits,” “On Being Tidy,” “On Talk and Talkers,” and the subject of this question, “On the Rule of the Road.” This latter essay was included in one of Gardiner’s compilations titled Leaves in the Wind and was published under his pseudonym “Alpha of the Plough.” Consistent with the theme of what constitutes the proper conduct of a civilized individual, “On the Rule of the Road” remains one of his more enduring essays because it captures a very essential point, that the essence of civilization lies in the willingness of the individual to accept constraints on his or her personal behavior for the benefit of the greater good.
In “On the Rule of the Road,” Gardiner emphasizes the necessity of certain constraints on individual liberty if society is to function in a truly civilized manner. As he wrote in this essay, “Liberty is not a personal affair only, but a social contract. . . . A reasonable consideration for the rights or feelings of others is the foundation of social conduct.” Further, Gardiner wrote that “in order that the liberties of all may be preserved, the liberties of everybody must be curtailed.” Freedom, in other words, cannot exist in a vacuum. It must conform to some degree to a set of principles that exist to ensure that one’s liberties do not infringe on other’s. We enjoy the freedom to speak our mind, but, at some point, freedom of speech runs afoul of the public good. The famous qualification to freedom of speech—that one must not yell “fire” in a crowded theater—is precisely the point. Gardiner offers his own illustrations to make his point, such as the role of the police officer in controlling traffic—a role that, by definition, imposes constraints on personal freedom. Civilization can only exist when the public collectively accepts constraints on its freedom of action