Possessions are NOT the Limiting Factor
You are Spooky at a Distance
Sophia sat in a quiet, luminous space, a faint, resonant hum filling the air. She addressed a man standing across from her, his expression one of thoughtful contemplation.
Sophia: John, you once contemplated the fundamental state of humanity, noting that we all begin on an even plane, unburdened by any inherent master. If everyone is so free, so independent, where does the boundary lie that keeps this freedom from becoming chaos?
John: It is not a boundless freedom, Sophia. It is hedged by a natural understanding. Because I value my own life, my ability to move freely, and the things that sustain me, I must recognize that same value in another. The boundary is drawn where my desire to act begins to threaten the equivalent needs—the life, health, liberty, and estate—of my neighbor. My freedom does not extend to their detriment.
All mankind... being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.
— John Locke (1632-1704)
Sophia: Ah, the "spooky" part of the distance. It’s a self-policing reverence, isn't it? If I am truly independent, I don't need a constant guardrail or a king's decree to remind me not to steal your coat or injure your body. The awareness of your equal independence acts as a restraint, a powerful, quiet force.
John: Precisely. The system works best when the individual—at a respectful distance from their fellows—understands that to secure their own basic rights, they must actively choose not to violate the fundamental rights of others. That choice is what makes the liberty real, not merely an absence of chains. When we harm another, we are not expressing liberty; we are abandoning the very principles that secure our own.
Sophia: So, the strength of our collective peace isn't in enforced closeness, but in the integrity of the self, operating within a respectful sphere. You are, in effect, a guardian of my rights simply by choosing to respect your own life and the moral code you derive from that self-love. It's a beautiful, distant reciprocity.
John: And a necessary one, for the preservation of all. The power is diffuse, spread equally among us, and its restraint is what makes its presence felt.
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Heraclitus
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