Friday, February 19, 2010

Government coercion won't work in a democratic republic

By Jed Gladstein

"It is a profound mistake to believe that people can be compelled to acquire a higher level of consciousness by coercion. This applies to all forms of consciousness - spiritual, social and political. That is because coercion is a negative force. When applied, it produces resistance in the person upon whom it is exerted.

Of course, throughout recorded history, we can see how coercion takes root in human society. Our police use coercion to restrain those who attack the citizenry. Parents use coercion to restrain their children from acting out self-destructive impulses.

At a tactical level, coercion is effective and arguably necessary. But, at a strategic level, coercion is always inferior to persuasion, because persuasion taps into Free Will and thus has the power to circumvent the resistance that coercion inevitably engenders."

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