Let's imagine that fishing is illegal, a crime. Law enforcement is cracking down on fishing gear production, distribution, and use everywhere, and fishing patrolmen swarm the waterways, making sure no one is participating in the sinful activity.. People still want to fish, because after all, it's silly that people shouldn't be allowed to do it, and so they do what it takes to get their fishing gear.
The market for fishing gear becomes increasingly lucrative as the demand continues to rise for the short supply of available gear. "Black market" dealers are able to sell fishing rods for thousands, even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Given the earning potential profiteers flock to this market and try to acquire as much as possible, even using violent means to achieve dominance.
There are daily shootouts between police personnel and fishing gear dealers, innocent bystanders are killed everyday in the crossfire. Lives are ruined, destruction amasses to unbelievable levels. Fishing very quickly becomes a "dirty word" as it is increasingly associated with death and violence. As our government and law-enforcement officials struggle to maintain control, entire branches are created and dedicated to monitoring the fishing crimes. The Fishing Enforcement Agency is created and is given the authority to stop fishing by means just as violent as those being used by the fishing dealers. After all, violence can only be matched by violence, right?
It may seem like fishing is a problem, something that is dirty and destructive and needs to be removed. This conclusion is only achieved by those who are misunderstanding what is really happening, which is that people are being told what they are allowed to do and what they are not. We have created an enormous body of power in our world to come up with rules and then make sure everyone follows them. When people don't follow the rules, we see the above scenario. Some people might say, "well then everyone should just follow the rules and that won't happen." I say why have the rules in the first place? Sure, particular people agree on particular ways of living and being in the world, and that is wonderful. This, however, does not mean that it should be enforced on the entire population. The more that we aim to restrict our own freedoms, the more we will rebel against ourselves. Isn't that silly anyway? To try to restrict OUR OWN FREEDOMS? Why are we restricting ourselves? Instead, let's grow without bound. Much, if not all, of our law-making policies and procedures are aimed at controlling a particular aspect of the flow of life, namely, the behavior of human beings, and we're having about as much success as we would if we tried to stop the Amazon River by sticking canoe paddles in it. Let's stop trying to control, let's get out of our own way and get on with it, shall we?
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