>More people who aren't me have lethal weapons... fantastic!"
Nope. That's about the gist of it. I hate power asymmetry. Just like I hate info asymmetry, education asymmetry, etc...
More people armed and looking out for themselves means more people coming to terms with how unfriendly the world can be when we can't take things on trust.
Looking at and contemplating a firearm, and that you may need to use it someday, making the decision to end someone else's life to save your own is one of those experiences that more than anything else in my life taught me the value of the society I was raised in, people I could trust, and the fragility of the entire thing.
You never know what you have until it isn't there, and a firearm, amongst other utility, is a stark reminder of our duty as individuals to protect, maintain, and propagate our own version of civilization. This means we have to file off the edges of ourselves and our desires for the State we live in, and accept that there are some things we shouldn't ask anyone or anything else to do for us.
I've looked into the anthropology texts, and seen the differences in pain, suffering, corruption, and abuse of power that occur based on whether a civilization structures itself around a Guardian caste, or disseminates responsibility for self preservation amongst the group as a whole. Long story short: privileged Guardian classes lead to cyclic strife as the lessons and corruptions created by the power asymmetry create a need for a reset.
I don't pretend to know all the answers, but I know weapon ownership and the contemplation of a whole new dimension of responsibility made me a better person. I can only hope it does the same for others.
Nope. That's about the gist of it. I hate power asymmetry. Just like I hate info asymmetry, education asymmetry, etc...
More people armed and looking out for themselves means more people coming to terms with how unfriendly the world can be when we can't take things on trust.
Looking at and contemplating a firearm, and that you may need to use it someday, making the decision to end someone else's life to save your own is one of those experiences that more than anything else in my life taught me the value of the society I was raised in, people I could trust, and the fragility of the entire thing.
You never know what you have until it isn't there, and a firearm, amongst other utility, is a stark reminder of our duty as individuals to protect, maintain, and propagate our own version of civilization. This means we have to file off the edges of ourselves and our desires for the State we live in, and accept that there are some things we shouldn't ask anyone or anything else to do for us.
I've looked into the anthropology texts, and seen the differences in pain, suffering, corruption, and abuse of power that occur based on whether a civilization structures itself around a Guardian caste, or disseminates responsibility for self preservation amongst the group as a whole. Long story short: privileged Guardian classes lead to cyclic strife as the lessons and corruptions created by the power asymmetry create a need for a reset.
I don't pretend to know all the answers, but I know weapon ownership and the contemplation of a whole new dimension of responsibility made me a better person. I can only hope it does the same for others.