The Right of Self-government

Thomas Jefferson, speaking of self-government wrote, “The object of the republican form of government and of the principles that are essential to that form, is to enable a people to govern themselves to the most practicable extent possible.”

G. K. Chesterton, observed nearly one hundred years later, "Self-denial is the test and definition of self-government."

However, nearly two millenniums before Jefferson and Chesterton spoke of those self-evident truths regarding the divine origin of man and his right to self-government, the apostle Paul twice in the same letter to the Corinthians said: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful …” (I Corinthians 6:12; 10:23).

When the apostle Paul made these statements it was a notation that we are a people endowed with free-will. Yet as people with free-will we are to choose responsibly by not allowing our choices to master us but to choose what will be most constructive for all. It is in this latter choosing of what is most constructive that he also gave this instruction: “Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others” (I Corinthians 10:24).

An elected body of government in a republic is by the people, of the people and for the people. Thus, government exists not for any ONE person but for the people who elected them. To whatever extent any elected position turns to self-aggrandizement or for the benefit of some special interest we have lost the right of self-government having failed the test of self-denial in putting others ahead of ourselves.

It is true we can’t legislate morality. However we can call for moral conduct and accountability in the lives of those elected. To live in a free country we must have the right and freedom to choose - even the evil. Yet we can only maintain that freedom to choose, for future generations, when each of us understand our choices cease to be helpful when they become our master or when they fail to be constructive for all. Furthermore, only as elected officials and the citizenry come to grips with the ultimate reality that we all answer to a higher law for the choices we make – are we enabled to carry out the objective of our republican form of government and live responsibly in its cherished democracy and freedom.

At every level of government we need non-partisan statesmanship and visionary leadership which seeks to guide with character and integrity rather than mere compliance and/or convenience. Once again G.K. Chesterton succinctly makes the point when he wrote: “Having the right to do a thing is not the same as being right in doing it.” Thus, in self-government to be right in doing a thing – the thing we do must not only be right but it must never enslave us to the thing chosen. Thus, the thing we choose must be helpful to those we serve no matter how difficult it is to choose.