Nonrandom quote from a middle-aged encyclopedia

[hummingwolf]

Sheep may be marched without protest to slaughter, even though they can look ahead and see the results at the end of the line, but people have an instinctive sympathy for others and will fight to save them, not only for humane considerations but because they can see that they, themselves, may be the next victims.

Abraham Lincoln once said that freedom seldom means the same thing to a wolf that it means to a lamb. If a shelter is built to protect the lambs, the wolves howl that the lambs have lost their freedom. Of course, public programs and collective bargaining restrict some kinds of freedom, but they may safeguard or create other kinds of freedom of greater importance.

--Walter Buckingham, "Automation" in 1986 Encyclopedia Americana

Comments

[bluegreen17]

abraham lincoln was a wise man. and so too walter buckingham for recognizing that.

i'd rather not have the 'freedom' to die without health care. wouldn't feel like freedom to me. as it is,i could be healthier if i was richer...but i'm not the only one by far.

[hummingwolf]

Agreed on all points.