Social Contracts

A social contract among individuals is a concept instituted in an attempt to ensure social tranquility. In consenting to the terms of a social contract, members of a societal group agree to forfeiture of certain “Natural Rights” in exchange for the tranquility of a relatively safe and hopefully prosperous civilization brought about by laws put in place to unsure the contract is enforced. These contracts are presumed to be voluntary but are actually compulsory and any individual wishing to terminate their portion of the contract is usually punished.

Each nation presumably enacts laws it sees appropriate to enforce the terms of its contract. A person’s violation of the social contract could result in punishment enacted by a judicial system tasked with the enforcement of the terms of that nation’s social contract. In the United States we have social contract based on individual liberty and personal freedom. This contact is enforced by laws that protect members of our society from violators and can subject them to severe punish. Our social contract holds its member’s personal safety and property rights in high regard. By allowing its members to conduct their lives in a comparatively secure environment, it has permitted our nation to become the prosperous nation that it is. Many people point to the large prison population in the United States and conclude this is a nation full of bigotry and hate that seeks nothing more than to oppress through incarceration as many undesirables as possible. But, the truth is we hold our social contract so dear, that any violation is dealt with in the most appropriate manner. The mandatory long prison sentences given to murderers, crimes involving the use of a gun, kidnapping and drug offences are reflective of our determination and dedication to hold people accountable for their contract violations.

Not all nations maintain social contracts with as high a standards as the United States and it’s evident in viewing their prosperity. One example is our neighbor to our south, Mexico. The citizen’s social contract in Mexico would appear to be grossly inadequate to provide the necessary security to allow a majority of its general population to prosper. The nation of Mexico is rich in natural recourses, such as crude oil, but this surplus of prosperity has not raised the living standards of the population anywhere near that of the United States. There seems to be systemic corruption of their entire society that undermines their otherwise attainable prosperity.

This same scenario is repeated throughout the world. Millions of citizens in foreign nations suffer in needless conditions under brutal governments because their nation’s governing structure is based on weak or purposely tyrannical social contracts. It may sound elitist to state, but until those citizens take the appropriate actions necessary to liberate themselves of their oppressors, they will never earn the privilege of living under a social contract that allows and encourages the prosperity experienced in the United States.