>>>>Walter, US citizens have concepts of freedom drummed into them from a young age. "Civil rights" has a remarkable meaning that takes some getting used to, with intelligent people pouncing on any apparent impingement in rights, no matter how trivial, in the (correct) belief that this behavior will ensure that rights are not eroded.
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>>>I understand the hammering on the concept of "Civil rights". However, hammering on the concept of freedom seems to me more a result from slavery rather something to achieve in life. It stumps me again and again that I see freedom explained as a goal in life rather than a right. To me Happyness is a goal in life, not neccesarely freedom, as we all know we are slaves at our own device.
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>>The trouble with stating happiness as goal is that every now and then a new version of an old dogma would pop up and say that everyone is happy when they know their place, because that gives them stability and orientation. Which is just another excuse to reduce the mobility and enforce some sort of social stratification, anywhere between classes and castes.
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>Hmmm, I did not think of that before. You might have a point. However I still feel that striving for induvidual happyness should be a goal, even if it means we have to build some defences to try to avoid the threath you describe above.
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Walter, unless you're on Will Smith's publicity staff, the word is spelled "happiness." Please don't take that as snotty, just wanted you to know the correct spelling.