Signal & Brus

🇸🇪 Svenska · 🇬🇧 English · 🇪🇸 Español

I want to live my life in my own way. You probably do too. For me, a set of values begins there: with every person’s right to decide over their own life, while showing the same respect for the freedom of others.

It sounds simple. Yet the principle becomes much harder when someone uses their freedom to do something we ourselves dislike.

Disapproval is not a reason for prohibition

Adults should be free to live together, practise their faith, dress and make voluntary choices without needing the approval of those around them. If I see something I dislike, I can often choose to look away. My taste gives me no right to control someone else’s life.

Freedom naturally has a boundary where it encroaches on others. Threats, violence and coercion have no place within it. But the fact that I feel provoked does not automatically mean that my freedom has been restricted.

We also need shared rules in order to live together. Driving on the same side of the road is a simple example. Rules like that make freedom possible in practice. We should therefore ask what a rule actually protects and whether it restricts more than necessary.

Privacy should be the starting point

Someone who is not suspected of a crime should not be placed under surveillance. I want to be able to move freely, communicate and manage my assets without being treated as a potential criminal.

It is not enough to say that those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear. A private life needs no excuse. We should not have to prove our innocence in order to be left alone.

When there is suspicion of a crime, society may need to intervene. There must then be clear reasons, limits and oversight. My starting point is that people’s freedom should carry great weight even when it would be convenient for those in power to restrict it.

Equal worth before society

The people closest to me mean more to me than people I have never met. That is how human relationships work. But society must treat every person as equally valuable.

Who you are, where you come from or whom you know should not determine the protection you receive or the demands placed on you. Equal treatment means both equal rights and equal responsibilities.

You are allowed to disagree with me

Everyone should be free to think, believe and express their opinions. That right must also apply to people whom I believe are wrong. Otherwise, freedom of expression depends on whoever currently gets to decide what is acceptable.

I may argue my case. You may disagree. Neither of us has the right to use violence to silence the other, threaten someone into agreement or force anyone to profess our view.

To me, respect means trying to engage with one another without humiliation. It does not prevent sharp criticism of ideas, religions or political decisions. We must be able to distinguish between challenging a belief and attacking a person’s worth.

Freedom needs a foundation

Nobody should have to go without food for the day, a roof over their head or basic security. That is something we as a society should work together to ensure. I therefore also accept that society taxes us to meet shared needs.

At the same time, society must not prevent people from providing for their own livelihood and security. We need room to work, create and improve our lives. As far as possible, assistance should give people a greater chance to stand on their own feet.

Solidarity also begins with us

Laws and taxes cannot carry the entire responsibility for a good society. We need people who help one another even when nobody forces them to.

It may mean calling an ambulance, giving first aid or helping someone who lacks food. It may mean coaching young people, walking neighbourhood streets at night, donating blood, joining the Home Guard or becoming involved in politics. And it may be something as ordinary as noticing a person who needs help and actually doing something.

Not everyone can contribute in the same way. But we can contribute according to our ability. A good society also grows out of actions that never appear in any budget.

These are the values against which I want to test my own opinions: Let people live their lives. Treat them equally. Protect their privacy. Help those who need help.

The real test comes when I dislike someone else’s choice, am tempted to demand a ban or think somebody else should take responsibility. That is when these values must influence what I actually do.

This translation was prepared with AI assistance from the author’s Swedish article. The original was developed with AI assistance, and its featured illustration is AI-generated.