Sandwiched In Between

[Sandwiched In Between]

I think it was the mismatch of the long grey beard and ponytail with the three piece business suit that caught my attention first. I usually am as disinterested as anyone else on the sidewalk passing a sandwich board clad prophet. But this one got a second glance and then a stop out of me.

There was a single word on his breastplate and a different one riding on his back. LIBERTY declared the front and DUTY replied its partner (or maybe its opponent).

“Well, you caught me,” I said to the gent. “You have certainly simplified your message, but I do not think I know what it is.”

“Two sides, same middleman,” he explained. “Or maybe four sides if you count both internal and external.” He revealed the side facing his chest (on the reverse of LIBERTY) said DUTY and, facing his back, LIBERTY was on the reverse of DUTY.

“Uh, maybe, I still need another hint?” I asked, perplexed.

“Well, sir, we talk of our rights as those freedoms or liberties we possess as citizens. But you cannot have a liberty without it invoking a duty. You can speak as freely as your body and mind will produce, but you don't have the protection of free speech unless the rest of us acknowledge and fulfill our duty to tolerate your speaking and what you say. We got no duty to listen or to agree, but we got to allow you to say it.”

“So, my personal Liberties are backed by everyone's Duties to respect them,” I restated to him.

“Yup. And the same thing happens the other way around. The Liberties of everyone around you depend on you accepting your personal Duty to support them.” He grinned widely at my apparent comprehension. “When it comes to Rights, what you do within affects what others outside receive and what they do outside decides what you actually possess within.”

“And if I do not accept your right to something?”

“Then, sir, the system breaks down. You cannot expect to have your rights honored (by me or others) if you do not uphold your side of the bargain.”

“But I thought my rights were unalienable, given to me by my Creator.”

“He isn't exactly hanging around to defend them for you, except as how He is part of every consenting member of society by whatever name or concept that represents Him to folks. Without the agreement to agree as a society (even when the particulars may displease us), nobody has any assurance of receiving de facto the protections of his or her rights.”

“But people do not all tolerate other people exercising their rights. Somebody will blow up the building where I work, because another crackpot working three floors up posted a hateful blog.”

“And we agree as a society that the bomber is a criminal (who will lose his liberties when caught) and the crackpot is merely stupid (and wrong perhaps). But the crackpot's rights did not protect him or you from somebody who sees his duty wrong or too unimportant to fulfill. Liberties are made of the air in the words of speeches, but it is Duties that are the sinew that assure the reality of Rights. It is what we do, not what we say, that defines and defends the society we build together. Patrick Henry's quote of 'give me liberty or give me death' sums it up; we can choose our actions, but we are given the consequences. Sometimes we must risk dire returns to achieve desired results.”

“Well, thanks for the explanation. I appreciate you seeing it as your duty to enlighten us.” I extended my hand, curiosity satisfied.

He shook my hand and said, “Oh, they are paying me $8.25 an hour to stand here. Have a good day, sir.”