Who Are You?

We are defined as people not by what we are obliged to do, but by what we choose to do.

Nobody is entitled to anything. There is no law of nature that says people ought to have anything. Not charity, not honesty, not respect. Not property, nor employment. Certainly not social security, a pension or free healthcare. We chose to make these a part of our society. Even legal obligations like our human rights were constructed from choices that we made. We didn't start off with the society in which we live, we built it ourselves. And we can dismantle it ourselves.

Everything from dropping your spare change in a charity collection to donating a kidney to a complete stranger is a choice that defines who you are.

Choosing to give up your time to volunteer with the Samaritans, or to help pack food parcels, is a choice that defines who you are.

Choosing to freeze public sector pay, while accepting your own substantial pay rise, defines who you are. Choosing to fight against either aspect of that inequity, or to donate your pay increase to charity, defines who you are. Choosing to make cuts to welfare that provides help to the segment of society that needs it most, while also cutting taxes for the segment of society that doesn't have to worry about where the next meal or the next rent payment comes from, defines who you are as a leader of society, and defines who you are as a member of society.

Who are you?