Of course when living in a society, this is not possible at all and the only logical extension of such a personal ethos is anarchy.
This leads not only to a misunderstanding of what the term 'rights' means, but translates to the [false] idea that we are all independent free agents and the state/laws exist only to constrain us.
The reality is the opposite- political and social controls [laws] if correctly applied, are there to support our freedom, not the opposite.
This is something neo-liberal corporatism, which grips western society now, doesn't want most people to understand, as it interferes with their grand plan to make everyone 'complete' consumers and little else.
Freedom is about being able to express oneself without fear of sanction, to be able to travel without restriction, to be able to form bonds with people and establish social groupings without surveillance. It's about being able to carry on one's daily functions- whether it be in 'work' or leisure time- without being audited by an external body. It's about freedom of worship, sexual preference and, even, to smoke if you wish. It's about being able to function and enjoy life without the continual pursuit of money. It's about being able to accumulate enough material possessions to be happy and comfortable, without being continually pressured to consume more.
But with this comes responsibility, whether it be to your partner, wider family or community and unfortunately, those simple responsibilities have been cleverly buried by this more amorphous sound-bite of 'rights to freedom,' when we should be thinking about the responsibilities of freedom.
Image credited to:Big Wheels
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