Some people assert the State is a tool we use to improve our lives and that, just like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. The fundamental flaw in this argument is in the misunderstanding of the term “tool”.
A tool is an inanimate object such as a car, a shovel, a spoon, a computer, or a gun. Inanimate objects contain no inherent morality, indeed they are amoral. Morality is understood only as it pertains to human interaction. Tools are used by human beings to improve their lives or to commit evil immoral acts. If the tool is to blame then imprison the gun, the car, or the computer when a crime is committed. Understandably this never happens as it is commonly understood that the human being bears all the blame due to the presence of free will.
The State is not an inanimate object, rather it is a group of individuals each equipped with free will, who claim an exemption to the universal laws of morality. The fundamental immorality is the vast majority of those individuals choose to be order followers who, in doing so, perpetrate horrific atrocities without claiming responsibility. The diffusion of responsibility is rampant throughout the chain of obedience as everyone claims “I was just following orders” or “I’m just doing my job.” When no one is to blame, all are to blame, with significantly more blame placed on the last individual who actually carries out the order. It is he who transforms an order from mere words to an abominable action.
As long as human beings possess free will they can never be tools, for this would reduce them to soulless machines. This would strip them of their fundamental humanity and make them a shell of a human being. Every day we make choices that shape our future. True freedom is taking full responsibility for one’s actions. Embrace it unconditionally! Be the captain of your destiny! Be the master of your fate!
