Recently my son taught me a lesson in democracy.
That is how it was.
We drove the whole family (my wife, daughter, son, and I) by car. Our daughter loves music, and the son – silence. My daughter asked me to turn on the music. My wife and I were not against, so turned it on. Suddenly, the son asked to turn off the music, because it hinders him. A dispute ensued. We decided to vote. Due to the majority of voices the option of music was won.
The son fell silent for a moment, thinking about something, and then turned to me as the main thing (it is considered that I am the head of the family).
– Dad, are you for democracy? He began cautiously.
– Well, yes, of course, I say, figuring out the tricky logical path in my head that my son started. We have voted before it quite democratically.
– And what is democracy? This is the power of the majority with respect for the rights and freedoms of the minority. Correct?
– Correct.
– And what is the freedom of the individual in society? It is freedom to do everything that does not violate other people’s freedom. Correct?
– Correct.
– For example, I sit quietly and do not violate the boundaries of another person’s freedom: I do not push you, I do not make sounds, smells, etc. Am I right?
– Yes.
– But the three of you, even though you are the majority, have invaded my space. Your loud music is not limited by anything and gets into my ears. It turns out that my freedom does not bother anyone, but your freedom interferes with me. So which of us is right?
I thought about it.
When most smokers in a restaurant cannot make a minority of non-smokers breathe nicotine, the same principle applies.
When the airplane is forbidden loudly to turn on music and give each passenger their own headphones, the same principle also applies.
But my son is right, dammit!
I had to turn off the music, not paying attention to the protests of my daughter.
This lesson of democracy was taught to me by my son.
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