Freedom is something we desire. The freedom to choose, to speak up, to produce, to follow our passions and our dreams.
And organizations in search of efficiency, shortcuts or profits often argue for freedom as well. The freedom to organize their production and to go to market without regulation or hassle.
Our actions, though, have consequences. That power plant might be venting steam into the river that millions depend on. Your upstairs neighborβs loud music at midnight is your sleep interrupted. Your worse might be someone elseβs better (and vice versa).
The temptation is to deny the externalities or to minimize their impact. Teenager thinking is to argue for freedom by pointing out that nothing bad will happen, or if something does, it wonβt matter much, and even then, it wonβt really be your fault. Denial is tempting, but itβs not helpful.
Itβs more useful and productive to do precisely the opposite.
The best way to achieve freedom is to take responsibility for the actions youβre taking. And the best way to be clear that youβre taking responsibility is to highlight the externalities and own them.
When you acknowledge what we can easily see, itβs much easier to trust you.
List for us all the negative consequences of your policy, output or actions, and then tell us how youβll remedy them.
Freedom isnβt a clever plan to be let off the hook. Itβs a deliberate path to being on the hook.