The Roots of Our Distrust
I saw a comment online that said, “I just wish the government would stop stealing from me. I can manage my own retirement.” I do not read that as anger for its own sake. I read it as frustration from someone who feels they are paying into a system that does not seem to serve them. It is hard to blame anyone for that. If you spend your entire working life watching money leave your paycheck without seeing much come back, the word “stealing” can feel emotionally accurate even if it is not technically accurate.
Intertwined
Whether you like it or not, you are part of a society. You walk on roads you did not build, protected by laws you did not write, and safeguarded by people you may never meet. The air you breathe is cleaner because others agreed to rules you did not set. The food you eat reaches you through systems of inspection, transport, and labor that would collapse without collective effort. The myth of absolute self-reliance is a comforting story told by those who have forgotten how deeply dependent we all are.