Sound Institutions
In a speech, Abraham Lincoln said “So far as possible, the people everywhere shall have that sense of perfect security, which is most favorable to calm thought and reflection.” This is the highest goal of Self-made Man; true peace on Earth. It has never been clear however, just what this goal rests upon.
Sound institutions are built upon sound relationships, which are built upon sound cognition. All Self-made organizations share the same value structure, as they are all designed by the same kind of mind. Productive groups who bring freedom, peace, and bounty to men are the foundation of a civilization. Self-made business and political leaders see the greatest power in truth; being open, honest, and fully accountable for their activities. They seek voluntary exchanges and enter negotiations with their own backbones, prepared to satisfy the terms agreed on. They put their best foot forward as goodwill requires, intending to leave a healthy impression as their only means to secure future association. Decency requires us all to accept the vulnerability of not controlling the others involved. The Self-made enjoy the opportunity of a free market environment, as fixed rewards draw only yawns from enterprising men.
Stand face to face with one other human being, and realize that trust—the integrity that you both respect and intend to live by a civil order—is all you have between you. In order to function socially, we must be completely free of concern for any threat to our lives or any forcible loss. Add another person, and trust is all you have. Add five hundred, and honesty, rationality, and integrity continues to be your guide. Add fifty million, and all that guarantees the character of men and keeps everyone from backing into corners, is trust. To trust is to feel comfortable about the actions and potential actions of others, and that only comes with a clear pattern of cognition acknowledged by all as moral, to which every aspect of human existence and our interrelation is gauged—be it law, business, education, or any other institution Man might form.
All the activities of Man are comprehendible by the rest. Even the running of a business empire or a country has base essentials that anyone can understand. The heights we can rise to are determined by a civilization’s respect for the rights of the individual. This is why America has done so well relative to the rest of the world—why it has brought more wealth into the hands of more people than any other system of government. Our prosperity stems from the philosophy we hold. With an even greater moral clarity in the hands of the masses, our future will contain more positive manifestations than I could possibly predict, and I look forward to witnessing them.