Dad’s threat of a governor

When I began to drive solo, my dad would threaten to modify my driving privileges by telling me he would put a governor on our chevy station wagon. His consideration was probably justified, but I do not know how he knew about how fast I drove. I guess he just knew teenage boys love the thrill of speed. Only when I passed sixty years of age did I manage to begin modifying my need for speed.

A governor is a mechanical throttle control. If he put it on, he would be able to set the maximum speed for the car. Today every vehicle comes with a cruise control, which is a type of governor. Your lawnmower has one. The device sets the maximum rpm. When the load exceeds the torque necessary to do the job, the governor will add fuel to provide more power to keep the RPMs constant.

The governor on a small engine can be removed, giving the operator the freedom to make the gas engine go as fast he wants. But the operator must be mindful not to push the engine too hard. The abuse will cause a shortening of the machine’s life, or there will not be enough speed to power through the work, repeatedly stalling the engine.

The operator is free to run the engine as desired. However, the engine has limits to its structural integrity. The operator is not as “free” as one may think. A governor helps keep the engine running, thus continuing to do the work necessary to complete the task. Similarly, that is the purpose of any government, to keep the citizens at optimum freedom and restraint to accomplish the task of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Without a government, the pursuing of your happiness will eventually run into me pursuing my happiness. The collision usually renders one or both of us unhappy. A good government aids those it governs in their pursuit of happiness. In doing so, the maximum benefit can be realized for each. The sad reality is that no human will quickly or quietly give up their freedom to pursue happiness willingly. My driving speed must be governed to protect your wellbeing because I will not do it myself.

Photo – I have no idea of what kind of tree it is but they are breathtaking. Taken on a street in Leo, Burkina Faso, West Africa. The little grass shack is shade for some sort of small business and men’s gathering place.

This is where capitalism and socialism are birthed. Both approach the need to provide some level of “life, liberty, and happiness” from opposite directions. Those who have a measure of satisfying happiness tend to protect and increase their “happiness.” The only real way to do that is using “have nots.” The snag is that eventually, the “have nots” will demand their share of the “happiness” their labor is providing to the “haves.”

In the ideal society, rich people should not have their money taken by the government and given to the poor. The rich, realizing their security and knowing the poor’s plight, should provide a portion of their “life, liberty, and happiness” to improve the lives of the “insecure.” Having enough to be happy should not be the target. For no human will ever have all they need to be as satisfied as they would like to be in this life. Our desire should be to live in a nation with no lack of life, liberty, and happiness.

The problem is made much more severe when we look to each other for solutions. The problem is us! We cannot, and will never, form a governing solution to allow humans to live the life they desire, be as liberated as they want to be, or find happiness, which supersedes life’s difficulties.

Do not despair! That government has been firmly established. This government has a Governor who rules with unhindered love for each citizen. It is called the Kingdom of God.