As the Declaration of Independence states a sovereign individual proclaims:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”
A sovereign individual knows that there are certain rights inherent and belonging to all people. The only way to remove those rights is through authoritarian or tyrannical means. A sovereign individual also recognizes the coercive nature of the state leads to the dissolution of rights.
A sovereign individual realizes that the state can never create rights, they can only restrict them. If an individual looks to the state to grant rights that individual is a subject not a sovereign.
A sovereign individual also realizes that the state will always seek to increase its power and influence. That expansion can only occur at the expense of individual sovereignty. To ensure individual sovereignty an individual must be engaged in the political process as detestable as it might be. A sovereign individual must first govern himself and then seek to influence his community to assert their rights to liberty.
If you are unwilling to assert control over your life and live like a sovereign, someone else will be ready to do so. They may do so with a light hand that includes the inconvenience of excessive regulation or minor invasions of privacy. Or they may be more forceful and deem you a nonessential worker and lock you out of your workplace stripping you of your ability to pursue happiness as you deem best. Or finally they may conscript you into their armies to die in wars of conquest or enmity, ultimately depriving you of life.
A sovereign individual recognizes the state as a necessary evil that must be limited in size and scope if any individual sovereignty is to exist. As more people view themselves as individual sovereigns entrepreneurship will increase, innovation will increase, prosperity will increase, happiness will increase, and the size and power of government will shrink.
Thomas Aquinas is credited as one of the greatest proponents of natural law. During his time in Cologne he was taught by Albertus Magnus. Magnus used the teachings of Aristotle in his mentorship of Thomas Aquinas.
Samuel Adams believed in American Independence from Great Britain. He is one of the most well know Son's of Liberty. On August 1, 1776 he gave a speech to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
The Mount of Forty Springs, Zagros Mountains, Iran Saturday 11:30 PM
By the dim light of torches seven hooded figures made their ascent up the nearly invisible path. Thirty minutes had passed since they began hiking off the established trail. A person who had never traveled this path would not have been able to find it.
These men were not making their first journey. Each had traveled this path as part of a group and individually. Even without the torches each man would find the destination without difficulty. Some things could never be forgotten.
In silence they made their final steps. Amidst the juniper and oak trees stood a single cedar tree. They had arrived at their destination. Concealed amidst the undergrowth was a small cave. Sliding a large bolder away from the back of the cave revealed a secret stairwell.
The men could not be completely at ease yet, but the most physically demanding portion of their journey was over. From this point things would be more psychologically challenging and each man would handle those struggles...
