Go Slow Down
1993 | Rock
“Everbody wants to live, like they want to live. -- And everybody wants to love, like they want to love. -- And everybody wants to be closer to free."
Trivia
- Closer To Free hit #16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- BoDeans is an American rock band. Formed in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
- "Closer to Free", was used as the theme song to the hit TV series Party of Five.
THE HOT TAKES
Luke Tatum
"Freedom is popular," as Dr. Paul would say. It's funny how people value freedom for themselves, but never hesitate to advocate laws that affect others. I realize it's a gross oversimplification, but it's almost as though people reason in this manner: "I do not smoke cigarettes. Therefore, no one should smoke cigarettes!" If this gets turned into a law--an outright ban on smoking--then what happens? Imprisonment, fines, and even death for smokers who resist. Is that really how far you're willing to carry your "no one should" moralizing? Whatever the issue is, remember that laws are an implicit threat of violence, else they are meaningless. Just because you are shifting the responsibility of enforcement to others doesn't mean you should insulate yourself from this reality.
Sherry Voluntary
This catchy little pop tune lays out the common ground that all humans have. Everyone just wants to have the opportunity to guide and mold their own lives. The State has done a really good job of making people believe that it's interests are their interests, but really people just want to live and get ahead in life. Self interest is a good place to start to lead people into a freedom mindset.
Nicky P
I know it's a silly song best known for its use as a TV theme song but it's very simple message couldn't be more true. Sure, we all want and in a sense that is a commonality we all share. The key is that we don't all want the same things. The levels of abstraction you need to jump to make that true are pretty daunting. This truth is the fundamental problem with any centralized or socialized system. It simply cannot provide for infinite variety. If it can't provide this why should we trade in a system that can for it. The system that is capable of providing the greatest variability in nature is ultimately the winning system because diversity is the key to winning evolution and surviving. Maybe these guys were just crafting a pop song but sometimes it's the simple messages that come straight from the heart that get the closest to the truth of humanity.