Institutions

Last night I went to "Curriculum Night" (what used to be called an open house) at my daughter's high school. As I sat in each classroom listening to the teachers talk about what the students must and must not do in the class, I felt the familiar constriction of liberty that makes high schools feel more like penal institutions than learning institutions. With the Spanish teacher rambling along in a language I have not been able to learn, I began to consider the various institutions we associate with over the course of our life. I considered: schools, church/s, employers, banks, government agencies, etc. and wondered how we determine whether or not we should associate with an institution.

In the past few months I have spent a great deal of time doing research for the book series (Dragon Conspiracies) I am writing. The common thread in conspiracy theories is that an institution implements a plot that limits the freedoms of the masses in order to enrich or empower the few within the conspiracy. So, my initial thoughts were that institutions that limit your freedoms should be avoided. But, all institutions have limits or they would cease to be an institution. And, some of the institutions that are most limiting, I have found to be the most beneficial.

I'm a Mormon so I do my best to live by a fairly strict Christian moral code (no sex before marriage, absolute fidelity within marriage, honesty in my dealings, regular service to others, weekly worship, daily prayer and scripture study, repentance when I make a mistake, etc.) and health code (no drinking, no drugs, no tobacco, no coffee). Many people I meet feel that my religion in some way limits my freedom or is oppressing me. However, I look at it in precisely the opposite way. By living the health code I am healthier and free from addictions and the closer I live the moral code the greater peace and happiness I find in life.

From this I concluded that the pure number of limits an institution places on us is not a measure for determining whether we should associate with it.

I next thought the measure must be whether the institution is beneficial to us, but this argument quickly breaks down in light of the conspiracy model outlined above. If the purpose of associating with an institution is only to derive selfish benefit then we would all be searching for a way to create institutions that build ourselves individually regardless of the effect on others.

I think this is the way most people decide where they will spend their time and decide with which institutions they will associate. I am sure most entrepreneurs create their companies for the purpose of achieving individual financial independence just as I am sure most politicians are in it for the power. However, some entrepreneurs and politicians are also trying to make the world a better place. They realize that governments and companies are always going to exist and they want to provide the best government, working environment, products, and services possible.

This line of thought brought me to my final conclusion. The institutions we should associate with are those whose leaders and purposes align with our altruistic view of the world. There are problems with this: everyone's views are different, leaders lie about their institution's purpose, and new leaders/bosses change the direction of an institution.

So the question is: What institutions are you associated with and are their purposes aligned with your view of what's good?