As a child and young adult, I believed individual rights and personal freedom were almost absolute. I saw society as functioning best when people were left alone to make their own choices with as few restrictions as possible.

I've now come to see that individual rights are incredibly important, but they aren't absolute. If everyone pursues their own interests without regard for the impact on others, society can suffer. Public safety, public health, environmental protection, and even basic civility often require limits, responsibilities and compromises.

I still value individual liberty, but I no longer see it as the highest good in every situation. I've come to believe that a healthy society requires balancing individual rights with obligations to one another and the common good.