Latter Day Sinner

There is a tension in my soul between democracy and authority. I am suspicious of both. Too much of either is not a good thing. Some things are best left to democratic forces. As an artist I want people to appreciate my work because they find something in it worth appreciating. I don’t think people should need credentials to do art. In that area democracy seems fine. But I don’t want medicine, or engineering, or litigation to be put to a public vote. I want the people who are best at it to be allowed to work without hecklers. I also want those in authority held to a higher standard. If they prove they aren’t worthy of their authority I want them to lose their licenses. I still want other people in the same realm of authority to do that and not make those three things into a popularity contest. But again I don’t think everyone needs a license to do their job. I am fine with an unlicensed handyman or yard worker. I don’t need someone with a degree to cut my hair. I actually think credentialing hurts the arts. Gate keeping on creativity always seems like a bad idea to me. But I want my doctor to be an accredited professional. I want lawyers to pass a bar exam. And if a person is designing and building bridges I want them to have both the training and authority to do so without no nothing busybodies getting in the way.