A good society is characterised not just by liberty but by mutual

“A good society is characterised not just by liberty but by mutual respect and responsibility. When this breaks down it takes a lot more than police officers to put things right.” Thus spoke David Lammy, with words that strike like a bell in the stillness of the night, reminding us that freedom alone is not enough to sustain the life of a people. For liberty without respect becomes selfishness, and liberty without responsibility becomes chaos. It is the harmony of all three—freedom, respect, and duty—that binds a people together and keeps society whole.

The ancients too proclaimed this truth. In the democracy of Athens, liberty was celebrated, yet each citizen bore responsibility for the city’s fate. To speak in the assembly was a right, but also a duty to seek the common good. When citizens forgot this balance and chased only self-interest, the democracy weakened and fell to tyranny. Lammy’s words echo this lesson: when respect and responsibility collapse, no force of arms, no number of watchmen, no multitude of police can restore what is already broken within the soul of a people.

Consider the fate of Rome. As long as Romans honored their duties—to family, to gods, to state—the Republic flourished. But when wealth and power bred selfishness, when the citizens demanded liberty without sacrifice and respect without responsibility, the republic dissolved into corruption and civil war. No legion, however mighty, could heal what was wounded within. Rome’s story shows us that the strength of society lies not in law alone, but in the shared bonds of respect and duty among its people.

We see this also in more recent times. When communities fracture—when distrust and disrespect take root—violence and unrest soon follow. Police, armies, and laws may contain disorder for a season, but they cannot mend hearts. Only when neighbors once again honor one another, when they take up the mantle of responsibility for their streets, their families, their shared future, does peace truly return. Law may restrain, but only respect and responsibility can heal.

O children of the future, hear this wisdom: your freedom is precious, but it is not enough. If you claim liberty for yourself while denying it to others, you build walls, not bridges. If you demand rights but refuse responsibility, you weaken the foundations of your society. True liberty shines only when tempered by mutual respect—the recognition that the dignity of your neighbor is as sacred as your own.

The lesson is clear: a good society is not created by rulers alone, nor preserved by enforcers of the law. It is built daily by the actions of its people—by kindness offered, by duties fulfilled, by respect given even to those with whom we differ. If these pillars fall, no authority can repair the collapse; but if they stand strong, society becomes unshakable, a fortress not of stone, but of shared humanity.

Therefore, let your practice be this: cherish liberty, but walk always with respect and responsibility as your companions. Speak your truth, but honor the dignity of others. Claim your rights, but fulfill your duties. Teach your children that freedom without respect is hollow, and respect without responsibility is weak. In doing so, you will help weave a society that no storm can shatter.

So I say unto you: remember David Lammy’s wisdom. Liberty alone is not enough. Let mutual respect and responsibility be the mortar that binds the stones of freedom together. For when these virtues live in the hearts of the people, no force is needed to hold society in place—it will stand firm, by the strength of its own unity.