I believe that the primary role of the government is to protect

"I believe that the primary role of the government is to protect people and not run their lives. You used to be able to believe that in the Democratic Party." — John F. Kennedy

In this powerful and wistful declaration, John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, speaks with the tone of both a patriot and a philosopher. His words are not a rebuke alone, but a lament — the sorrow of one who loved his country enough to see how far it had drifted from its founding spirit. When he declares that the primary role of government is to protect people and not run their lives, he reaches back to the very root of liberty itself. For the true purpose of government, in his vision, is not to command, but to safeguard; not to dominate, but to defend the free space in which the human soul may flourish.

These words emerged from a time of great transformation in American politics. The mid-twentieth century saw a growing faith in the power of government to solve every problem — to manage economies, to equalize outcomes, to engineer social progress. Kennedy, though a man of reform and compassion, remained grounded in the older belief that freedom and responsibility must never be surrendered to authority, however well-intentioned. He came from a tradition — then found in both parties — that held liberty sacred, that saw citizens not as subjects to be guided, but as individuals to be trusted. His reflection, spoken with quiet sorrow, suggests that even within his own political family, that trust in the individual had begun to fade.

The ancient philosophers knew this truth well. In the city of Athens, Pericles declared that the greatness of a people lay not in the might of their rulers, but in the freedom of their citizens. When governments begin to “run the lives” of their people, they do so in the name of safety or order — yet always at the cost of the soul. What begins as protection becomes dependence; what begins as guidance becomes control. Kennedy’s wisdom is the same warning uttered by countless voices through the ages: that liberty, once surrendered, is rarely regained. The hand that shelters too closely soon smothers, and the state that governs every choice leaves no room for virtue, for courage, or for greatness.

Consider the lessons of ancient Rome, where the republic that had once thrived on civic freedom gradually transformed into an empire ruled by decree. In the beginning, emperors claimed to “protect” their people from chaos and poverty — distributing grain, dictating trades, promising security. But with each new promise came another chain. The Roman citizen, once proud and self-reliant, became a dependent of the state. The empire’s rulers did not protect liberty; they managed existence. And in the end, they ruled over subjects, not citizens. Kennedy’s warning, though spoken in the modern world, reaches back to this same eternal pattern — that when the government becomes the master, the people forget how to live as free men and women.

Yet Kennedy’s voice is not bitter — it is patriotic and hopeful. He does not condemn government itself, for he saw its noble purpose: to protect the nation, defend its people from harm, uphold justice, and preserve peace. But beyond that sacred duty, he believed the state must step aside and let the individual pursue his destiny. The role of government, in his eyes, was like that of a strong guardian at the gate — vigilant against threat, yet never intruding upon the lives within. For it is not the government that builds a nation’s greatness, but the character, industry, and imagination of its people.

Kennedy’s words also reflect a longing for balance — the harmony between freedom and responsibility that defined America’s earliest spirit. He reminds us that when any political movement, of any persuasion, forgets the limits of power, it betrays its people. The greatness of democracy lies not in what the state gives, but in what it allows — the freedom to rise, to fail, to dream, and to begin again. To believe in the people more than in the machinery of government is not naïve; it is the essence of faith in human dignity.

So, O listener and reader, take this teaching to heart. The government exists to guard, not to govern the soul. It may defend the borders, uphold the laws, and ensure peace, but it must not seek to dictate the daily life or spirit of its people. Each generation must remember this truth anew, for the temptation of power never sleeps. Freedom is not lost in one great battle, but in a thousand small concessions, given quietly in the name of comfort.

Lesson: The purpose of government is to protect liberty, not to replace it. A people who surrender their independence for guidance will awaken to find themselves ruled, not represented.

Practical Action: Cherish your freedom and guard it fiercely. Question authority that claims to know better than your conscience. Support leaders who trust the individual and respect the limits of power. Take responsibility for your own life, your choices, and your community. For when citizens live bravely and think freely, the state has no need to rule them — it need only protect them, as Kennedy so wisely declared.