I just read about a new social movement/campaign called ‘Action For Happiness’. After reading their blog post entitled “The founders of Action for Happiness explain why happiness matters and why we need a new movement for social change…” I composed and posted the following response.

Although I’m certain the founders of this movement are well-meaning and sincere individuals, it’s very likely that any social movement based on false premises will only do harm in the long run. Action For Happiness appears to be founded on the false premise that government is benevolent. They say…

“The new challenge for government is to create the conditions for better human relationships – better education in life skills, better support for parents, better help with depression and crippling anxiety, and better communities.”

What is ‘”government”? Government is a group of people with the institutionalised and exclusive right to use coercion and to initiate force. To expect such a group to “create the conditions for better human relationships” – is madness.

I implore Action For Happiness to no longer advocate coercion and control, and the violation of human self-ownership. I urge them, instead, to clear their heads of the delusion of the benevolence of Government and to ensure their search for a solution to a complex social problem is based only on voluntary actions and respects human self-ownership.