BIPEDALISM
The wonderful construction of a bicycle makes its operation of two seemingly opposite components produce positive movement forward. Its pedal gear holds the two crank arms in diametrically opposite directions. At their free ends are the pedals. When the left pedal is pressed down, the right one comes up. Then the right pedal is pressed down and the left one comes up. Although aligned in opposite directions, they together push the bicycle forward. Bicycles do not move in reverse. Now consider this. What if the rider brings the crank arms in a level position and somehow keeps both the pedals pressed down simultaneously? The bicycle won't move. What if the crank arms holding the pedals are not of equal length? The rider will not be able to pedal them.
This process is bipedalism*. Such bipedalism is desirable and essential in some other cases also such as national economies and democratic societies. It can useful to employ seemingly contradictory approaches to together yield positive beneficial results.
National economies have two major players. They are like the two pedals of a bicycle, the private sector (right pedal) and the public one (left pedal). They sometimes duel as if they are mutually exclusive. However, the private sector is as useful as the public one and vice versa. The erstwhile Soviet Union eliminated its private sector. It tried to function like a one pedaled bicycle having the left one only. The system did work but for some time only. The result is well known. On the other hand, countries relying heavily on the private sector function like a rider with a short left leg. They do move but in a zigzag manner. There, the investors' interests are protected as if they are the only contributors to the national economy. The needs of the other stakeholders are ignored or met only partially.
For the national economy to flourish smoothly and continuously, the two sectors should not duel but compete and complement each other. As in most competitions, this requires the participants to work towards a common goal. When the economy is good, the private sector should lead. But during difficult times, the public sector should be entrusted to lead. This can work only if we acknowledge that the two pedals of the economy are equally important and practice bipedalism without labeling it as capitalism or socialism. It would be similar to the mixed economies some countries pursue. But we do need to (a) eliminate the antagonism that may exist between the two pedals and (b) foster their interdependence for better service to all stakeholders not just some favored groups. The term "Bipedalism" does capture and emphasize these aspects.
What exactly is patriotism? It subsists on our responsible behavior. Not everyone can give their lives for the country. But each of us can give some money in the form of taxes to fund the public sector. Our taxes are not payments for no reason. Tax payers are also recipients of benefits of the indirect common services we receive from our country, state, county or township. Unlike user fees, not all such recipients can be separately identified and billed. Taxes are levied to fund such essential expenses. Our incessant demands to cut the taxes weaken the public sector and thereby hurt the economy. Therefore, such demands are unpatriotic.
Democratic countries are torn between responsibilities (left pedal) and personal freedoms (right pedal). Imposing responsibilities without individual freedom is exploitation, an undeclared slavery. Unlimited individual rights without responsibility create licentiousness mistaken to be personal freedom or even patriotism. We are often confused between fundamental rights and privileges. The former, such as everyone's right to vote, are inalienable, privileges are not. For example, one's right to own a car does not include the privilege to drive it. It has to be earned by obtaining a valid license to drive a car. Even with license, driving without wearing seat belt is not a right or privilege, it is a lack of sense of responsibility. Similarly, just because we do pay for them, it does not give any of us a right or privilege to waste national resources. Sometimes one's irresponsible behavior or exercise of a valid privilege may hurt the person and/or some others. Being civilized implies giving up some personal privileges and following all laws for the sake of the safety and well being of our compatriots. A proper mix of rights and responsibilities is imperative for smooth and successful functioning of a democracy.
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* Another analogy for bipedalism is:
The process is somewhat akin to the way we humans walk on our two feet. When the left foot moves forward, the right one bears all the weight of our body. The right hand provides balance by moving in sync with and to the same direction as the left foot. Then the two sides switch their functions. The exchanges keep repeating.