作者：李彬妹
很多年以前，我从未认真思考过什么是自由，也从未思考过制度与普通人之间究竟有着怎样的关系。对于那时的我来说，生活无非就是照顾家庭，抚养孩子，努力把日子过好。我相信，只要勤劳、本分，人生总会朝着好的方向发展。然而，后来发生的一切，让我第一次意识到，一个普通人的命运，有时候并不仅仅掌握在自己手中。
对于每一个女人来说，生育本应是一项属于自己的权利。是否生育、何时生育、如何安排家庭生活，本应由夫妻共同决定，而不是由外界替自己作出选择。然而，当个人意愿与制度发生冲突的时候，我才真正体会到，一个普通人在庞大的制度面前是多么渺小。
那段经历改变的不仅仅是我的身体，更改变了我看待世界的方式。我开始不断追问，为什么如此重要的人生决定，自己却没有真正的选择权？为什么一个家庭关于孩子的决定，可以因为一项政策而发生彻底改变？为什么一个普通人的声音如此微弱，甚至连解释和申诉的机会都十分有限？
这些问题在我的脑海里盘旋了很多年。
起初，我只是觉得自己遭遇了不幸。后来我才逐渐明白，真正值得思考的并不是个人的不幸，而是为什么会有越来越多的人拥有相似的经历。当一个人的遭遇不断发生在不同家庭、不同地区、不同年代时，它便不仅仅是一个家庭的故事，而成为一种值得反思的社会现象。
随着时间推移，我开始阅读更多关于现代社会治理、法治以及民主制度的资料。我发现，一个真正成熟的社会，并不会因为拥有强大的行政能力而受到尊重，而是因为它懂得如何限制权力、保护个人权利。
任何制度都会制定公共政策，但现代文明始终强调，公共利益不能以无限牺牲个人权利作为代价。法律存在的意义，不只是赋予政府管理社会的权力，更重要的是划定权力边界，防止任何权力无限扩张。
正是因为有了这样的思考，我开始重新理解自由。
过去，我一直认为自由只是一个抽象概念，与普通人的生活距离很远。后来我才发现，自由其实体现在生活中的每一个细节：自由意味着一个家庭可以决定自己的生活；意味着一个人能够按照自己的意愿规划未来；意味着面对重大人生选择时，不需要担心自己的意志被他人轻易取代。
自由并不是毫无约束，而是在法律框架下，每一个人都拥有应当受到尊重的基本权利。
后来，我开始关注不同地区的发展。我尤其关注台湾社会的发展历程，并不是因为那里没有问题，而是因为我看到了另一种制度运行方式。台湾经历了长期的发展与改革，逐渐建立起选举制度、新闻监督、司法救济以及公民参与公共事务的机制。不同意见可以公开讨论，政策可以接受社会检验，政府也需要面对公众监督。
这种制度安排给我最大的启发，不是谁执政，而是人民拥有表达意见、监督政府和依法维护自身权益的渠道。
我逐渐明白，一个社会真正值得信赖，不是因为它不会犯错，而是因为当错误发生以后，它拥有纠正错误的能力。
有人说，民主不能解决所有问题，我完全赞同。世界上没有任何一种制度能够做到完美无缺。但是，一个能够允许人民批评、允许媒体监督、允许司法依法独立运行的社会，总比一个缺乏公开讨论和监督机制的社会更有机会不断修正自己的不足。
我向往的，也正是这样一种不断完善自身的制度。
这些年的经历让我越来越相信，国家的发展不仅仅体现在经济数字，更体现在普通人是否能够拥有尊严的生活。当每一个人都能够依法表达自己的意见，当每一个家庭都能够自主规划自己的未来，当每一个公民都能够受到法律平等保护，一个社会才真正拥有长久发展的基础。
今天，当我再次回顾自己的经历，心中依然会有遗憾。但相比遗憾，我更希望自己的经历能够成为一种提醒。任何制度都应该把人放在首位，而不是让人去适应制度。权力应当受到法律约束，政策应当尊重人的尊严，社会的发展也应当建立在对每一个普通人的尊重之上。
我相信，一个真正文明的社会，不会因为人民拥有自由而变得混乱，而会因为人民拥有自由、权利受到保障、制度接受监督而变得更加稳定。
也正因为如此，我更加珍惜民主、法治与自由的价值。它们不是遥远的口号，而是每一个普通人能够安心生活、拥有尊严、守护家庭的基础。
编辑：胡丽莉 校对：熊辩 翻译：沈美花
When a Mother Becomes Part of the System
Author: Li Binmei
Many years ago, I never seriously reflected on what freedom truly meant, nor did I ever contemplate the actual relationship between the system and ordinary people. For the me of that time, life was nothing more than taking care of my family, raising my children, and striving to live a good life. I believed that as long as one was hard-working and dutiful (benfen), life would always progress in a positive direction. However, everything that happened later made me realize for the very first time that the destiny of an ordinary person is, at times, not entirely held in their own hands.
For every woman, childbearing should inherently be a right that belongs to herself. Whether to have children, when to have them, and how to arrange family life should be decided jointly by the husband and wife, rather than having choices made for them by the outside world. Yet, it was only when personal will clashed with the system that I truly experienced just how infinitesimal an ordinary person is in the face of a massive state apparatus.
That experience altered not only my body, but more importantly, the way I view the world. I began to constantly question: why is it that for such a vital life decision, I possessed no genuine right to choose? Why can a family’s decision regarding children be completely overturned due to a single government policy? Why is the voice of an ordinary person so faint, to the point where even the opportunities for explanation and appeal are extremely limited?
These questions have hovered in my mind for many years.
At first, I merely felt that I had encountered personal misfortune. Later, I gradually came to understand that what truly warrants reflection is not individual misfortune, but rather why more and more people share similar experiences. When the plight of one individual repeatedly occurs across different families, different regions, and different eras, it ceases to be merely the story of a single household and instead becomes a social phenomenon that demands profound reflection.
As time passed, I began to read more materials concerning modern social governance, the rule of law, and democratic systems. I discovered that a truly mature society is respected not because it possesses formidable administrative capabilities, but because it knows how to restrain power and protect individual rights.
Any system will formulate public policies, but modern civilization consistently emphasizes that the public interest cannot be pursued at the cost of the infinite sacrifice of individual rights. The significance of the law’s existence is not merely to vest the government with the power to manage society, but more importantly, to delineate the boundaries of authority and prevent any power from expanding without limitation.
It was precisely because of such reflections that I began to re-evaluate and understand freedom anew.
In the past, I always regarded freedom as an abstract concept, far removed from the lives of ordinary people. Later, I discovered that freedom is actually manifested in every single detail of daily life: freedom means that a family can decide its own way of living; it means that an individual can plan their future according to their own will; it means that when facing momentous life choices, one does not need to worry that their own volition will be easily supplanted by others.
Freedom is not the absolute absence of restraint, but rather that within the framework of the law, every single person possesses fundamental rights that ought to be respected.
Later on, I began to pay attention to the development of different regions. I followed the developmental trajectory of Taiwanese society with particular interest—not because it is free of problems, but because I witnessed an alternative mode of institutional operation. Taiwan underwent a prolonged process of development and reform, progressively establishing electoral systems, journalistic oversight, judicial remedies, and mechanisms for civic participation in public affairs.Differing opinions can be openly debated, policies can withstand social scrutiny, and the government must face public supervision.
The greatest enlightenment this institutional arrangement offered me was not about which party holds office, but that the people possess channels to express their views, supervise the government, and safeguard their own rights and interests in accordance with the law.
I gradually came to realize that a society is truly worthy of trust not because it never commits errors, but because it possesses the capacity to rectify those errors when they do occur.
Some say that democracy cannot resolve all problems, and I completely agree. No system in the world can ever achieve absolute perfection. However, a society that permits criticism from its people, allows oversight by the media, and enables the judiciary to operate independently in accordance with the law will always stand a better chance of continuously correcting its shortcomings than a society that lacks mechanisms for public discussion and supervision.
What I yearn for is precisely this kind of system that constantly refines itself.
My experiences over these years have made me increasingly believe that a nation’s development is manifested not merely in economic figures, but more crucially in whether ordinary people can live a life of dignity. Only when every individual can express their opinions according to the law, when every family can autonomously plan their own future, and when every citizen can receive equal protection under the law, can a society truly possess the foundation for long-term development.
Today, when I look back upon my experiences once again, regrets still linger in my heart. Yet, more than regret, I hope my experience can serve as a reminder. Any system should place human beings first, rather than forcing human beings to adapt to the system. Power ought to be constrained by law, policies ought to respect human dignity, and the development of society ought to be built upon the respect accorded to every ordinary individual.
I believe that a truly civilized society will not lapse into chaos because its people possess freedom; rather, it will become more stable precisely because its people possess freedom, their rights are safeguarded, and the system is subjected to supervision.
And it is precisely for this reason that I cherish the values of democracy, the rule of law, and freedom all the more. They are not remote slogans, but the very foundation upon which every ordinary person can live in peace, possess dignity, and protect their family.
Editor: Hu Lili
Proofreader: Xiong Bian
Translator: Shen Meihua
