Can We Be Both Free and Obliged to Obey the State?

Can We Be Both Free and Obliged to Obey the State?
All relationships, be it political or personal, involve some degree of obedience and obligation. The main one of these is the relationship between the individual and the state. The individual is bound to obey the laws that are enforced by the state, regardless of whether they want to or not. Reasons that people do obey the state are simple. Penalties for breaking laws are in place, such as fines and imprisonment, and in some US states, death. The laws are in place to protect the people, even though the people themselves are not actua…