Because a stone can do so little, it provides a wonderful key to the rights with which God endowed us. About all a stone can do is passively defend the space it occupies. So we might say, just for a little mind trip, that a rock has a property right in its occupied territory, and that it defends that right with all its power. A diamond is pretty good at it.

The point is that the property right of the stone is inherent, intrinsic, and inalienable. It is impossible to infringe that right without violating the stone itself. A rock has a key to natural rights.

It is impossible to violate the natural rights of a rock without doing damage to it. That is the essence of inalienability: you either have a rock with rights or you have neither.

To honor the property right of a stone, all you have to do is leave it alone.

And that is the essence of freedom.