From democracy to tyranny in one generation…

Featured image from IZ Quotes. Follow the link if you want more quotes.

We are no longer a free people. Our country now exists as an illusion, an emaciated corpse, slowly deteriorating, and the smell is starting to permeate the air. Our ruling class is cementing themselves in as a caste, using the people as a shield and a building block. They look down from their penthouse apartments in their cloistered cities, breathing the smog-ridden air, looking at the struggling masses running through the labyrinth of buildings and streets in a never-ending grind without rest. And they see this as the norm for the entire country.

And it is this perspective that drives much of the decision making of our ruling elites. They see the world in this dystopian point of view, and they believe that the struggling workers are too plain, stupid, or simple-minded to elevate themselves to such lofty heights. They, having either come from the privilege of their births, or having worked their way into their privilege (a much smaller minority), see themselves as the enlightened ones, able to see beyond the needs of the moment, to view the “bigger picture” of the world.

In this view, they capture our institutions, manipulate the people through those captured institutions, and, regardless of the crisis du jour, offer only one solution to all of them, more power and control for them, less freedom for you. Give us your liberty so you may be made “safe.” From crime, to climate change, to COVID, to “white supremacy,” each of these problems has a neat answer, give away your freedom.

But in all honesty, they live inside a bubble of their own creation. And it is in this bubble where the ideas of control run rampant. They believe that they are morally superior, that their point of view is, dare I say, a supremacist view. This timeline feels like a strange amalgamation of 1984, Fahrenheit 451, a Brave New World, V for Vendetta, and Animal Farm. More and more we’re seeing the “or else” mentality. Questioning is no longer allowed. The decisions have been made by our “moral betters” and “experts,” and therefore you, the inferiors, must submit.

I am reminded of what Loki said in the Avengers…

• 

They have no principle, except the acquisition of power. And those of you who genuinely believe that they view you as more than just a means to an end should take a long, hard look in the mirror. To quote the masked anti-hero V, “you’re afraid because freedom is terrifying.” You would rather have the warmth that comes from the lash than the cold chill of freedom. You would rather trade away everything you believe in because it provides you a fleeting moment of comfort. You would rather have your children and children’s children know strife, hunger, terror, and subjugation so you may have peace in your time.

Tyranny is being invited in because we are afraid. We’ve become glued to our screens and our technology so much so that we have become imprisoned by them. These little boxes we hold in our pockets and hang on our walls are the bars to the cells of our cages. We can connect with people across the globe and yet have never been more isolated. We see the death and destruction that the world lives with every day, and we think that those images we see on our screens are waiting for us just outside our doors. We fear the narratives the media tells us because they thrive on our fear. These boxes feed us the lies we use to justify giving up all our freedoms, so much so that even our own thoughts become a bunch of pre-programmed replies.

So we are left to ask ourselves, where does this end? This ends when we break the chains of our own making and accept that life is a risky business. We change when we step out of our comfort zone and do the hard things. We grow when we recognize that where we are is unacceptable. There is comfort in fear, certainly. But life becomes nothing but a hollow shell of itself when we dwell in that fear.

I leave you with these words…