The world is changing. This is nothing new. The world has always been changing. It has always been in constant flux. But the change that's been going on recently has been, well, different yet strangely familiar.
In the United States of America, we've seen a definite downturn. Things have changed for the worse, at least on the main streets. It started slowly creeping long ago, but it seems to me that it has really accelerated in the last few years. I think it started moving faster with the attack on 9/11. This attack was a great victory for terrorism as it ushered in fear, paranoia and a more powerful police state with the passing of the Patriot Act. If the purpose of terrorism is to terrify, then the politicians in Washington DC certainly proved to be vulnerable. If the terrorists hate our freedoms, then they certainly were able to find a way to remove that which they so hate.
It seems to me, however, that things got really bad and the downturn really accelerated after the bailouts of 2008. This move by the government, spurred on once again by fear and paranoia, in one fell swoop devastated what America was supposed to stand for. The gutless politicians in Washington DC sold out the nation to multi-national banking interests despite popular opposition. They allowed threats of the specters of martial law and economic collapse to cloud their judgment. Now the multi-national banking interests have a tighter grip on world power than ever before.
The banking interests have since clamped down on their lending practices. They are hoarding the money they were given. They are also calling in the past loans they have made and doing their best to convert the fraudulent fiat currencies they easily create from nothing into real wealth and property that others worked hard to create. They were supposed to use that money to help grow economies, to help the masses and the common folk living on Main Street. They failed miserably. They always fail when it comes to helping the masses of humanity, yet they succeed in helping themselves to even more wealth and power. This has led to desperation and despair as the common folk are expected to pay for the mistakes of the elite.
What happens when people become desperate? There are many possibilities. When it comes down to it, it depends on emotions. With individuals, it depends on the emotional stability of the subject. In crowds and with the general populace, it depends on the intensity of their emotions and the criminality they want to correct.
Desperation and despair are the devil's playground. They create the conditions that will push humans toward violence. They create the backdrop for upheaval and chaos. The devil will hide in the darkness of these human emotions, whispering of injustice and life's unfairness to his victims. Through these emotions he will creep into the humans' thoughts and manifest his vision of destruction.
In America, we have seen this scenario come to pass too often in individual acts of violence. I suppose that's appropriate in a strange way. After all, this nation is built on the individual, on respecting natural individual rights. We have seen the devil take hold of some quite likely unstable minds and cause much grief and havoc. These men have decided to listen to the demons in their heads and make their own personal statements about life's hardships that have fallen upon their shoulders, hardships that are likely due to the inherent flaws and corruption of the current financial system.
In other nations, we have seen greater group efforts to correct the injustices forged by the corrupt elite. Not long ago we saw rioting in Greece due to the attempt to bring in austerity measures that broke promises made to the people of that country. We saw Iceland stand up and refuse to give in to the demands of multi-national banking interests that attempted to acquire their real wealth in exchange for a forgiveness of debt put on the taxpayers of that nation without their consent. More recently we have seen uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt.
The specter of mob rule, in my opinion, is more frightening than the mad actions of single individuals. The possibility of a larger conflagration and mass bloodshed looms ever present in situations where rioting occurs. People everywhere have the right to peaceably assemble, protest the conditions they live under, and petition their government for a redress of grievances. It is largely the way the government enforcers react and whether or not politicians are willing or able to listen to the people that will determine if the situation becomes violent.
Violence is not the answer. Violence is a problem. Often times it is a symptom of a much larger societal problem. Sometimes it is a desperate act undertaken by those who see no alternative. The devil speaking once again. Of course, there is almost always another alternative, but these are often quite difficult to see. It is almost always easier to listen to the devil, but violence will likely never bring about the change one wishes accomplish.
Violence is also often aimed at the wrong people. Quite often those one perceives to be to blame for one's problems are just trying to go about their own lives as best they can. Those who end up in the cross hairs are often put there by circumstance, not because they are necessarily deserving of violent actions directed against them. Politicians or bureaucrats are often put into such a situation. While admittedly some cruel dictators and despots have gotten what was coming to them from those they brutalized, there are many others well hidden behind the scenes who are pulling the strings of public figures and are never targeted.
It seems to me that there is a worldwide freedom movement occurring right now. If the objective is to create a freer, more peaceful society, then the means as to how that is achieved is quite important, in my humble opinion. Violence will only beget more violence. Governments overthrown by violence will only be replaced with other governments which will use violence or the threat of violence to get the populace to obey their dictates. If people practice peaceful noncompliance, however, if they simply refuse to go along to get along then they are well on their way to living as free people. If the populace remains peaceful then government officials and their enforcers will be forced to decide between allowing the people their liberty or showing the world just how violent, heartless and brutal they truly are.
Government is force. It is a virtual monopoly of force. It has been legitimized in the eyes of the populace in many ways over the centuries. Kings and other familial authoritarians legitimized their rule by the claim of divine rights. Feudal lords legitimized their rule by claim of land ownership and offering protection within their castle walls. Democracies claimed legitimacy by forcing the needs and wants of a larger group onto a smaller group. They claim that the rights of the many outweigh the rights of the few or the individual. Even republics with their supposed respect for individual natural rights can be corrupted and devolve into a plutocracy or oligarchy as we can easily see in modern societies. Until and unless there is legitimate competition for government and financial services, taxation is 100% voluntary and there are alternatives to dealing with government bureaucracies, there will be corruption and it will be difficult to hold those in power accountable for their abuses.
There is a cycle here that needs to be broken. It is far easier to break a cycle if it is acknowledged and its cause recognized. First we have a boom and over exuberance, then we have a bust, then we become desperate as conditions deteriorate, then we have war. Once again the devil uses financial desperation and despair in order to usher in the death and destruction he so loves. War is without a doubt the devil's favorite playground. We need to do our best to see that desperation and despair doesn't lead him to it.
War should be easy to avoid, seeing as how the vast majority of the people do not want it. Yet somehow it always manages to rear its ugly head. One might wonder what organizations are powerful enough to overrule the will of the vast majority of people. Who benefits from war? It's not hard to see. Of course there are the war corporations that make up the military industrial complex, but what many people might not think of is that the central banks of the world also stand to gain much in a war economy. Wars cost money, rebuilding after a war costs money, and they are more than happy to loan that money to desperate states. They know they will get it back with interest and if they don't they will swoop in and steal real wealth and infrastructure. With such profits at stake, how can we trust the financial sector? They need to be watched more closely than ever. A full and complete audit is in order.
Do not give in to desperation and despair. Do not listen to the whispering devil urging violent solutions. Instead, look forward to a more positive tomorrow through peaceful noncompliance. Peaceful evolution is possible if enough of the populace participates. Despite the propaganda machine and corporate media's spin and attempt to hide it, the freedom message is advancing. People are coming to realize that there are many of us who still share the values of liberty and the principles this nation was founded upon. Honoring such values and stepping out of the system that has been erected around us will help pave the way to a peaceful, more prosperous society.
My archived articles are available at szandorblestman.com. Please visit there to help support me and my efforts. I also have an ebook available entitled "The Ouijiers" by Matthew Wayne.
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