The Individual and Freedom

Another way of characterizing the technological era or “digital dream” is that too many people now hide behind it or naively rely on it. Many choose email or txt to deliver pleasant and unpleasant information avoiding the need to deal with the human emotions and reactions they bring. Yet those emotions and reactions, in matters of relevance, cannot be avoided and are formative. They are “the grind” that socializes the individual on how to effectively deal with good and bad circumstances free men encounter. As Al Pacino said to John Goodman at the end of the movie “Sea of Love”…”people are work.” They are! So is life. And so is freedom.

As Dana points out, our troops know that grind for freedom well. And as blackbear notes…we as individuals can work on performance improvements within our institutions and decide “to become” as individuals rather than abdicate to decay.

But I wonder about the chaos brought forth by those who see themselves as having done the work. As having arrived at certainty in most if not all things. Vested in an institution, a religion, or a belief system to the extent that it actually constrains their sense of need to take actions, revisit values, change behaviors and habits or evolve their moral clarity? Too many carry on with blind arrogance and do not absorb the emotions, differences and realities that are part of the experiences of their fellow men. How does this collection of forces influence change adverse, fearful individuals?

There are too many in the ranks of the passive and under informed (educated) who only endeavor to do or hear what they regard as likeminded or pleasurable. They shrink from or leave unattended the things they regard as different from them, with potential for driving change, risk or conflict. They prefer instead to defer to an expectation that institutions, politicians or corporate leaders should and will handle those things in their best interest. These leaders know this and have carefully crafted their messages, offering to put things right. They create messages, talking points and platforms that attack highly charged values-based issues or make promises of “effortless fulfillment” that please a group of like mined individuals. Their messages and promises leverage these peoples fear of change, risk or conflict. This brand of debate about our condition is too often void of reason and I believe a risk to our individual freedoms and strength of our country. It diverts the national consciousness from core issues of governance, financial responsibility, foreign affairs and individual rights and leaves the door open for dishonorable unchecked ambition and tyranny on all sides of our political and free market systems. The motive is disingenuous and designed only to assume and maintain power. But need it be this way? I think no. Do we have any control? I think yes.

I believe that in a renewing society the free man can never act fraudulently, but rather must always carry out his decisions, actions and messages in good faith toward other free men. But as noted above, what I believe and what happens in reality are two very different things. The goodness of our model of free markets and a government that is purposed to protect its people has become poisoned and overrun by over bloated state and federal institutions of power, poor corporate governance and greed. Then ad in a population that moved to suburbia and stopped debating differences locally, and being hit with a barrage of 24 hour cable news cycles that further divert attention from the real issues and feed the like minded frenzy. You are left with a series of obstacles that stagnate and push aside reason and renewal. No one is listening to what matters anymore.

A new catalyst is needed, one that will return the national dialogue to what matters, and add accountability to the actions and words of all types of leaders. It need not be a war. It need not be a terrorist attack. It need not be a third party in government. No the catalyst must be the individual. We must renew ourselves and choose to become an informed educated and engaged populace. The individual must exercise his free market and sovereign rights. He must insist that the strong who oversee the institutions be made to understand and embody the difference between the actions of a tyrant and the actions of a Shepard. And the weak must also “become”. They must become responsible to continually educate themselves on all things that affect their lives. They must gain in courage and act in their own and their fellow man’s best interest in a manner much more noble and strong. Both of these “grinds” are needed by the people for the people so individuals “can become” truly free and enjoy the fruits of individual freedom.

These things will not happen in a txt, a blog or as part of a political campaign or talk show!! A much more comprehensive grassroots approach is needed. One that acknowledges the good in modernity, empowers change and innovation, but includes an examination of the applicability of individual and corporate values which made this journey possible.