Så det rigtige spørgsmål er, hvordan det kan være at så mange mennesker lader til at være absolut selvtilfredse i betragtning af vores sammenfaldende kulturelle værdier, og tyranniets fremmarch? Endnu værre, hvordan kan så mange mennesker ligefrem svælge i det? Det lader til at antallet af mennesker som virkeligt værdsætter frihed er stærkt i undertal mod idioter og magtbegærlige nævenyttige personer. Ganske vist, så er antallet af personer som ønsker at blive fri vokset i de senere år, men det stadigvæk få og langt imellem dem, når man sammenligner med den magtunderdanige menneskehobe som vi deler verden med.
Her er det frygtelige svar til det spørgsmål, og den beskidte sandhed at de fleste mennesker ikke kan bringe sig selv til at indrømme det. De fleste mennesker elsker frihed, men kun som en ide. De kan lide ideen at de kan gøre hvad som helst som de vil, de beundrer arketypen af den barske individualist, og alle elsker 'underdogs' og oprørere, med andre ord, folk elsker bannere og frihedssymboler, men elsker de virkelig friheden i praksis?
Jeg vil argumentere for at nej, mange af dem gør det ikke. Så mærkeligt som det måtte lyde, så kæmper de fleste mennesker med at have frihed. Lad mig give et eksempel, af hvilken der er mange indenfor marketingsfeltet.
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In the year 2000, two psychologists conducted a study on how the number of choices we have effects our behavior. They went to a supermarket and displayed 24 different gourmet jams on a table, and provided $1 coupons to see how much interest it garnered. They did the same thing the next day, but instead of 24 jams, there were only 6. The large display attracted much more interest, but the small display generated 10 times as many sales.
Maybe you think that study is inconsequential, and I wouldn't blame you for thinking that, but let me share another case that will clarify my point. One of the psychologists who conducted that study, did another study on the differences between end of life care in the United States and France. She interviewed parents in both countries who had children on life support. In France, the doctor makes the decision as to whether or not a child is taken off life support, and in the United States it is the parent's decision.
She talked to these parents a year after their children had died. The American parents were much more distraught over their decision to pull the plug. They still had nagging doubts about whether it was the right decision to make, and they felt like they had "executed" their children. The French parents on the other hand, didn't feel nearly as bad about the situation. They were well on their way to coping with the tragedy.
The point I'm trying to make here is that most people don't like having choices, despite how much they'll argue to the contrary. The more choices they're given, the more likely they are to not like the choices they have or make. There's much more doubt about whether or not that choice was correct, which leads to some pretty counter-intuitive conclusions. You can measure how free you are by the number of choices you have, and most people claim to love freedom, but in many cases those people are happier when they have fewer, or no choices. I think most people are simply happier without freedom, which is unfortunate and sad to say the least.
And that is why so many people accept tyranny, and why it will always be a problem for the human race. Because tyranny is so much easier than freedom. It is acquiescence. It means giving up. Tyranny is for quitters, and it amounts to handing over the reins to someone else. Most people are happier when they don't have a choice, and they don't even realize it.
However, there is another way to look at this odd human behavior.
There was another interesting fact that was gleaned from that study. The American parents who had chosen to take their sick children off life support, still regretted their decision. But when asked if they would have had it any other way, most of them claimed that they would have still made the same decision. Their decision made them unhappy, they knew it made them unhappy, but when they were asked if they would have rather let the doctor make that choice, they all said no.
And that right there is an example of people who truly want freedom, and not just the rosy idea of freedom. Those who truly want freedom are willing to accept the painful struggle of having a choice in life, and prefer it to the ignorant bliss that comes with not having a choice. However, it was only applicable to that particular situation. Would those same parents prefer to have a choice in every other aspect of their lives?
Unfortunately, that kind of person is a rare bird these days. If you could ask everyone in the world about their ethics and political beliefs, you'd probably find a wide variety, but most of them would have one thing in common. There's always some part of their lives that they are willing to relinquish to a "higher authority," and that part differs depending on their ideology. Most people don't really want the full freedom package.
So it's up to the rare few who really want freedom, without compromise, to make it a reality for themselves. The human race will always teeter on the edge of a tyrannical abyss, because there is an inherent weakness in our species. We're happier when we don't have so many choices (or freedom), which means that accepting tyranny is easy for us. It takes all our strength and moral fiber to rise above it, because we default towards tyranny (which is defined by the lack of choice in our lives) when we stop caring. It's our natural inclination.
Just as human weakness and apathy leads to ignorance, violence, and hatred, it also destroys freedom. And the political and financial elitists of the world want you to give in to your weaknesses, and fall back on those baser instincts. They want you to give up. They want you to yearn for a simple life, where your choices are taken care of by someone else. They want you to be a slave.
But do you really want that? Do you have the strength to make that choice?
Joshua Krause is a reporter, writer and researcher at The Daily Sheeple. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and is a freelance writer and author. You can follow Joshua's reports at Facebook or on his personal Twitter. Joshua's website is Strange Danger .
Kommentar: For en dybt gående analyse af emnet så se: Global Pathocracy, Authoritarian Followers and the Hope of the World