Avoiding
Dictatorship in a Free Society
Part 1
One
of my high school students recently asked me if we live
in a dictatorship. I thought, "how in the world could
a young person feel that we live in a dictatorship when
daily he hears the Pledge of Allegiance and the
clear message of liberty and justice for all? Later
after some reflection, I understood that he was responding
to the increasing atmosphere of fear, intolerance and confusion
that currently permeates American culture and is altering
our behavior, our sense of freedom, and our faith in our
country's values and institutions.
Weekly
we see the terrorist alert level fluctuate with the volatility
of the stock market. Our leaders continuously warn of "serious
threats of terrorist attacks on American soil." This
soil may become the very ground for the weeds of dictatorship,
fertilized by those in the government and the media as
they create and inflate mass hysteria and impose subsequent "security
measures." This domestic fear is a more deep-seated
and wider danger to the morale, confidence, and guaranteed
rights in our society than any real terrorist threat.
In
a free society such as ours there is a danger that the
elements of dictatorship can grow degree by degree while
the people not only accept them but also embrace them willingly.
Fear is the first ingredient of dictatorship. It blocks
the clear functioning of the heart and mind. When people
are in fear they do irrational things like buying millions
of dollars of duct tape believing that not only is there
an immanent danger of biological or chemical attack but
also that duct tape and plastic sheets can protect them!
No wonder the late-night TV comics get lots of laughs ridiculing
that absurdity!
When
fear and confusion dominate society people react out of
a basic desire for survival. These forces stimulate their
animal consciousness which is the basest form of human
mentality. This level of consciousness exaggerates the
perceived need for self-preservation and domination to
the exclusion of the noble human qualities of compassion
and altruism. Thus, those who wish to control people have
a willing audience for aggressive and self-righteous appeals
in the name of "security." To those stuck in
their animal consciousness the noble qualities of human
expression are even considered "weak" or "unrealistic" behavior.
However,
the noble human qualities are the foundations of our civil
government that not only protect, but also give stability
and confidence to people. Imagine if America the Beautiful were
our national anthem instead of the aggressively nationalistic Star
Spangled Banner. The qualities of beauty, and the sharing
of our nation's abundance with each other and with the
world, speaks to the heart of Americans and to the real
spirit of our generosity, unity and friendship. The reason
we now stand alone in the world as a nation feeling threatened
and estranged from our allies and from the unfortunate
peoples of the world is because of the imperious, self-righteous
and self-serving nature of our policies. Domestically and
internationally our government squanders the earth's resources
on tools of destruction rather than helping people meet
their most basic needs.
Altruism
and compassion may be scoffed at by fearful and self-centered
people, but they are a great fortress of security. They
are expansive qualities built on fearlessness and confidence
in the good results of making others have a happy, healthy
and secure life. Why do public policies create ugly, destructive
images and fears when they could more easily and more economically
create images of beauty and friendship? Why should people
be forced to support ugly, destructive tools and hateful
words in the name of "protection?"
The
weeds of dictatorship cannot grow in a society where public
policies are dedicated to making the world a place of clean
air, pure water, harmonious human relations, adequate and
beautiful homes, worthwhile work, good nutrition, healthy
bodies, beautiful arts, and education which promotes tolerance
and reason. Fear enslaves people while beauty liberates
them. The sentiments which people feel against the United
States at this time is a rebellion against policies which
are endangering the world and denying the promise, abundance,
friendship and freedom which is the right of every human
being.
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