Column by Paul Hein.
Exclusive to STR
Back in the Christian era, one sometimes encountered the phrase “fear of the Lord.” The fear referred to was not so much a fear of punishment at the hands of powerful but capricious and spiteful gods, but rather a sense of awe and respect towards someone you loved, not feared. It was the “fear” that you might feel for neglecting a lover; a guilt-inducing fear of not living up to expectations, of rejecting a gift.
Of course, that was then, and this is now. Fear of the Lord, which was regarded as the beginning of wisdom, has been replaced with fear of The Rulers, which is the beginning of servitude. We might at one time have been a God-fearing nation, but today we are certainly a man-fearing nation.
Thomas Jefferson believed that governments derive their just power from the consent of the governed. He could hardly have said otherwise, although one cannot but wonder if he ever regarded his slaves as having given their consent to his governance. Surely if you are under the domination of others—calling themselves “government,”--you are their slave, unless, of course, you have consented to the arrangement. A question naturally arises: How do The Rulers gain the consent of their subjects?
The answer, in a word: fear! How could it be otherwise? If you and your colleagues have given yourselves authority over others, why would you expect your commands--call them “laws”--to be obeyed if there were no threats attached? You could, for example, demand that young men carry out your will overseas by invading and, if need be, killing, to accomplish your objectives in that part of the world. And, almost certainly, there would be some young men anxious to take advantage of an opportunity for adventure, and the thrill of combat. But what of those who declined your “invitation”?
Authority absent a power to enforce is meaningless, a joke. A little girl may laugh at an order from an older sibling to clean up her room, but if that order is accompanied by the threat to tell Mom, compliance might be obtained. You would probably dismiss as preposterous a demand from various strangers to help finance some project dear to their (not your!) hearts, but if that demand was accompanied by a threat of fine and/or imprisonment, you would reach for your checkbook.
I’m sure The Rulers are aware of Jefferson’s comment about the “consent of the governed.” They would protest loudly if you charged them with a modern version of enslavement. You are surely free to withhold your consent, they would insist. They might point to the assertion by the IRS that our system of taxation is BASED upon voluntary compliance! And, at least in their own minds, they’d be right. No one is standing over you with a weapon, demanding you complete that tax form. If your son receives a notice from the draft board to present himself at a certain place at a given time, no one is going to physically drag him there. Not in the land of the free!
Rather, if you complete the tax form, or report as ordered by the draft board, you are indicating your consent. You are volunteering! Only if you ignore the authorities will they, with great reluctance, threaten you with violence; and in that case, you deserve it for refusing the demands of Your Country, Your Flag, Your Fellow Americans, Motherhood and Apple Pie. The Rulers know all the psychological tricks, and will use them with great effect, to convince you that you are not, in face, a modern slave, but instead, a high-minded volunteer for great and noble purposes. The young man, subjecting himself to the demands of the military, may feel a sense of pride in donning the uniform of “his” country. Perhaps he should realize that other young men are also wearing a uniform--an orange jumpsuit uniform, are getting up and going to bed when told to do so, are eating when and what they are told, and doing what they are commanded to do, with severe punishment in the offing should they decline, or God forbid, leave their assigned premises. The difference is that these malefactors disobeyed the Rulers, while the hero-to-be recognized the necessity of giving his consent. The orange jumpsuit gets no respect; the khaki uniform can cause folks to thank you for “your service.” As though making license plates wasn’t a service!
Psychology rules. You’re not a slave; you’re a volunteer!
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[2] http://www.strike-the-root.com/topics/democracy