Topic: Fomenting Democracy
It is Time: Restore Freedoms! How does the individual cope with increasing allegations of war crimes by high government officials, erosion of individual rights, and living in a climate of fear? What can the individual do to enhance our freedoms?by R Clements
(Libertarian)
Monday, June 2, 2008
While there are no easy answers, a good place to start is by looking at the individual. We are a nation of individuals. It is stressful living in a country waging illegal, undeclared war. It is stressful dealing with the plunging value of our fiat currency. It is stressful hearing the barrage of disinformation or propaganda flowing through the MSM creating a climate of fear. It is stressful and confusing trying to understand who the "enemy" really is.
A universal psychological defense is denial. It is an automatic response when something is too traumatic to face. Denial is an emergency measure to increase feelings of safety and seek a sense of control over our own lives. In the long run, it is more often a trap. In our current political environment, for example, civil rights are eroded, leading to more denial with more civil rights being lost and the cycle repeats.
Like denial, our stress response has to do with survival. The stress response is physiological and tends to suppress the immune system. Still, in the short run, that is often adaptive and can help the individual survive.
You have probably heard about the stress responses of fight (anger) or flight (fear). There is another one, the freeze It is generally more dramatic than denial. It is like the soldier on a battle field playing dead to avoid getting shot. The freeze response also helps explain why average people appear oblivious to loss of freedoms and individual rights. They avoid asserting their individual rights, they are just trying to survive.
In the long run, a chronic stress response becomes more dysfunctional or dangerous. If others can create anger and fear in the individual, they control the person. It will not work to bury our heads in the sand. The irony is that by just instinctively trying to survive, we can loose our freedom and more.
The individual has to start somewhere to reduce stress and restore freedoms. Doing some research and gaining knowledge about the Constitution and Bill of Rights is a good start. Knowledge is power.
Looking for ways to be part of the solution can provide some sense of control. One possibility is participating in or donating to peaceful movements, such as the Ron Paul Revolution. The hunger for freedom is a motivation for more openness and truth.
The way to get motivation to do something is to just start. Then the motivation to continue usually comes. If we just wait for motivation before starting, the motivation may never come.
It is healthy to use or direct anger toward creating change or restoring freedoms. Some individuals change fear to love. Love is really the opposite of fear. Experiencing anger or fear is often like a glass wall separating the individual from others. It limits intimate relationships and can make us emotionally unavailable to others. The person on the other side is still visible, but it is lonely.
Thinking about others who broke through those walls in the past, may provide hints on possible changes to restore feelings of safety and a sense of control. It is valuable to have good compassionate role models.
Sometimes it feels like we are a nation of addicts trying to manage things. If I just do this, and this, and this…then I be able to manage it (continue the unhealthy behavior). Each individual can seek their own truth, but acknowledging higher powers such as God and the Constitution are healthy strengths to consider first.
It is time. It is time for more individuals to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It is time to restore confidence and freedoms. It is worth the risk.
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2008 R Clements, all rights reserved.
Published: Monday, June 2, 2008
Last modified: Monday, June 2, 2008
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2008 R Clements, all rights reserved.