Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

A State of Dread

I think the crowning achievement of social evolution was the invention of a distributed rather than a centralized form of government. By this I mean societies that allow individuals to choose their destiny rather than having it imposed by government. The operative word is a “Free” versus a “Fear” based society.

When watching the hockey game between the Russian and US team in the recent Olympics I was struck by the collision of these two operative points of view. Putin made it clear that he expected nothing less than the gold medal. As it came time for the final shootout the camera panned on a grim faced team of Soviets. As it zoomed in on the American team, a smiling player stepped out of the box and skated onto the ice. What a contrast, I thought to myself. One of the teams was enjoying the competition and the hope of winning while the other was dreading the showdown and the possibility of losing. The outcome could have gone either way but I have to think that when all things are equal, a free society has the edge.

In much of Europe and the United States the concept of “Freedom,” is understood and applied with various degrees of success. It’s a fragile blossom, for no sooner does it take root then the forces of Socialism, Communism, Fascism, Despotism and Terrorism seek to return it to the bleak and hopeless landscape from whence it sprang. For the rest of the world “Fear” is the norm, always has been but not necessarily always will be. Governments who live by repression will ultimately have to answer to the people rising up in protest.

In a world vulnerable to weapons of mass destruction the mistakes of a government become more portentous than ever and the people are the ultimate bill payers of their government’s policies and decisions. American foreign policy needs to use the information age technology to show an alternative to those who live in a perpetual state of dread.