"Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." — Hermann Goering, Nazi leader
© CPO Magazine
With all that is crashing down upon us, from government-manipulated crises to the blowback arising from a society that has repeatedly prized technological expedience and mass-marketed values over self-ownership and individual sovereignty, those coming of age today are facing some of the greatest threats to freedom the world has ever witnessed.
It's downright frightening.
Young people will find themselves overtaxed, burdened with excessive college debt, and
struggling to find worthwhile employment in a debt-ridden economy on the brink of implosion. Their privacy will be
eviscerated by the surveillance state. They will be threatened, intimidated and beaten by militarized police. They will be the subjects of a
military empire constantly waging war against shadowy enemies and government agents armed to the teeth ready and able to lock down the country at a moment's notice.
As such, they will find themselves forced to march in lockstep with a government that no longer exists to serve the people but which demands that "we the people" be obedient slaves or suffer the consequences.It's a dismal prospect, isn't it?
Unfortunately, we failed to guard against such a future.
Worse, we who should have known better neglected to maintain our freedoms or provide our young people with the tools necessary to resist oppression and survive, let alone succeed, in the impersonal jungle that is modern America.
We brought them into homes
fractured by divorce, distracted by
mindless entertainment, and
obsessed with the pursuit of materialism. We institutionalized them in daycares and afterschool programs, substituting time with teachers and childcare workers for parental involvement. We turned them into test-takers instead of thinkers and automatons instead of activists.
We allowed them to languish in
schools which not only look like prisons but function like prisons, as well — where conformity is the rule and freedom is the exception. We made them easy prey for our corporate overlords, while instilling in them the values of a celebrity-obsessed, technology-driven culture devoid of any true spirituality. And we taught them to believe that the pursuit of their own personal happiness trumped all other virtues, including any empathy whatsoever for their fellow human beings.
We have allowed them to be manipulated by a corporate culture that simply wants money and control. However, as Aldous Huxley warned: "The victim of mind-manipulation does not know he is a victim. To him, the walls of his prison are invisible and he believes himself to be free."
No, we haven't done this generation any favors.
Based on the current political climate, things could very well get much worse before they ever take a turn for the better. Here are a few pieces of advice that will hopefully help those coming of age today survive the perils of the journey that awaits:
Comment: Offered are compelling observations noting a sadistic pattern of conflict and why it continues.