Terror and Liberty

Terror and liberty are irreconcilable in any society or nation. If people are terrorized and terror has a solid foothold on the minds of the people of a country, than your society cannot lay claim to being free, especially if elements of that particular society are doing the terrorizing.

   An example would be an unchecked media whose agenda would be suited by terrorizing its audience or a government whose interest is to consolidate power and control over a population. 

       Its hard to be free and terrorized at the same time. Terror breaks the mind, and can leave you unable to defend yourself and reduced to just basic actions or "autopilot" mode, with your mind's higher functions like reason or calculation severely compromised, especially in a civilian population not trained to handle terror, adversity, or the chaos of terrorism or war. 

      Unfortunately, when the media or government of a country is terrorizing its own citizens, it is usually with the intent of herding and maneuvering a population in a way where implementing a desired social and political alteration to the system of that country can be more easily and even willingly received by its people, even if their will is compromised (just like their other higher faculties like reason and calculation) by terror.

            Terrorized individuals are more willing to surrender autonomy, whether mental, physical, civil, or otherwise. At the root of terror is the fear of death. Kind of self-explanatory, the fear of the death of yourself our someone you care about is weaponized against you by terror and terrorism.

          It hijacks all your major priorities and takes over the incentives to your choices, completely relinquishing you of your liberty even if you believe you are doing it of your own free will "for your protection" or that of your family's. 

       Freedom dies a tragic death in a terrorized society, and even if the terror is minor and not in front of you like it was, let's say, on 9/11, the clever manipulation of the media or the narrative can trick you into believing you are making decisions out of your own volition. Even if there is a legitimate threat, which there often is, the media and authorities can and do exploit it to further their social and political agendas.

Have a good Wednesday everyone.

Be brave.