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One Quote:
Dostoevsky knew a thing or two about tyranny.
'Tyranny is a habit, it has its own organic life, it develops finally into a disease. The habit can kill and coarsen the very best man or woman to the level of a beast.'
He recounted his narrow escape from death by a firing squad in Siberia:
Never underestimate man's propensity for tyranny.
How did ordinary Germans assent with Hitler's plan to murder millions of Jews?
It started with propaganda - segregation, then stripping off their rights, taking their belongings...
Gradually, then suddenly.
If you have ever demonized someone or an entire group of people for their believes, the color of their skin or even for their ethnicity, it is likely you would have been part of that mob too.
Although on the surface, we tend to renounce violence of any sort, there is something deep within our nature that wants to enslave another if/when we have the power to do so.
You and I are no exception.
For example; you know that urge to want to squeeze cute things?
When you’re seeing a picture of a cute dog or a fluffy cat or even a person you find unbelievably adorable, your brain is forced to become really aggressive and you might want to squeeze them to death.
The cuter the thing you’re looking at, the more frustrated and angry you become.
Researchers, led by Rebecca Dyer, a graduate student in psychology at Yale University, dubs the phenomenon “cute aggression.”
“We think it’s about high positive-affect, an approach orientation and almost a sense of lost control,” she said. It’s so adorable, it drives you crazy.
You may think it's harmless...
I beg to differ. I think it's not simply an impulse to protect or love, rather to enslave and overpower.
Power is seductive to the human psyche.
Once you've tasted it, you will want more.
Ever heard the saying; Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Yeah...
Similarly, there is a power dynamic brewing constantly between man and the State/Governments.
For man, the capacity to defend against predatory violence from the State is a crucial variable that alters life at the margin.
So think twice before giving more power to your Government.
As William Playfair wrote, “Power has always sought the readiest road to wealth, by attacking those who were in possession of it.”
The lamb and the lion keep a delicate balance, interacting at margin.
If lions were suddenly more swift, more prey are at their mercy. If lambs suddenly had wings, lions would starve.
We have to keep the State accountable at all times, and not let them be divisive or else the powers that be will gradually creep in deeper into our lives.
This past two years has been a testament to that.
Not only did we see a pandemic of the mind, but we saw an unprecedented reaction against it.
People who were against the established mainstream narrative have been kicked off of Twitter, Facebook.... de-platformed.
In other words, we’re starting to see tech companies play a prominent role in politics.
They are a technocracy that controls access to the masses and never has it been more obvious that they intend to exercise the power they have.
What’s interesting is that this aggression is only possible because of the trust that these companies have accumulated over their lifetimes.
Nobody would be on Twitter or Google had they not built compelling platforms at an ultra-competitive price of free.
Indeed, this is at the root of the problem.
They got to where they were because they gave away their product for free to gain people’s compliance.
Compliance, in other words, was the price of their services.
This compliance is very useful for a variety of reasons, including the ability to shape public opinion, but as those people who are being kicked out are finding out, it’s been misplaced.
How did free services end up in tyranny?
A high ranking North Korean defector, Thae Young Ho explains why North Korea was so successful in fooling its people despite their brutality.
He said that the secret is free stuff. He explained that the NK government gave away free health care, free education, free housing and guaranteed jobs as a way to gain popularity.
Of course, none of these things were really free.
They depended on the citizens doing what the regime wanted.
Compliance, in other words, was what the NK people paid in exchange for these “free” things and that resulted in the NK regime adding more and more draconian rules as time passed.
You can see where I’m going with this...
There are no truly free services and the quicker we realize that, the better off we’ll be.
Your government does not ''give'' you things for FREE.
''Free'' is Expensive.
We will always be paying with our compliance to essentially arbitrary dictates because there are tendencies for slippage in our democracies towards authoritarianism…
As Mr. Thae explained, there’s something sacred about a market transaction.
It’s a fair exchange and binds both parties to deliver.
Free makes it difficult to complain.
A market transaction creates competition and that allows either party to walk away should the exchange not be satisfactory.
In other words, to subvert authoritarianism or to prevent it from worsening, we’re going to have to start using and supporting mediums, that are public, open, decentralized, neutral and censorship-resistant.
First, we have to take the money out of the hands of our leaders. This is where Bitcoin comes in.
Money should never be used as a political tool. To buy votes, to bribe for favors or even to sanction enemies.
It is a lifeblood of humanity who depend on it for putting food on the table, providing a roof over head, and clothes on children's backs.
Since the cost to production for Fiat currencies (or money by government decree) is effectively zero, this makes it easy for autocrats and politicians alike to misappropriate funds in scales unimaginable. The kind that mankind had never seen before.
Bitcoin is hope we never get to see a dystopian future happen before our eyes.
"I don't believe we shall ever have a good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government, we can't take it violently out of the hands of government, all we can do is by some sly roundabout way introduce something that they can't stop" - Hayek
Why is Russia Invading Ukraine?
Two videos that help you zoom out and understand objectively
Geopolitics may not be at your doorstep, but it will effect you. Notice the surge in prices of everything?
Having an asset in the realm of cyberspace (as insurance) isn’t exactly a terrible idea.
You can do it for as little as a few thousand dollars.
This video explains from a Russian perspective in History:
In WWII, Germans sought to cut off Russia from the resource-rich caucus region using Ukraine to close the Volgogard gap.
The Lesson: Geography determines safety.
The Imaginary border of nations changes over time, but the terrain is always fixed.
So if you are in power in Russia, it makes sense to want to make this chess move to secure the future of your State.
if you're a 20th century man living in Russia, your view is that NATO and the West are hostile forces intend on subjugating your people if you are not careful.
Of course, any kind of war...is horrible. But have the majority of people conveniently forget about the 20 year war in Afghanistan?
Or has the media quickly shifted its focus and narrative to another political agenda??
I’m actually mystified at why most people not only just tolerate the tentacles of the State and its propaganda, but seem to love it. They’re enthusiastic about it. Sometimes that makes me pessimistic about the future...
Today, we have people in power openly call out for the punishment of average Russian citizens. (Remember how just two years ago some people justified demonizing Asians for the Covid pandemic and called it the Chinese Virus?)
Recently, Italy’s main University in Milan reacted by banning the teachings' of Fyodor Dostoevsky because he’s a Russian writer.
Yeah, they went ahead to ban a writer who has been dead for 140 years; who was even sent to a Siberian labor camp for writing unfavorably against communist Russia.
After watching the video, I begin to realize that the West is not quite as innocent as the mainstream narrative portrays them to be.
This is why I'm staying neutral on this.
People should flee, and avoid being used as pawns by leaders with their own political ambitions.
Live to fight for your own freedom another day. It is not worth becoming a meat for the universe.
People cannot begin to comprehend the enormity of the 4D chess being played by The Invisible Hand.
The only winning move is to not play. - MAD
Give it a watch and let me know your thoughts...
Talk soon!