Yearning For Freedom?

Anti-Government Protests in China

In China, Xi Jinping’s government has instituted draconian lockdowns, ostensibly to stop the spread of Covid.  These actions have made the citizens there prisoners in their own homes, and as one might expect, have pretty much destroyed the economy.  A recent apartment fire in the city of Xinjiang that killed ten has been blamed on barriers that kept emergency crews out and the occupants in.  Citizens are starting to protest, but government forces are squashing them.

In Russia, Vladimir Putin’s government is turning next-door Ukraine into a lifeless crater, one bomb at a time.  Putin wants Ukraine as a personal trophy, but it’s turning out to be a lot harder than he thought.  So, he has conscripted scores of sons and husbands to go fight his futile war.  To date, over nine thousand of them have died (not counting the injured).  Meanwhile, the Russian economy is being strangled to support this war.

In North Korea, Kim Jong-Il continues his reign of tyranny.  The people there starve to death while he basks in a life a life of luxury.  Unspeakable horrors await anyone who so much as thinks about not heaping jubilant praise and adoration for Dear Leader.

And on and on it goes.  The examples listed above are the worst of the worst - but tyrants, murderers, despots, and dictators all over the world are wreaking famine, oppression, and genocide.  There are some additional really nasty places in Africa, South America, and the Middle East. 

And that’s just what is going on today.  A quick glance through the history books reveals that this is pretty much the norm for a sizable chunk of humanity.  Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Henry VIII, and the others have lots of company.  Even the Bible includes an ample share of scoundrels who come to power and then leave a wake of death and destruction.

My faithful readers know where I’m going with this:  Government is a bummer.  Yes rogue criminals and hoodlums inflict lots of pain and injury also, but to really accomplish big-time death and destruction on a massive scale, you need a government. 

Occasionally, the people decide that the scoundrel they put into power is not, after all, what they expected, and so they rise up and revolt.  This is happening in China now.  I wrote on this topic, but bemoaned that, all too often, the new government is just as bad, if not worse, than the old one. 

Anyway, in an article about the Chinese protests, an activist somewhere was quoted as saying:  “People want freedom”.

Do they?

Over the years, I’ve done a lot of reading and studying about politics and current events, and had lots of conversations on this topic.  This one depressing concept comes up all too often:  some people don’t  want freedom.  Freedom is messy.  If everyone has the freedom to do as he/she pleases, then ... then ... then people might do the wrong things.  For example, they might earn too much money, and we can’t have that!  Besides, they say, government is important because, well, because government is smarter, wiser, more honest, more trustworthy than us ordinary, mortal folk.  I always point out that simply being a government employee or elected official does not automatically elevate one to super-human intelligence or integrity.  But that argument typically goes nowhere.

So as we reflect back on all the evil tyrants and despots of both today and yesterday, one must ponder an obvious question:  how the heck did they come to power in the first place?  The sad answer is: the people wanted it so.  It doesn’t necessarily mean 100% of the people; it just means that enough of them wanted their lives to be ruled by this scumbag. 

Even God thought government was a bummer.

I have a favorite Bible verse that reflects on this concept.  It’s from the Old Testament book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 8. Here is my paraphrased rendition:

"Give us a government!" the people demanded.
"You don't want a government" God replied.
”Yes we do!" the people shouted.
God said:  "Look, if I give you a government, here's what will happen: It will turn your sons into cannon fodder, force your daughters to work in sweatshops, steal your land, your homes, your animals, your paycheck, your bank account, and your kids.  It will generally make your lives miserable until you scream in agony."
The people replied, "And your point is?"
God sighed. "Very well then, here's your government. But don't say I didn't warn you!"

Clearly, the Big Man Himself even thought government was a bummer.  

At this point, you are probably wondering if I am advocating total government abolition, and if I think government has any role at all in society.  That is an excellent question!  I will address it in a future article.