I'm hoping I can achieve some insight as well as some open and honest opinions on the situation. While the recent events might be considered within
the range of this subject, I in no way condone the actions as of late, they simply provoked me to think deeper about our limitations.
The world has a rich and storied history of lesser men rising to overthrow the authority. All the way back to the days of ancient man, there has been
the want of men in power to gain more power and to control people that they feel are beneath them.
As a result of this, eventually, the underlings reach a point where they decide to break free from the master/slave paradigm and do one of multiple
things:
- Run away.
- Peaceably protest for change.
- Overthrow the power.
So let us start with a little overview of the subjects...
Run away.
Up until the modern age, running from power was the popular choice of opposition to control of governing bodies. The concept was simple: if you did
not like the way your society was being run, you simply left to one that you did like. In the case that you did not accept any governing body, you
were given the option of colonizing your own land that was previously unclaimed.
With the dawn of the colonization era into the modern era, all previously unclaimed land was claimed in the name of already existing countries or
private property. Therefore, the option for people to create their own societies and experiment with new ways of governing and living became
impossible.
The most notable examples of running away from power came with various groups in the early colonization days of America, mostly noting differences in
religion and political ideologies as the cause.
Today, creation of a "new" society is literally impossible. Regardless of where you are located, an attempt to create an independent society will
still be held as subject to the country that claims power over the land you seek to use. The only exceptions to this would be uninhabitable zones
located at the north and south poles.
People who wish to leave the sanction of their current governing bodies have to first seek consent from that governing body, seek consent from the
governing body they choose to move to, and ultimately choose between a set of limited options as most governing bodies in the modern world share the
same basic forms of government control over the lives of their inhabitants.
Peaceably protest for change.
Peaceable change is perhaps the most desired of any situation. In older forms of government, peaceable change was made impossible by rule of divine
right and absolute power. Only with the advancement of civil rights and human rights did peaceable change become available to the populace.
Perhaps to most popular instance of peaceful protest ending in noticeable results is the independence movement led by Mahatma Gandhi to guide the
people of India to independence from Britain. It is wise to note that with the exception of India, the effectiveness of nonviolent protest to initiate
change has never been effective in a heavily populated or country with an extended landmass.
Overthrow the power.
The ever living taboo: revolution. It seems as the more time goes on, the overthrow of a power, be it in a violent or bloodless revolution, has become
taboo to speak of or discuss. Yet, at the same time, it is through this method that freedom has been won countless times throughout history - more so
than peaceable change and running away combined and multiplied by 100.
Throughout history there came a time in some societies where they were not given the other options and were left with no choice but to overthrown the
governing body. For some it was not so much a matter of choice, but a matter of ease. Not all overthrows of ruling bodies was necessarily a good
thing. In some cases it resulted in tyrannical rule even worse than was installed prior. In other cases it resulted in unyielding freedom and power to
the citizens... for a time.
Revolution has become a dirty word in "modernized countries" because we ignore the fact that it still exists. Even in the past decade there have
been more than 25 revolutions or revolution attempts in many different countries worldwide. Some were successful, some failed. Some produced damaging
results, others gave the populace greater freedom and control of their lives.
It has also become taboo because many believe that revolution has to resort to violence and bloodshed, when there are many accounts when just the
people rising en masse against the ruling body was enough to get them to hand over the proverbial keys and/or start respecting the will of the
individuals. In many of these cases, not a single life was lost for the cause, yet people continue to believe that revolution will always entail
ruthless, cold blooded murder, and thus it is branded in a negative light by all modern countries.
The question to ask is why? Well, the answer to that is quite simple. All those in power with to preserve their power and thus do everything to
prevent themselves from losing it. This can be seen by examples around the world as governments clench their grasp on human rights in order to prevent
unrest, or when ruling bodies establish propaganda campaigns to insight an external enemy so that people turn away from internal conflict. None of
this is new, but are merely tactics that have been used since the dawn of documented civilization.
So the questions are now at hand for a civil and insightful discussion.
* When does it become reasonable to act out against ruling bodies?
* If running away from an unwanted rule is out of the question, how long does peaceable protest last before resorting to overthrow of the system?
* IF peaceable protest garners no response and does not succeed, and overthrow of a system is out of question, then what options remain left for an
individual or individuals who wish to live a free and independent lifestyle?
* Is there any place left on Earth where man is capable of creating his own legacy without being subject to a ruling class above him?