Liberty & The Ultimate Power of The Word "No"

By Chris Rossini

​Why does every single attempt at authoritarianism and collectivism end in failure? Why do communism, socialism, and fascism always end up falling flat, without a single exception? Why do they always go down in flames, leaving only destruction in their wake?

It's definitely not rocket science to figure it out. You just need to ask the right questions.

So let's do that. Let's play authoritarian for a few minutes.

Really quick...

What should your spouse be doing right now? What should he or she be thinking? What should his or her opinion be about the weather? How about beer vs. wine? ... Wicker vs. plastic? ... Vinyl siding or Wood? ... 

Let's go, you have to cover everything!

What should your spouse think and do right this second? How about now? ... And now? ... And now? ... And now?

Come on, keep up! 

You're the authoritarian! 

Not only do you have to live your own life, you're micromanager of another life too. Move it!

Now add your kids to the mix.

What should they each think right now? How about their opinions?...actions?...How about now! .... and now!

Now add in your neighbors because you're an imperialist authoritarian. Everyone must do it your way.

Impossible, right?

It was impossible right from the very start. You never had a chance even with just one other individual.

As I wrote last week:

Life is only experienced on an individual level. We each have our own individual and unique adventure. No one can see through the eyes of another, or think the thoughts of another, walk in the shoes of another, or make choices for another. All choices and actions are made by each individual mind.

Because of individual liberty, we each have within us the magic word that has sunk every authoritarian scheme to ever exist.

Are you ready for that word?

The word is --- "No."

Behind the word "Love," it's hard to think of a more powerful word in the English language than "No." 

The word "Love" stands for one's individual essence, and the word "No" signifies that the nature of one's essence is individual liberty. 

The word "No" signifies choice. Individual choice.

Man is not like an inanimate stone that will react in a definite and specific way to external stimuli. Man can, and does, choose how to react to external stimuli. 

Man reacts to stimuli is some of the most unexpected ways imaginable. Man can even react to the same exact stimuli in a totally different way, at a different time.

Say "Boo" to a man one time, and he may jump out of fear. Say it the exact same way a second time, and he stands perfectly still!

Choice - the eternal truth of individual liberty - is the reason why every central planning, authoritarian, and dictatorial scheme ever concocted has always resulted in failure. 

Central planners and so-called "social engineers," are always trying to treat man as if he were a stone. They think that everything is action/reaction.

Dictate this, and man will do that. Create this regulation ...  and that law ... nudge him like this ... prod him like that ... tax him here ... censor him there ... and on and on.

No!

Man is not like a stone, or like mixing two chemicals in a test tube. Man's future actions are, by nature, unpredictable.

Man is free!

You can try to pin him down with dictates, and he may go along, but only up to a point. He will eventually tell you that magic word --- "No." He will eventually defy your orders, no matter the threats. He will speak even if you try to silence him.

None of this is new. These are not new ideas that have just fallen from the skies.

But, one of the important provisos of individual liberty is the freedom to keep making the same mistakes over-and-over.

There are always new generations of individuals, of which there are bound to be some who fall into the trap of believing they are the gifted ones. Those who believe that they are here to "organize" everyone into a nicely packaged utopia.

Time will freeze when they are done making humanity over. No one will ever have to make a choice again. Just give them the guns of the state, and obey their dictates.

What a waste.

Individual Liberty is equivalent to 2+2=4

Every form of authoritarianism that seeks to wipe out Individual Liberty is like 2+2=5

How long would it take you to make 2+2=5?

If all the authoritarians that came before "didn't do it right," how long would you need?

10 years?

100 years?

1000 years?

How much propaganda would you require? 

The truth is, you can have the media, you can have the schools, you can have the movies and TV. You can blare your authoritarianism out of every megaphone that can be made. You can have super-computers, algorithms, and the oxymoron known as "artificial intelligence."

But you cannot change human nature, which means you cannot wipe out individual liberty.

2+2 will never equal 5 because nothing can stop the ultimate power of the word "No."