The Only Thing We have to Fear...Is the Government
December 11, 2015
“Air raid sirens wail, are you listening…in the lane,
tanks are glistening…a frightening sight, we’re paranoid tonight…walking
in a police state wonderland!” Wow, hasn’t the government put a lot of
thought into this Christmas? I bet the argument this year won’t be over
whether or not a Nativity scene can be put up in front of the
courthouse, but if it’s appropriate to dress them all in SWAT
team uniforms and put a surveillance camera in the manger. I bet they’ll
have a B-52 bomber pulled by eight tiny reindeer. Frosty the Snowman is
already a “person of interest” because he’s going by an alias. It’ll be
hard to waterboard him because he’s already made of water, technically.
And the government is somewhat suspicious of this Santa Claus
character. He appears able to cross borders with impunity. How can we
scramble interceptors if he builds a stealth sleigh that NORAD can’t
track? Excuse me, but what happened to the tough guys that said us
Americans aren’t afraid of anything, huh? I know, there’s a lot to be
afraid of out there, right? Wrong!
Let’s put this into perspective, shall we? You’re far more likely to die in a car crash than a terrorist attack. So, what, are we going to ban cars now? That’s all well and good until we’ve got to go get groceries, right? Trust me, I’ve ridden the bus with groceries before. And the bus is still a motor vehicle subject to the dharmas of motor vehicle travel. In fact, you’re more at risk getting into the bathtub than going out in public and falling victim to a McMartyrdom McMission from McTerrorism. So, what then? Does it pay to be so afraid that we won’t relax in the tub with a hot mug of English breakfast tea and a well-worn copy of the collected poems of Rumi?
The only thing we have to fear is not fear itself. Fear is a state of mind, not a thing, and thus requires belief in order to manifest. The only thing we have to fear is the government (who coined the original phrase I re-worded.) Everything else are the basic “rules of the road” you have to accept when you are issued a physical body and live upon this planet. Death is a part of life, as funny as that sounds. You don’t get to control every aspect of life on this planet, such as risk factors and so forth. But in this era, ten times out of ten, things such as terrorism are inspired by and, in all cases, created by governments. Now take Islamic terrorist attacks within the United States, for example. Ask yourself this: Were these happening before the United States government started manipulating, exploiting, harassing, and interfering in Islamic countries? No. If terrorists were truly “targeting the West”, why then has not Switzerland been attacked?
Now then, our government has basically brought these calamities here that it has paid for and sponsored abroad. Therefore, what is the solution? Obviously, the solution is to stop micromanaging Islamic countries. I’m going to go wayyyy out on a limb here. What these terrorist attacks are is a warning. A warning to stay out of their internal affairs. They haven’t got an air force to send the warning by bombing one of our cities, like we do and think to be a more “civilized” action. (I say that in that case, the West gets off lucky. If they had an air force, several Western cities would be rubble.) So they resort to terrorism, which is the poor man’s “diplomacy by other means”. So, if the warning is to stay out of their affairs, what’s so wrong about heeding the warning and staying out of their affairs? What, if you purposely harass a beehive and get stung, is the solution to stick your hand inside it every chance you get? Are the bees to be blamed?
You can do whatever you want be that banning guns or Muslims and a dedicated terrorist cell will still be able to launch and carry out terrorist attacks within the United States. Even with that, does it profit us to go along with whatever measures this same government tells us are necessary to “protect us”? No. Because unless the government stops trying to micromanage the world and stops actually creating the terrorists in the first place, these attacks will be just another thing like hurricanes and tornadoes. In other words, does fear of tornadoes cause you to live in an underground bunker forever? Of course not. True freedom is enjoying life in the present moment regardless of what else is going on.
The government WANTS us to demand “protection”. That way, they can micromanage us here, as well as those abroad. Now, we discussed driving to the grocery store above. Ok, add to that routine errand this scenario: At a major intersection, you join a line that takes thirty minutes to come to the head of. At the front, the army has the intersection blocked and needs to see ID. It takes a few minutes to run it and make sure you’re not a terrorist. Does this make us “more safe”, or does this merely make life more of a hassle for no genuine value whatsoever? Hey, you demanded the government DO something. Well, that’s “something”.
How about another war? Because didn’t the Iraq War make us safer? Didn’t getting rid of Qaddafi make us safer? Hasn’t trying to get rid of Assad made us safer? Right, so what happens if we get into another war? The insurgency created to resist American occupation will spawn a need for revenge that will destabilize that region for even longer. Again, these wars are THE reason terrorism is happening. We need to get that through our heads. This cannot be solved by wars, because wars create it and perpetuate it. But, sure, let’s topple Assad and put a weak puppet in there who falls to hardline Islamic radicals within a year and they install a cleric as honcho. The country falls into chaos and he issues a fatwa against the United States. Terrorist attacks happen across America. Americans abroad are targeted. Americans cannot travel internationally and Europe is literally a maelstrom of terrorist attacks. Hey, you demanded the government DO something. Well, that’s “something”.
Or, let’s get into that war in Syria and make the mistake of bumping into the Russians already there. We get into a war with Russia and because we cannot defeat them in conventional battle, we decide using one itty-bitty tactical nuclear weapon won’t be so bad. But the Russians retaliate and, before anyone realizes it, the “big birds” have been launched. Hey, you demanded the government DO something. Well, that’s “something”.
Listen, the only thing we have to fear is what the government is going to DO to “fix” this problem it created. Since when has the government successfully “fixed” any problem it bragged it was going to defeat? We’ve been in a state of constant warfare for, what, fifteen years now and are we better off? Are we safer? Do we have “victory”, whatever that is? Or have we gotten into an international equivalent of the Hatfields and McCoys Feud? The government you want to DO something will do the WRONG thing every time. If doing the wrong thing was a railroad timetable, the government train would arrive ahead of schedule to the station every time.
I think it’s time to demand the government do NOTHING. The government “solutions” will only create more violence because their “solutions” are violence or the threat of violence. There is nothing we “need” to do, nowhere we “need” to go intervene, nobody we “need” to bomb, nothing and nobody we “need” to ban, and there is nothing we “need” to live in a constant state of fear over. We’ve become attached to this concept of fear the government has created and, clinging to our misguided “need” for a security blanket, we carry this incarnation of delusion around with us. This is out of ignorance, because if we look deeply into this, we can see that it is the government creating the problems it tells us to be afraid of. Therefore, let’s not act out of fear. Instead, let’s not act at all.
Let’s put this into perspective, shall we? You’re far more likely to die in a car crash than a terrorist attack. So, what, are we going to ban cars now? That’s all well and good until we’ve got to go get groceries, right? Trust me, I’ve ridden the bus with groceries before. And the bus is still a motor vehicle subject to the dharmas of motor vehicle travel. In fact, you’re more at risk getting into the bathtub than going out in public and falling victim to a McMartyrdom McMission from McTerrorism. So, what then? Does it pay to be so afraid that we won’t relax in the tub with a hot mug of English breakfast tea and a well-worn copy of the collected poems of Rumi?
The only thing we have to fear is not fear itself. Fear is a state of mind, not a thing, and thus requires belief in order to manifest. The only thing we have to fear is the government (who coined the original phrase I re-worded.) Everything else are the basic “rules of the road” you have to accept when you are issued a physical body and live upon this planet. Death is a part of life, as funny as that sounds. You don’t get to control every aspect of life on this planet, such as risk factors and so forth. But in this era, ten times out of ten, things such as terrorism are inspired by and, in all cases, created by governments. Now take Islamic terrorist attacks within the United States, for example. Ask yourself this: Were these happening before the United States government started manipulating, exploiting, harassing, and interfering in Islamic countries? No. If terrorists were truly “targeting the West”, why then has not Switzerland been attacked?
Now then, our government has basically brought these calamities here that it has paid for and sponsored abroad. Therefore, what is the solution? Obviously, the solution is to stop micromanaging Islamic countries. I’m going to go wayyyy out on a limb here. What these terrorist attacks are is a warning. A warning to stay out of their internal affairs. They haven’t got an air force to send the warning by bombing one of our cities, like we do and think to be a more “civilized” action. (I say that in that case, the West gets off lucky. If they had an air force, several Western cities would be rubble.) So they resort to terrorism, which is the poor man’s “diplomacy by other means”. So, if the warning is to stay out of their affairs, what’s so wrong about heeding the warning and staying out of their affairs? What, if you purposely harass a beehive and get stung, is the solution to stick your hand inside it every chance you get? Are the bees to be blamed?
You can do whatever you want be that banning guns or Muslims and a dedicated terrorist cell will still be able to launch and carry out terrorist attacks within the United States. Even with that, does it profit us to go along with whatever measures this same government tells us are necessary to “protect us”? No. Because unless the government stops trying to micromanage the world and stops actually creating the terrorists in the first place, these attacks will be just another thing like hurricanes and tornadoes. In other words, does fear of tornadoes cause you to live in an underground bunker forever? Of course not. True freedom is enjoying life in the present moment regardless of what else is going on.
The government WANTS us to demand “protection”. That way, they can micromanage us here, as well as those abroad. Now, we discussed driving to the grocery store above. Ok, add to that routine errand this scenario: At a major intersection, you join a line that takes thirty minutes to come to the head of. At the front, the army has the intersection blocked and needs to see ID. It takes a few minutes to run it and make sure you’re not a terrorist. Does this make us “more safe”, or does this merely make life more of a hassle for no genuine value whatsoever? Hey, you demanded the government DO something. Well, that’s “something”.
How about another war? Because didn’t the Iraq War make us safer? Didn’t getting rid of Qaddafi make us safer? Hasn’t trying to get rid of Assad made us safer? Right, so what happens if we get into another war? The insurgency created to resist American occupation will spawn a need for revenge that will destabilize that region for even longer. Again, these wars are THE reason terrorism is happening. We need to get that through our heads. This cannot be solved by wars, because wars create it and perpetuate it. But, sure, let’s topple Assad and put a weak puppet in there who falls to hardline Islamic radicals within a year and they install a cleric as honcho. The country falls into chaos and he issues a fatwa against the United States. Terrorist attacks happen across America. Americans abroad are targeted. Americans cannot travel internationally and Europe is literally a maelstrom of terrorist attacks. Hey, you demanded the government DO something. Well, that’s “something”.
Or, let’s get into that war in Syria and make the mistake of bumping into the Russians already there. We get into a war with Russia and because we cannot defeat them in conventional battle, we decide using one itty-bitty tactical nuclear weapon won’t be so bad. But the Russians retaliate and, before anyone realizes it, the “big birds” have been launched. Hey, you demanded the government DO something. Well, that’s “something”.
Listen, the only thing we have to fear is what the government is going to DO to “fix” this problem it created. Since when has the government successfully “fixed” any problem it bragged it was going to defeat? We’ve been in a state of constant warfare for, what, fifteen years now and are we better off? Are we safer? Do we have “victory”, whatever that is? Or have we gotten into an international equivalent of the Hatfields and McCoys Feud? The government you want to DO something will do the WRONG thing every time. If doing the wrong thing was a railroad timetable, the government train would arrive ahead of schedule to the station every time.
I think it’s time to demand the government do NOTHING. The government “solutions” will only create more violence because their “solutions” are violence or the threat of violence. There is nothing we “need” to do, nowhere we “need” to go intervene, nobody we “need” to bomb, nothing and nobody we “need” to ban, and there is nothing we “need” to live in a constant state of fear over. We’ve become attached to this concept of fear the government has created and, clinging to our misguided “need” for a security blanket, we carry this incarnation of delusion around with us. This is out of ignorance, because if we look deeply into this, we can see that it is the government creating the problems it tells us to be afraid of. Therefore, let’s not act out of fear. Instead, let’s not act at all.
Jack Perry [send him mail]
is an arrowmaker and writer who lives in the Four Corners area of the
Southwestern United States. He has been a truck driver, a purchasing
agent at a now-defunct renewable energy company (don't even ask him
about the "Green energy" scam), and served in the 101st Airborne
Division. He spends his time practicing traditional archery, making
arrows in the wilds of the Arizona high desert, and finding himself only
mildly amused by the antics of the Great Father in Washington.
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