I think many here on DU and throughout the liberal/progressive community are beginning to acknowledge the possibility of a true and dangerous schism in not only our country but in the west in general. Myself, and this is in no way to raise hopelessness nor to discourage anyone from exercising their right to vote, no longer believes the system is functioning. I will vote, and I encourage others to do so, but honestly I don't believe my vote matters any longer. What matters now is what we do to protect ourselves, our values, and our community. America, as we believe it existed, has fallen. We are now in a world that is strange and alien to us.
We have entered an age of authoritarianism and fascism, honestly, these are the most positive terms to describe this era we are now in. I believe what we have seen thus far is only the tip of the iceberg for the horrors yet to come. Governments, in the western democracies, are no longer a matter of governing by consent of the people, the people now exist by consent of government. I am a verbose person, so I'll try to limit myself. Now is not the time for depression, misery or hopelessness. Now is the time for courage, resolve and resilience. Capitalism has failed, and as a result democracy has failed. It has been replaced with oligarchy, patronage, corruption and authoritarianism,
Each of us who are willing must resolve to remain free. Freedom from the need of government is the key. The first step is self sufficiency. I have written it elsewhere and I'll stress it here now. They can only hold you in check if you are in need of them. You must become free, or your knee shall truly bend. The individual must become mentally, physically, and financially self sufficient. You must free yourself from the grid. You must be able to feed yourself, clothe yourself, produce your own energy, collect your own water, etc. This is the first step.
I personally believe the only way that we defeat this evil that has risen is not to counter or resist, but rather to make the system obsolete. Capitalism and with it democracy has only fallen because they had become obsolete. Fascism and authoritarianism are old methods and those too can be made obsolete. I practice what I preach. As I have written in other threads I am in the process of creating a self sufficient community. I am a small person, a nobody, but this is the way my thoughts have led me. I started with myself. Everyday I did something to make myself less dependent, whether that was using less electricity or eating foods that I knew I could grow or raise, I started conditioning myself to be off the grid. I would encourage those who have not already started this to begin now.
You are welcome to continue to believe that this system still works. Fine, but prepare for the eventuality that it does not.
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