Perette Barella

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Death of a Nation

In exchange for me giving you the freedom to do your life and religion your way, I expect you to respect my existence and give me freedom to do my life and gender my way.

This is the trade, the compromise, the essence that produces the freedom we in the western world have enjoyed in our lives. Replace the bold parts with other variations, and unless asking for something extreme, the template holds.

Collaborating with each other to protect our respective freedoms from third parties who seek to impose their wills and ways on our lives is in both our interests.

That many have forgotten this underpins much of the trouble in America today. No longer do we universally recognize this exchange in the “live and let live” philosophy of old, and instead many seek personal liberties for themselves, while claiming others’ exercise of their freedoms is an imposition. Without this, there is no reason to work together; indeed, trample each others' freedoms in seeking our own. This cannot abide. Without respect for one anothers' rights, or at least tolerance of them, this land cannot be the America we grew up in, that we were told it is and should be. Liberty is in danger, and tyranny is at our door.

But remember, don't miss that epic new series on TubeFlix debuting tonight, and tomorrow is that sale down at the mall, and on the weekend there's the sportsball finals—you can't miss those. Don't worry, it'll be fine, somebody else will step up to save the country.

I have thought more on this topic in my essay and video, “Freedom To” vs “Freedom from”.

Aftermath

“A republic, if you can keep it.” —Benjamin Franklin

According to the Discordians, there is a cycle that goes chaos, confusion, discord, bureacracy, aftermath. I have a bad feeling about where we are in this cycle.

Back in 2011, I read George Orwell's 1984, and afterwards I wrote a sort of "blueprint" for updating it to America and modern times. I set it in 2024 based on a date in a vision/foreboding dream I had in late 2000. It is scarily accurate to the shitshow our country has turned into.

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