Biggest news up front: PHOENIX FAN FUSION HAS BEEN MOVED TO SEPTEMBER 25-27TH!!! I will have a booth set up on the top floor where I will be raffling off free signed copies of Architect: Book One of Calamity’s Window as well as autographed copies of artwork by Blake Chambers, maps of Halja, banners, stickers and more! This event is going to be incredible, so make sure you stop by to get some sweet swag as well as a sneak peak of Matron: Book Two of Calamity’s Window!
This period of unknown we are coping with as we deal with COVID-19 is very interesting and it has revealed the nature of many individuals as well as our country as a whole. To me, America is (or, perhaps was…) represented best by the image and words on the Gadsden flag, first designed in 1775 and introduced during the American Revolution. The image of a rattlesnake and the words “Don’t Tread On Me” symbolize a group of people fed up with being the subjects of an overbearing monarchy and ready to pursue their own lives, free from religious and financial shackling. In other words, almost 250 years ago, the founders of this nation decided that liberty was worth dying for and if the boot heel of England came down on their backs once more, they would lash out with fangs and venom.
I fear now that there is another heel approaching us today, albeit slower and less tyrannical on the surface than the ones the founders repelled, but far bigger and potentially more pervasive in our society. Many of our greatest leaders have seen it coming and have warned us about its onslaught, from Dwight D. Eisenhower foretelling the rise of military industrial complex to Abraham Lincoln saying “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” The current situation in the United States, both economic and epidemiological, is no doubt dire, but our reaction to it is what worries me most.
One must look objectively at statistics (always changing and updating with our understanding of the novel coronavirus) to get the correct picture. Anecdotal stories being shoveled into our smartphones’ nearly inescapable news feeds by the institutional media are of no consequence to the bigger picture. You may feel bad for the healthy 30 year old who died or the Medal of Honor recipient who lost the fight against COVID-19 as well, but anecdotes do not equal trends do not equal crises. To understand the war in Afghanistan, you don’t read about the individual soldiers who died; you read about operational and strategic level wins, losses, and missteps in order to paint the entire picture. Why would we do differently with the current pandemic?
I do not claim to be an economist and I do not claim to be an infectious disease specialist, as many of the self-assumed arbiters on social media, many with just 25 years of privileged life to show for their life experience think they are. But, I do know a thing or two about the importance of liberty, both having graduated Phi-Alpha-Theta from West Point with a degree in Military History and also having seen firsthand the destitution in an anti-liberty country such as Afghanistan. In times of surplus as well as times of crisis, it is our principles we must rely on in our decision making, and in the case of the United States, those principles are clearly defined: Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.
Should we be social distancing until we understand more about this virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or ‘SARS-CoV-2’)? Absolutely. Should we be protecting those of us who are most at risk of complications from COVID-19? 100%, yes. Should we currently be limiting the amount of exposure we put ourselves through by avoiding huge get-togethers, events, theaters, restaurants, etc.? Most likely. Does the American government have any constitutional right to tell you what to do with your property or your body? No fucking way. Guidelines and intelligent recommendations are a far cry from legislation enforced militarily by bureaucrats.
Some politician somewhere said, “never waste a good crisis,” (or something to that effect) and though I do think many of the leaders in our country do want what is best for the American people, they and many of us among the populace are far too willing to discard the principles of liberty in order to secure it. And what happens after that could be terrifying. I must borrow from Eric Weinstein, who while talking about a completely different subject on his brilliant podcast The Portal said the following:
“As soon as someone begins gaining mindshare, the gated institutional narrative goes into hyperdrive and starts pumping out fear, uncertainty, and doubt. FUD is the major tool in destroying an individual’s ability to communicate reality.”
The media is no longer the beacon of liberty it was when the 1st Amendment to the Constitution was written to include the clause of freedom of the press. Its primary roles should be to check the government (not choose a side and support it ignorantly) and inform the populace (not sell them FUD). So now, it becomes the individual’s responsibility to educate themselves and make smart, balanced, and responsible decisions based on information at hand. And we must do better at that as a nation, lest we succumb from the inside out.
We live in the most amazing, wonderful, and joyous time the world has ever experienced, even through this pandemic. For those of you who do not agree, I highly recommend a foray into Steven Pinker’s excellent book Enlightenment Now, which showcases statistically and in great detail the numerous areas in which we continue to improve the world. We have the best healthcare system on the planet and are constantly working to improve it. At any moment, assuming we still have a job that the federal or state government has not prevented us from working at, we can order a high calorie meal delivered to our homes that an Egyptian pharaoh would be jealous of for the cost of one hour’s work at minimum wage. I wish so badly for the average American to take a moment to ask him or herself if they have it better than their grandparents did. There will be very few cases where the answer is not ‘yes.’
Educate yourself, be skeptical, be grateful, take care of those you love as well as those you don’t, and do not rely on your government to take care of you. They’ve proven again and again they are incapable of managing the great responsibility that has been handed them by us and once again, the people will have to rise to the occasion to ensure this great nation’s continued success. It is not the Senator or the Representative, nor the Mayor or even the President that will keep this ship afloat. It is your little brother still stocking shelves at Safeway. It is your neighbor the EMT who is out late responding to worried calls about infection. It is your aunt who is working overtime as a nurse in the hospital to help people overcome their health problems, who is being vigilant about changing her clothes and washing her hands and wearing her protective equipment so she doesn’t put her family at risk.
Trust yourself, don’t give in, and lean hard on your communities in order to help get you through to the other side of this. We will bounce back in an unprecedented way so long as we allow the principles of liberty to guide us like they always have.
Current book I’m reading: The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence (Absolutely can’t wait to start this; it is being delivered today).
Honorable entertainment mention: FFVII Remake is the best RPG I have played since Dragon Age: Origins. 10/10, highly recommend to anyone needing some beauty and challenge in their gaming life.