Revolution
rev•o•lu•tion [rev-uh-loo-shuhn]
noun
- an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.
- Sociology . a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence. Compare social evolution.
- a sudden, complete or marked change in something: the present revolution in church architecture.
- a procedure or course, as if in a circuit, back to a starting point.
- a single turn of this kind.
This post is meant for capsuleers and baseliners alike, and many baseliners will likely find it more useful than those in the capsuleer class, whose liberty and freedom are for now ensured by the technological supremacy we represent.
Every generation needs a revolution. Experience has shown repeatedly and without fail that even under the best forms of government, those entrusted with power will slide further and further into tyranny over time without fail. No society, no culture, and no governments are immune from this power creep. Little by little, fascism and tyranny will leak into every form of government and every system of economics, and if you are not willing to put your foot down and say ‘no I will not tolerate this’ then the activity will continue. We can see it happening right now, in news from all corners of the cluster. Sectarian violence, old prejudices flaring up, instability, the treating of entire ethnic groups like lesser beings, there’s lots of tyranny out there right now. It’s easy to give in, and let things your government does slide, because in many cases acting out brings about retribution from those in power. All it takes for the forces of tyranny and decay to succeed is for people to not think it’s worth their time to get involved. This hurts everyone in the long turn as a government becomes increasingly draconian. You might not be effected now, but eventually everything comes around.
In order to be afforded any semblance of actual rights, you have to be ready to defend those rights, and fight to preserve the vitality of your liberty and your freedom from harm both foreign and domestic. Not with force of arms, though that is sometimes required, but by being able to change your mind and discard ideas that may not work as well as you’re told they do. As capsuleers, it would be very difficult to take this freedom and liberty from us, as it makes us Unbound what we are. We have been let out of the box and we are not going back inside. We are to at least a certain degree a well informed and very well armed populace. Control won’t be taken from us anytime soon. But for the average person out there, the best way to ensure your freedom is to take matters into your own hands as we do instead of entrusting it to someone else. Capsuleers have freedom because we have the power and arms required to ensure this freedom. If you as an individual are not willing to do the same as us and step up to defend yourself and your rights, sooner or later someone will come along in a position of power that puts their best interests ahead of yours.
Governments are meant to serve the people by sheltering them from chaos or anarchy, and while I think we can all agree that feuding warlords are not the ideal state of society, neither too is the slow but steady erosion of what it means to be a human being, as those in power decide what’s best for everyone. As long as people serve their governments, instead of governments serving their people the problem will worsen. Governments are comprised of people, and can only exist as long as the people decide to let it. If a government has failed in the duties entrusted to it, then it is the responsibility of the population to replace that government with one that serves their interests.
A bit of chaos is good, out of it come new ideas, new inventions, and new ways of doing things. In order to ensure the existence of a society where you are respected, you need to be ready and willing to step up and defend your rights and freedoms, not by overthrowing anything else except for what you’ve been holding in your head, that may not be applicable anymore.
Humanity will not solve the problems it has with the same thinking we used to create them. We are a clever, adaptable, and creative species, but in order to make use of the talents we have, we must be willing to set aside what we think we know, and what we take for granted and try something new. One must be willing to let go of those things that are holding them back if they wish to move forward. Change will happen, and any society that fails to adapt to their changing world will not survive in the long run. This is true of evolutionary biology and it is true of culture.
I don’t know where we will go from here, or what future direction our species or our society will take, or how to solve the problems that now face us. But, in order to have any understanding of the future we have to be able to set aside our preconceived notions, throw out everything we take for granted, and try something in a new way.
We’ve gotten very lazy, and we’re many generations overdue for revolution in our thinking. I’m not talking about blood and violence, although I’m afraid that’s already happening. I’m talking about a revolution that’s probably the hardest kind. The kind that takes place in the human mind. To be able to tear everything down, throw everything out, and start with a completely fresh paper and say… okay, how do we solve this problem?
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Source: Intergalactic Summit
Reprinted with author’s permission.