Time To Wake Up!

The powers that be, over time, have systematically weakened our resolve and eroded our ability to recognize tyranny in all its subtle and not so subtle forms. Entertainment, materialism, encouraged self-indulgence, ignorance and idol worship in its various forms and guises, have been deftly used to distract and blind us to this change. The psychological grip of that comfortable armchair can be very strong indeed. We have all been conditioned on an unprecedented level, never in all of history have the elements of control had so much power willingly placed in their hands. We are being blindly led towards the edge of a very dangerous precipice; we may not be able to recover from the fall, this time around. Governments have become secretive and the public has a lesser effect on policy. Our voices have become smaller and like the mosquito buzzing in your ear on a summer day, we have become a mere annoyance to be dealt with rather than a force with which to be reckoned. This has to change and it is up to us. A concentrated media, held hostage in the crushing grip of a few calloused corporate hands, is forced to sift truth through the fine mesh of a bottom line. News and information, absolutely essential to freedom and democracy, does not seem to reach the general public in a manner that allows people to make informed decisions that impact their society as a whole. The information is out there, if you look. People in the know are again warning us, as they have been for centuries, that unchecked government turns tyrannical. History has proven this over and over again. The poet John Milton once said: “Nations grown corrupt love bondage more than liberty; bondage with ease than strenuous liberty”. In our complacency we have become like the frog in the pot of water, slowly being heated to the boiling point. Each time the temperature increases, it becomes progressively more uncomfortable but it is accepted until ultimately the frog dies. Thrown straight away into a pot of boiling water, the frog would surely jump out immediately. Can you feel the heat? And we are okay with this? Government, corporations, the moneychangers, the media and YOU are as fingers on the same hand used to control that heat. We need to restore balance. Educate yourself, speak up and get involved. Our silence and acquiescence only signifies complicity. Drug addiction, mental illness, stress, food banks, poverty, homelessness, taxes, violence, illiteracy, poor healthcare, vanishing social programs, discrimination, crime, illegal wars, mediocre education, prostitution, slavery (yes, even today), ignorance, intolerance, terrorism (the real kind), and many more are all festering sores, symptomatic of an ailing society that has been ravaged by the insidious evils of corruption, unconstrained government, the bottom line and especially an ill informed and an increasingly apathetic public. Our freedom is in real danger; but I am absolutely convinced that given the tools, a well-informed public can restore our once proud nation back to health. Democracy may not be perfect but it is the best we have; consider the alternatives because they are most certainly considering you. It’s time to wake up! Paul Barnes Mailto:paul@truthforum.ca [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on June 7, 2006]