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The Common Man
We Have Seen the Enemy
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| The Common Man We Have Seen the Enemy | | |||||||||||||
By: | | Eric Schaub | | ||||||||||||
Date: | | 12/09/2003 | | ||||||||||||
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We Have Seen the Enemy ... The problems of the 21st century common man are the same as those of the 1st century common man and all ancient civilizations before then. The real problem, of course, is the common man himself. He is under-educated and generally ignorant of his power and the responsibility that comes with it. Throughout history, the origins of slavery can be traced to the gullibility of the common man. Can we truly expect that those who aim to exploit the common man can be trusted to educate him? He will only learn to indenture himself. The State does not teach him to be self-sufficient. He is not taught about real economics, the market, supply and demand, inflation and deflation, and how currency is issued. He is not taught how his labours are converted into money or how to even save. He is not taught of the traps and snares that await him in 'the real world'. No, he is conditioned, however, to sit up straight in class, to commit to memory a host of nonsense - and some downright lies -- to get a job, insurance, a slew of licenses, and mortgages. If he should lose interest in the class, he may be forced by the school to take drugs or receive counselling in order to be less disruptive. It is assumed that teachers are extremely interesting and engaging, not that they could ever absolutely bore the chrome off a bumper. And who is to blame -- the teachers, the school board, the government? Who chose the content and the delivery system? The students complain that most of this stuff is a waste of time. The hypocrisy loaded upon children is so stifling that by the 10th year of this institutionalism the majority of students have become obedient robots with but a few disenchanted 'trouble-makers' who don't like a bit in their mouth and will let you know it. The common man has no idea of how a free man becomes a slave -- he hardly knows how HE became one, not to mention how to free himself from his entanglements. Yes, one man or two may break free from the herd and roam free, but the only hope for the masses is a revolt against their oppressors. However, the problem is that the common man is his own oppressor -- through his own actions he has enslaved himself. Whether he was trapped or tricked is not important, what's important is that he is a slave now, and getting out is going to be harder than getting in -- especially when fellow slaves are riveting chains on his neck. Paying the Price of Empty Promises Would you believe that most of the world's problems would literally disappear if the common man, indeed if every man, would keep his promises? (That, of course, includes NOT making promises he cannot keep.) Civilization today has degraded to an economy backed by nothing but empty promises and chained to a 'debt' that can never be repaid -- a debt made up entirely of promises. The meanings of the words 'credit' and 'trust' have been twisted to mean their exact opposites while feigning their original interpretation. It used to mean that you would receive credit for the work you performed. Now credit simply means 'debt' -- we 'borrow' our credit. We owe first before we deliver on our promise to pay tomorrow (plus interest) what we spend today -- but who will pay for tomorrow? The result of course is the unending belief in thin air and its wise management by a handful of men who control every aspect of 'trust' and 'credit' all the while enslaving the poor common man who can only survive by indebting himself more to a creditor who 'lends' nothing but the borrower's own promise which, by a trick, can never be kept by everyone. Most of us know 'something isn't right' and yet still 'play the game' -- a deluded game of speculation and usury. Of course, not all those who 'borrow' on their promises go bankrupt. No, there are a select few who are able to back up their promise with payment, but the untold story is that once one debt is paid (with interest), there is less money available for someone else to pay for theirs (without borrowing more) -- it is a shell game, and sooner or later the common man comes up empty-handed. So his property is seized, and his labours are claimed for the rest of his life -- a slave to his own empty promise to 'trustees' who cannot be trusted for the simple reason their sole purpose is absolute control over the common man's property and labours -- and anything and everything that would affect the 'return' on this 'debt' created simply by the common man's own 'word' and the trustee's flick of a pen. Bear in mind that in the 'old days' people were imprisoned for failing to pay a debt -- and they would not be released until it was paid, which meant someone else's labours and/or property was necessary -- how do you think all those castles got built? Of course, today, bankruptcy is considered the 'salvation' of the indebted man because all his debt can be wiped out -- once every 7 years. Similar to the old indentured servant -- after 7 years labouring in the soil, he would receive his 'freedom' and some land -- only in this case the bankrupted person labours for 7 years only to lose his land and his 'credit' (for a while). He does not have to keep his promise, and the trustees already have taken everything he has. He becomes a ward of the State. The money the trustees 'lost' never really existed anyway -- it was all just 'credit' based on the borrowers 'promise' to pay -- it is the promise that is 'monetized' (i.e. turned into money) -- a promissory note. The only real 'loss' is the interest that would have been due to the 'lender'. "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Indeed liberation from our own folly will require that we forgive others of theirs. Without that, there will be masters and slaves. Even if the slave voluntarily subjected himself, the common man must be held to his word, no matter whether his promise is doable or not. Who can stop the common man from entering into such 'deals with the devil'? The common man will always have to bear the burden of his agreements -- his liberation is absolutely dependent upon educating himself in right and wrong. And therein lies the rub -- the trustees provide schooling to the common man, and inevitably, the common man thinks nothing of signing this and signing that, signing his life away before it even started because 'that's what they told me to do.' The knowledge he needs in order to live free is not taught by his oppressors -- he must be willing to learn and educate himself independently from the tyrant's curriculum. But who can he really trust? If the common man doesn't discover and ultimately follow the path of liberation from this tyranny, nothing short of an act of God will free him and his fellow sufferers (and if we are to observe history, that can be a very LONG time.) "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." When did the trustees ever tell you that? Probably as they were confiscating your property. The practice of compounding interest on nothing more than a promise is the oldest trick in the tyrant's book -- it is the magic formula to unbridled power and greed. Practised long enough, the trustees will acquire everything and everyone. The ancient Egyptian pharaohs built huge monuments to themselves, the construction spanning hundreds of years and millions of slaves -- they've got nothing on today's 'trustees'! The real revolution will be in the heart and mind of the common man. Once he is awakened to the truth, the devil can no longer hide. When we are able to recognize our inherent value and the gift of life, we are that much closer to being ready to wield our own power which ultimately is our own responsibility anyway. In order to make the transition from wards of the State to sovereign individuals requires a return to the fundamentals. Freedom bears much responsibility, and that's why the common man fears it. So what can motivate a person to do what he must -- especially in a difficult time? Those we will later call patriots hold the keys: Courage and a quenchless desire to Live Free or Die. (And a plan...) Principles vs. Principals Because the common man does not live by the principles he professes, he must obey a principal who oppresses. The king and the common man differ in only one degree -- each lay claim to his sovereign rights and freedom; however, the king lays claim to everyone else's, too, and has the force to back it up. Freedom starts with a declaration, and, whether right or wrong, force will be required to maintain it. Man is not born free -- he is born dependent. Freedom is claimed, and must be defended -- especially against those who aim to yoke us. If one cannot, will not, or does not exercise his rights, he doesn't have them. Life is a gift, freedom is a responsibility. Whatever governing system the common man submits to, his submission is his consent and thereby binding. The common man will always have the right to sign his life away in a free republic, and his judgment and his wisdom serve as the very bedrock of Liberty or Servitude -- it is his choice, and he must apply his individual force to it. Liberty requires more work, of course, and the heavily-laden are easily tempted by false promises of 'equal distribution of wealth' -- sounds fair, right? But by ignoring his responsibility to provide for himself, he is tricked into indentured servitude for an illusion, and ends up more dependent than ever before. Sure, there will be a few who figure out how the system works, but many will be so enamoured with its profits or so dependent upon its favours that they will provide no resistance to it -- even though it guarantees gradual permanent dependence, in short, enslavement of the common man. And with the right 'spin' and 'soma', the common man can be made to believe just about anything and will endure most any tyranny for protection from any number of hobgoblins plotting for his demise. He is treated as a permanent child to be developed into a trusted house slave. Staking A Claim "Who am I?" "Why am I here?" "What am I going to do?" These are classic questions of the truth seeker. There are many who 'claim' to know. And if there is any opposition to the claim, the matter is often decided by force rather than reason or honour. Just like a Conquistador sticking his flag in the sand and claiming the land in the name of his king, the claim will likely be contested by the native inhabitants, and the opposing forces may go to battle over the dispute. Of course, history is written by the victors -- whoever wins is 'right'. And in the King's land are the king's deer, the king's highway, the king's birds, the king's water, and the king's subjects. A king never stops laying claim to what is not his. Only another sovereign is treated as an equal and potential adversary or ally. Landless peasants dependent upon the favours of the Crown are laden with taxes to cover the king's debts and conquests, and they are able to offer little resistance since they have also been disarmed. The historic free republics of the world were founded on one simple principle -- every person was to be sovereign and like a king in his own castle. That no one would be subject to arbitrary claims to their time, energy, territory, or resources. We The People re-claimed our self-evident and inalienable rights by declaring them -- and then fighting for them. Freedom starts with a declaration. Then I've got to back it up with blood and guts -- courage, honour, and commitment. The sages have warned us that there is a price to our folly, and the longer we are in denial about it, the more devastating the circumstances. Indeed the wages of sin is death. Are you ready to make your Declaration? Courage, my friend, courage. | | |
