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In 1776, founding father Thomas Paine wrote that “tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered, yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”  The tyranny then was King George of England, and for that matter, all kings, all dictators, all tyrants, all authoritarians, and the triumph was a “united” group of states, declaring their independence from tyranny, and stating that all men were created equal, promoting a “glorious” new way of governance, democracy.  Yet, tyranny has never been eliminated; there are forces who will always attempt to use and control by tyranny’s power.

Over time, tyranny has morphed into more subtle, less direct, forms.  In the early 1900’s, Edward Bernays, nephew of the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, took lessons learned from his uncle and changed the world of advertising, notched it up several levels, stating that “Whatever of social importance is done today, whether in politics, finance, manufacture, agriculture, charity, education, or other fields, must be done with the help of propaganda.” (From his 1928 book Propaganda).  Bernays became the father of public relations and acknowledged the title of father of propaganda.

Tyranny today is propaganda imbedded in almost every arena of human endeavor that convinces humanity to do things in favor of a few at the expense of the many:  propaganda has truly become an artform, and we are never taught how to recognize or become aware of it, much less how to counter its influence on us.  And so, in addition to those areas mentioned above, now add mass media, social media, AI, the military industrial complex, the massive consumer industrial complex power by global trade and economics, etc., with the result that humanity has been lulled into complacency by those in power with their ability to control others, assuming they, because of their status, wealth, sheepskins, military backing, political affiliations, etc. knows best about what the rest of us should be exposed to, should be doing, following, hearing, supporting, etc.  Even the constant threat of authoritarianism, so far successfully held in check for the short duration of American history, is raising its ugly head again (here, and world-wide), and many Americans are gladly following its directions, falling for the propaganda of a better life and a return to greatness for “all”, which really means maintaining power and control by a few over the rest – created equal be damned.  As America constantly cycles towards a “more perfect union”, we cannot let authoritarianism and its tyranny by propaganda gain control over our lives, even if only “on day one.”

Thomas Paine completed his quote above by stating “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly:  it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”  As bad as things seem now, as bad as the divisions seem between groups in America, as bad as hatred still pits many of our fellow brethren against one another, we must understand that most of this is the influence of propaganda, lies that purposefully override our common sense, our natural discernment abilities, our ability to think for ourselves.  Is it dear to you to hate others?  To promote separation between groups? To be selfish, egotistical? To have lost the knowledge of how Nature really works for all of life?  Is it dear to you to misunderstand how everything is interrelated, interconnected, supposed to work symbiotically, in service of life to life? Is it dear to you to be able to mass-consume with unlimited convenience without knowledge of that mass-consumption’s inherent negative effects, and how your consumption decisions are ignorantly damaging our support system, planet Earth?  Down deep in our souls we know better, know that we have obtained things too cheaply, that we esteem things too lightly, that we take too much for granted, that we follow the directions of others too easily.   It is way past time that we recognize the negative influences of propaganda, regardless from which direction it comes or for whom it benefits, and regain our love of life, love of Nature, love for each other, reestablishing a “dearness only that gives everything its value.” 

Tyranny’s propaganda has no big picture endgame except to benefit those who use it; it does not care if others live or die, or care for the common good; it creates a prison for all.  So, if collapse of industrial civilization is not in your plans, for yourself or your progeny, exercise your true critical thinking and fight against all things and actions working towards that collapse.  To quote Ishmael in Daniel Quinn’s trilogy, “What is crucial to your survival as a race is not the redistribution of power and wealth within the prison but rather the destruction of the prison itself.”   Subjugation, whether voluntary or not, to tyranny’s propaganda and its promotion of convenience and deception is not worth going extinct, and that is another inconvenient truth.