There is a lie whispered by tyrants, spoken by sycophants, and repeated by patriots. It is a lie that has undermined our Republic and will be the undoing of our liberty.
That lie is one I hear all too frequently, spoken as though it were holy writ. “I just wish I could go back to a time when I didn’t have to pay attention to government.”
It is a lie I have become frustrated hearing repeated by people who should know better. So much so, I have begun to respond to it with an admittedly snarky question: “So, you must be eager to have King Charles and Lady Camilla reign over you? Or, perhaps, you think the German chancellor would be a nice ruler?”
Because, fundamentally, that is the choice. We can be a self-governing Republic, or we can be a subservient people governed by tyrants.
Our system of government only works when the citizens are engaged. As citizens, it is our job – every day – to pay attention to the government. The extent to which we stop being engaged is in direct proportion to the loss of liberty and the rise of tyranny.
“Ah, but Michael, I don’t have time to pay attention to the government! It’s all so complicated!” Then, no worries, just sign away your rights. Another person, who is more interested, is happy to see to the affairs of state. He’ll just need ready access to your property, your children, and whatever wealth you manage to accumulate.
That is the bargain the people of God made despite the warnings from the Prophet Samuel. They had been a self-governing people but found it was a lot of work. They wanted, instead, to be serfs. They were warned of the outcomes yet chose a life of serfdom anyway.
This is why that lie is gently whispered by tyrants and those who desire to be our masters. They want us to fall into the same trap as our ancestors. They want us to slip shackles on our wrists and ankles. It will be so much easier…
It is true that the sloth of previous generations has forced us in this generation to have more fights than we would have had they not succumbed to the lie. But even so, we would still be required to vigilantly stand watch, but liberty would not be on the ropes.
So, the question for us to answer is this: Do we want to make things better or worse for ourselves and our posterity? Do we want our successors to be serfs, or will we leave a legacy of liberty?
Our American forefathers answered that question in the 1770s. Our Texan forefathers answered it in the 1830s. How about us?
Like theirs, our answer will not come merely in words, but by our actions.
