The 5th Empire - Welfare

A society can be judged by the way it treats its poor and weak. In this respect, state run society has a horrible track record. Millions of vulnerable people have been swept aside over the past century. Even supposedly moderate and civilized states have engaged in terrible acts. Norway implemented and upheld eugenic laws from the 1930s to the 1970s. Thousands of people were forcefully sterilized. Lobotomies were performed. Separation of children from parents also happened, all in the name of eugenics. The victims were almost exclusively poor people with minority backgrounds. Eccentrics of various kinds were common targets.

Separation of children from parents is still happening, overwhelmingly targeting people at the fringes of society. Another targeted group are drug addicts. People are put in jail for no other reason than the possession of substances deemed inappropriate by the ruling class.

Once trapped in the web of welfare agents it is hard to escape. They should therefore be avoided as much as possible. We must consider help from friends, family and private charities before seeking help from the state. Legitimate concerns should be expressed directly with those in question. It is only when all other options have been exhausted, that state agents may be called upon. Reflexively calling such agents at the mere suspicion of something not being quite right is not only wrong, but highly immoral as it spreads fear among people, especially those that the state has a history of harassing.

This does not mean that 5th Empire citizens should be completely paranoid about the state. Many of us have no choice but to send our children to state run schools. The same holds true for state run health care. Nor is there any reason to decline a welfare check if handed out to us. Citizens of the empire deal with the state in a rational and pragmatic manner. What precise actions we take depend on circumstances. However, we must not rely too much on the state. Those of us who are dependent on state handouts must know where to go should the handouts suddenly stop.

Staying on good terms with family and friends is paramount. Making sure we are the best we can be in the way we interact with others is of great importance. Should things turn sour, the best behaved and most reasonable of us will be at an advantage. People care about how others treat them, and they will hand out rewards or punishments accordingly should there be a day of reckoning.

But the demise of the state does not necessarily lead to chaos. The transition from state control to private welfare can be smooth and orderly. Those who have little to no interaction with the state may hardly notice a difference. However, the state may cause problems by throwing legal hurdles into the transition. They may ban private hospitals and schools. They may force people to hold onto imploding currencies.

Present day Venezuela is an example of what happens when a state clings to power even after the collapse of its institutions. Venezuela is bogged down in violent crimes, corruption and immorality of all kinds. But things need not end this way. Communities that escape the grip of the state will fare relatively well. Where the state relinquishes power to the 5th Empire, things will stabilize. This will primarily happen in areas where the culture is already in tune with the empire. A sensible precaution is therefore to seek such communities. At a very minimum, we should know where they are.

Typical for such communities is self sufficiency. Inhabitants do not rely on state pensions or welfare to get by. There is a wide variety of stores and industries. There is also a wide variety of people with different skills and different social backgrounds. Above all, there is an air of civility. People respect each other's privacy and property. There is a high tolerance for eccentrics and loners. No-one is attacked or expelled merely for being different.

Such communities can be found wherever there is a general culture of self sufficiency and tolerance. Most towns have this type of neighbourhoods. Villages are often organized in this way. We do not have to become self sufficient farmers in order to fare well during times of upheaval.

Lebensborn eugenics program

By Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1973-010-11 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Link