The 5th Empire - Freedom

The political events related to the flu epidemic of this year have demonstrated that freedom is only as available as the political elite allows it to be. While this have come as a shock to many, it's hardly a surprise to citizens of the 5th Empire. They know that freedoms are always curtailed by the state during times of crisis. Any history book can tell us that, and the same books will tell us that freedoms are only returned to the people, little by little. Machiavelli pointed this out in his book on politics from 1513.

When the political elite is too slow or reluctant to return freedoms to the people, we get revolutions that rarely do anything good for anybody. They merely push power around without giving the general population any freedoms that weren't already secured. This is why the citizen of the 5th Empire refrain from wars and revolutions, preferring instead to secure their liberties through deception and evasion. Civil disobedience is not something they suddenly start partaking in when things get tough. They do it all the time as part of their never-ending struggle against the state. They position themselves in such a way that the state has close to no leverage against them.

Quite often, citizens end up better off economically when the state tightens their control on the populace. This is because draconian state measures make it more interesting for people in general to invest in the sort of things that citizens already own. Gold prices go up, as does the value of cash and debt free properties. This makes the citizens as a group more powerful. The 5th Empire expands, which in turn ushers in more freedom to everyone.

This is conveniently ignored by pro-state historians who much prefer to see freedom as something granted by revolutionaries and state appointees. But this does nothing to alter the facts. When the dust settles from the current political and economical crisis, we will see the 5th Empire rise once again. It will be liberty minded entrepreneurs, rather than politicians and their minions, that will bring freedom and prosperity back to the people.

By Nikater - Own work, Public Domain, Link