This guy, Gary Z. McGee, is one of my favourite contemporary writers who I follow (and am friends with) on Facebook and such. This is definitely not his best work but I just saw it and thought I'd share with you guys. If you're on Facebook it's well worth following "Self-Inflicted Philosophy" (Gary's page).
Here's an excerpt:
“I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.” ~ Joshua Graham
You do not need anybody’s permission to be free. You need to give yourself permission to be free, and then will yourself into doing the difficult work it takes to remain free. For this you’re going to need courage, and a lot of it. Because everything around you, the state, statists, other states, will be working against your freedom. They don’t want you free because it undermines their belief system of control.
It erodes the illusion of their legitimacy. Either that or they’re confused about what freedom means, due to state conditioning and brainwashing from a centralized hierarchical chain of command. So, it’s time to buck up, buttercup! Dig deep. Find the courage to be free despite those who wish to rule over you. Live fiercely despite the bleakness of the dark. In short: make sure your inner fire is burning brighter than the fire seeking to consume you. Then get to work. Manifest the peaceful warrior’s spirit with a “Hoka Hey!” in the face of tyranny and oppression.
https://fractalenlightenment.com/390...tle-oppression