Secularism, Fear, and Freedom

Render unto Caesar

There is a common trend in North American society to vote for Christian representatives, or to look to religious teachings when choosing a candidate. Without disparaging religious groups of any faith I will say that this action has to be considered carefully. In earthly matters of government the will of god is a second thought, if one at all. It is paramount for leaders to make hard decisions about public policy, law, and war that may go against religious dogma. For this reason it is imperative that practitioners of religion be able to set aside their convictions at least temporarily.

The separation of Church and State stands as one of the crowning achievements of western philosophy. Theocracies rarely exhibit the degree of advancement and overall quality of life that we have in North America. By contrast, the ISSI caliphate and other degenerate groups highlight the worst possibilities of a sponsored state religion. In order to properly fight these enemies we need to rally around the cause of reason and freedom in our civilized nations. Only secular authorities can destroy rogue Islamic elements without inciting a two-way religious war between faiths with billions of adherents. If we recreated the crusades in modern times our capacity to kill would be unparalleled.

Generally when we consider the statement to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, we think of taxes because that is the context of the story in the Bible. However, taxes are just one form of physical support that a person can lend toward the state. Your vote is infinitely more valuable than your money, because it is votes that ultimately shapes the direction of the nation. Your vote is an act of consent to follow and a command for a leader to navigate a path. By lending your time and energy toward a secular cause you can fulfill your obligation to the state, and pursue your religious aspirations on the inside where it counts. It is far better to afford the earthly powers their measures and to nurture one's soul than it is to be a conscientious objector and endanger the body. Actions taken for religious reasons that undermine the security apparatus of the state ultimately reject one's material obligations and can be regarded as nothing short of treason.


Harnessing Fear

Fear is a natural emotion, an instinct with practical uses that can preserve your life. A lot is said about fear mongering and those who profit off of fear. While it's true that some business models are built around selling preparedness supplies or security systems there's no denying that certain basics are common sense. Public Service Announcements used to make a point of reminding people of the importance of emergency kits for things like earthquakes or floods. In urban areas especially self-sufficiency and sustainability are at constant risk and overall lower than their rural counterparts. The key to utilizing fear is to not give in to panic, but instead to recognize the signals and follow your intuition.

People like to talk about the police state and living in fear, and what that says about their civilization as a whole. There seems to be a strong aversion to the militarization of the police and indications to increase security measures through departments like CSIS. Ironically, the fear of these programs and security measured is perpetrated by fear mongers who make their money by warning people about the big bad government. Logically speaking national security should match the perceived level of threat that the nation faces. As a matter of principle, we must be realistic about the fact that our domestic police forces are already well enough armed to suppress public dissent. If the government intended to oppress the people by way of force they would already have the means to do between the RCMP and the Canadian Forces.

If you consider the fact that our police are already armed well enough to suppress most of the population and we are generally comfortable with their presence, what does a soldier present that goes beyond the pale? I think that just as with guns, it is mainly a matter of familiarity. We just aren't used to seeing soldiers at checkpoints or on the city streets, so their presence can make us nervous. I don't think that many Canadians will say that they're scared of their soldiers, because we regard soldiers as the heroes willing to put their lives on the line to protect us. It seems to me that its mostly a constant bombardment of media that makes us uncomfortable about the supposed "police state".

Another part of it that can't be ignored is our ego. We like the fact that our soldiers are mostly out of sight and out of mind. We like that our government at least pretends to not be intrusive with our online affairs. It makes us feel good about ourselves when we look down on the rest of the world for being so backward and primitive that their security structure is in plain view. We much prefer cleverly hidden means of oversight and military assets that we can pull out or stow away at our convenience. Cameras looking down on us? Soldiers on the streets? Closed borders? Those things are so ugly. They totally ruin the vibe, y'know?

Freedom isn't Free

Let me say straight up that I regard the obsession with freedom as an American trait and not a Canadian one. Canada has traditionally taken a more moderate pace in its separation from the British Empire and its world affairs. If America was the pinnacle of unchecked freedom as much as could be possible in a functioning society, Canada would be the pinnacle of controlled freedom. We enjoy freedom and subscribe to the philosophy that people do better when they are pursuing their goals, but we have also kept a cool head about the realities of mankind and the role of the state. The American Constitution and the Canadian Charter differ in many ways, but the most important factor is the Notwithstanding Clause.

Without getting into too much legal mumbo jumbo, the Charter basically has a tool built into it that allows the government to supersede a number of rights and freedoms. Freedom of Speech for example, one of the most important and cherished aspects of American society, can be infringed upon by government mandate. The most noticeable example of this is in Quebec where it is used to help preserve the French language. The existence and utilization of this language within the Charter shows that our nation at its very core puts the ideals of obedience and authority before personal freedoms. We are a nation of socially conscious individuals who enjoy personal autonomy but recognize our overall responsibilities to the whole.

Our soldiers, both those of today and those of the past, have given their blood sweat and tears in order to preserve our freedom. They have gone above and beyond in order for us to be able to live in peace. However, our freedom is squandered on a daily basis by self-absorbed people who lack any sense of vision or virtue. Our soldiers are expected to put their lives on the line so that we can break the law? So we can ruin the environment? So we can continue to pollute the minds of our youth with self-destructive nihilistic messages about the futility of life?

Perhaps the most audacious element of freedom and security is our eagerness to assume the worst of the people we claim to hold in such high regard. The popular belief that our soldiers can't be trusted to watch over us more closely, and that they can't handle the responsibility that comes with increased power. They are good enough to be blown up in a desert somewhere, or slain in a cowardly attack on our soil, but they aren't good enough to stand guard in our streets. They aren't good enough to review our emails to see if we're corresponding with terrorists. They aren't good enough to maintain a strong border and protect us from outside threats. Our soldiers can give their time and energy for our freedoms, but we can't give them the benefit of the doubt, because seeing them around would be uncomfortable.

Sadly, between the cloistered religious element of our nation and blissfully ignorant youth the appropriate amount of fear toward the downward spiral of our country is unnoticed. Our people continue to stumble through the haze of smoke and superstition avoiding only the most overt cues of trouble, unaware of the blackness creeping into their vision. People are scared of guns and camo, so they ignore druggies shooting up in the street. People are scared of the government reading their internet history, so they ignore the radicalization of Muslims via Facebook or Twitter. People are scared of nationalism, so they happily allow our resources to be pawned off to world to the benefit of a few. People are scared of being called racist, so they bend over backwards to accommodate insane amounts of immigration or unreasonably naive narratives.

There is a real fear killing this country, a slow insidious poison that has you looking for all the wrong symptoms. It is guilt, it is fear of your own nature. It is the idea that you are inherently attached to sins you haven't committed, that you must bleed yourself dry to sate the world. The idea that any effort to arm and defend yourself is not the preservation of that which you love, but an attack on those who justly hate you.

Freedom isn't free. It's time we woke up to our responsibility as the stewards of a great gift bought by the blood of better men and women than ourselves. It is time that we rose to our feet as a nation and accepted the weight of armor and the responsibility of power. We can own the legacy of our forebears and do right by them in the preservation of this country and the Canadian dream. The real dream of the west that with equal parts freedom and restraint the greatest standard of living on earth can be achieved by every honest man and woman, for their children and their children's children.