There are popular ideas that are widely held that are road blocks to freedom. And, in fact, support the advancing totalitarian state. Ideas are powerful, they motivate us. The ideas that people hold as true determine their behaviour, their attitudes, what they will tolerate and what they will not, and the values they pursue.

And ideas take time to be assimilated and acted upon. There is a necessary delay between being exposed to an idea and acting upon it. This holds true for large groups, nations and civilsations as well as individuals. So by observing ideas that are widely held today, you can predict the future behaviour of individuals or entire nations to some extent.

Ideas that prevent freedom

Currently, there are a great many ideas predominantly held as true in our western culture that stand in the way of freedom – that prevent freedom, that negate the possibility of freedom. In this weeks Podcast I outline 3 of them.

Altruism is good

Altruism is the idea that self-sacrifice is good, you are your brother’s keeper. It is the idea that helping others is a moral duty. To do things for self is bad, to do things for others is good. To keep for yourself is bad, to give to others is good.

Altruism says that you do not have the right to live for your own sake, which would mean investing all of your efforts towards the success of your own life and your own happiness. Altruism says that you have a duty to the group, to the tribe, to the collective. Altruism says it is wrong to focus on self because you have a moral duty to sacrifice your values to those in greater need than you.

Altruism is the antithesis of freedom and the morality of slavery. If you are morally bound to keep giving up your values to the group or to some ‘other’ then you are not free to live the life you want. You are not able to act on your own judgment to pursue your own rational self-interest.

Altruism fosters the predisposition to give up values and is the perfect idea to underpin statism, collectivism, communism, slavery.

While this ideas is widely held as true freedom has no chance. This idea is very widely entrenched in western culture and shows no sign of going away any time soon.

Capitalism is evil

Another idea that is very widely held as true is that capitalism is the source of our economic problems and not any kind of solution. We see anti-capitalist demonstrations and we do not see pro-capitalism rallies. Capitalism is not understood by the vast majority of people and this is a testament to the triumph of propaganda over genuine education.

Most people think of fat cats, greed and exploitation when they hear the word, yet capitalism is,in fact, the solution the problem of man’s freedom. It is the only sociopolitical system that respects property rights. Capitalism holds that you own your own life, your own body and all of the results of your productive effort.

It is the only system in which a genuinely voluntary society is possible, where people would not be coerced or forced into any action against their will. Yet it does not throw out the rule of law. It is the only socioeconomic system that declares man free and supports the non-aggression principle in all human interactions. Capitalism respects your right to choose, it doesn’t force you to do anything, it allows you to act on your own judgment.

Mysticism – the idea that belief in things without reasons or evidence is OK

Mysticism is another widely held idea in western culture. again handed down from the religions and embedded into human consciousness for millennia – just like Altruism.  The implicit idea is that reasons are unnecessary. There is no need for proof, evidence logic or reason… you simply believe what you choose to believe. In fact, some mystics say that you need to believe before you can know.