is as rich and delightful as ever and every day carries the promise
of a better world. Not everyone sees it that way, but on the whole,
"Team People" is doing very well. We have come a long way
and that’s something worth taking a step back to appreciate. But
the current path is not sustainable. Governments are transferring
more wealth than ever from the poor to the rich. We are rapidly
approaching a point where we must adapt or perish. The short
view of history tempts pessimism. We might see the recent steps
backward as the triumph of evil over good, or at least a turn toward
mutual annihilation. They are merely the steps backward in a long
progression of one step backward and two steps forward.
A truly free society does not exist just because we have been
convinced we are free. A truly free society cannot exist when we
have been so thoroughly propagandized as to define “freedom” in
terms of government-granted privilege rather than as a universal
moral principle. However, a free society is inevitable because the
global paradigm is shifting as we learn how to better assert our right
of self-ownership.
We all know life is better with freedom – that our own individual
experiences don’t mean nearly as much without the ability to assert
our will, rather than having our choices limited by force. Many of
us today still experience lives dominated by the edicts of others.
Many still live under the threat of death from war. While some are
doing relatively well and enjoying a great deal of personal wealth
and autonomy, many are not. Even those who are doing well are
living in a less vibrant and robust environment due to violations of
individual freedom around the world.
Any act of violence or threat of violence between individuals
represents a violation of someone’s freedom. The great illusion
of the current paradigm of statism is that governments achieve a
worthwhile reduction of violence. Governments are the greatest
cause of violence in the world today. They are coercive monopolies
with only an illusion of public support. Everything they do is
based on a presumed right to point guns at people who are acting
peacefully.
Many of us are dependent on government, and because it takes
on a large role in society, one can claim that everyone benefits to
some degree. This doesn’t mean the benefits justify the cost, and
the vast majority of us experience a net loss due to government.
Even if we are convinced that most people have a net gain from
government, we can always do better without using violence.
Freedom is the ability to exercise your will within your rights
without the threat of force from anyone else. It’s really that simple.
You own yourself. No one can claim even partial ownership over you
without violating your rights. By abolishing statism we will achieve
a world free of miserable victims and miserable victimizers. We will
create a world in which all relations are free of force and coercion.
We will see each other as partners in the human experience, united
in our desire to live free and realize our potential. We are destined
to build a society based on respect and cooperation
FREEDOM! by Adam Kokesh - Introduction
I am the author of FREEDOM!, a book endorsed (I mean banned) by the US Department of “Justice.” You can get a copy here. I’m running for Not-President in 2020 on the platform of the peaceful, orderly, and responsible dissolution of the United States federal government. You can find out more here. I am currently on my #TaxationIsTheft tour! You can find an event near you here. Whoever has the top comment on this post after 24 hours can claim a free signed copy of FREEDOM! by sending me a message with their address.
Upvoted and Resteemed!!
Adam. I really enjoy your writing style and have been watching your videos for years. Who (in their right mind) can argue with the meaningful content you promote? By that I mean; who the heck wants another person to initiate force upon their own person when they've done absolutely nothing to warrant such force? I'd wager nobody.
You said, "By abolishing statism we will achieve a world free of miserable victims and miserable victimizers."
You'll get no argument from me that rails against the idea that we need to rid ourselves of this mad notion that certain people have some legitimate right to rule over others.
Having said that, if you were to encapsulate the solution (of abolishing "government") for the average statist, and you only had 3 1/2 minutes before he had to catch a train to, say, Jersey (could be anywhere, but Jersey was the first place that popped into my mind), how would you go about succinctly laying out the plan for such an ambitions abolition? (I won't hold you to the 3.5 minutes) :)
As a side note...perhaps we could collab or do a Skype interview one day. I would love to introduce my YT audience of almost 400k to you and your work. Peace.
Thanks for the deep appreciation! I'd be happy to do an interview. Please email me to set it up. [email protected]
That would be awesome! Do it, Adam!
Thanks Brian for reaching out to Adam. I think you both are on the same page. I am a fan and supporter of both of your works and efforts. It will be awesome to see what y'all come up with. #Stradog in Gun Barrel City, Texas #Freedom4All #TaxationIsTheft #StopTheHate
I'll watch it, it would be great.
Amen. You own yourself. End of story. Which also means we are responsible for ourselves and our choices and lives. That starts scaring people a bit. Then you have to own your power. Frightens people even more. But people are taking their power back more and more, and I know humanity will triumph in their quest for true freedom. It is our divine birthright.
https://steemit.com/@jaymin4
Very good
Good job
Upvoted, re$teemed & following!
Nice post
Thanks!
The concept of Self-ownership is key to understanding Freedom, indeed.
And yet, being the master of our body is only part of the camino. In order to be free, we also have to become masters of our minds. Without investigation of our own mind, this is almost impossible...
If we don't know what the mind is, we can't know who WE are. If we don't know who we are, we can't be free.
Investigate your mind!
Face fear, embrace Love.
Upvoted and resteemed.
Well said. Couldn't agree more.
And just to add to that your assertion that we should "master the mind," a prudent individual also incorporates a mastery of the vehicle which transports your mind through space...the body. So many people are ignorant (willful or otherwise) about the harmful things they do to their bodies on a daily basis - whether by COmmission or Omission. Who wants a mind trapped in a body that has been hamstrung, or even damaged, by a careless, reckless, thoughtless lifestyle? Nobody I know. Peace to you and yours.
Right? Destruction of the body is apparently something we somehow like and choose... Peace to you, friend!
wow..really well written.Good post ! Happy Day:) D
Thank you!
nice dear
When I click on your links it states **"Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from thefreedomline.com"**
I'm not sure why, but you may want to check it out.
I agree freedom is in the interrest of humanity lets all want it and exercise it so we can grow to oure full potention
Thank you for reading!
Welcome to Steemit, Adam! You should download Steepshot - basically a Steem clone of Instagram - and post your Insta-Stuff on the Steem blockchain as well!
I just realized that US Gov banned your book. Wow! Congrats for that! This is such a nice endorsement as you said.
This post you just wrote is a very nice one. It resonate with me very dearly. I guess we could say it's a very good approximation of reality or truth as it's all we're trying to write about, truth without the superfluous and bias our mind are entangled in.
I think the hardest task is to convince people that they have been 'convinced they are free' like you stated in your post. We all have free will which is different to actual physical freedom and it's that free will that will direct us out of this prison system we all live in. Our own thoughts are still lurking in the back of our garbled brainwashed minds, I'm constantly trying to find mine. Great post!
Awesome Adam. There are many ways to express our self ownership. We can barter our locally produced items with each other and not pay taxes. We can find all the legal loopholes in the state's laws. They say you can't build a shed without a permit bigger then 10x12 etc so you build a 8x30 on top of an old frame from a travel trailer. Just knowing you own yourself will motivate you to take productive steps towards taking back your individual sovereignty!
I enjoyed reading "Freedom".
Great post. This is one of my favourites parts:
I do agree with you. We own ourselves. It does not matter what lies we've been told. Regardless of the wrong or right beliefs of our parents. No matter what some believe. I remember a shaman who said to me:
We're free. We learn to value freedom after having lost it or think, somehow, we did. I think it's great that you write about these subjects. Nothing can be more necessary in this time. Sometimes, very deep "inside" of me, I can feel freedom. Those days I see with more clarity. Those days I am, just silence. Those days, I truly believe I own myself in every way and, I enjoy it because I am aware of it.
Thanks for sharing your article. A hug, free, from Venezuela!
PS: I do my best with the English language.
set yourself free from the income tax legally and using the tax code itself
www.losthorizons.com
I agree totally that the federal government should be removed. But we must have some type of government to keep the peace. We cannot trust people to govern themselves. I have this debate with a friend who says we should live like the american indians, to which I reply, there were many tribes that wanted to exterminate other tribes because they didn't think they were strong enough or didn't believe the same things as them. Either way Great post!
Freedom is in your heads and your hearts and nobody can take that away!
I just can't figure out the real reason we have to fight for our rights.
You are welcome to follow me here on Steemit and on YouTube.
I make a nice amount of extra income selling Thrifted items on eBay ...how much I make depends on how much I work it and what cool stuff I find...I Post here and I vlog the Hauls & Solds and the journey of a Thrifty ReSeller... you don't even need money to start, you can begin by selling stuff from around your home or ask Friends & Fam to donate items ...
List It, Sell it, repeat :)
I have spent most of my adult life on the road and self-employed, but even in my position I was held back from true freedom because of financial concerns and being forced to continue to grind through days of burn-out, heartbreak and failed business ventures.
When my health began to decline I had to make some serious moves and today I believe I'm as free as any human being can be. Today I can give back, teach and prove to my fellow human beings that they can find their true selves, true contentment and true freedom.
It's not going to be easy, but I promise you it is possible to live and die in real, true peace and freedom.
It begins with pointing your finger at the reflection in the mirror.
This is amazing man! Upvoted and resteemed.
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Nice article. Freedom is one of the most essential elements in life. But its not for everybody. Many people are afraid to be free. They are afraid to be themselves and enjoy all the aspects of this wonderful and mysterious thing that life is. We will be in touch. Keep up the good work.
i wish to create a group of one hundred thousand people...ordinary people from around the world and then do some brain storming to reach the ultimate truth,,, pls read my blog and become a part of the group... we will start the discussion once we have a good number of people aboard....