Are we free

[Karl Rand]

Putting aside for now the US obsession any small degree of ‘socialism’ will necessarily trigger the descent into communism there’s one real threat to freedom you’re all missing.
The advance of artificial intelligence and autonomous genetic algorithm programming is unleashing a force that threatens the survival of our species more than our own stupid mistakes do.

 

[gallantwarrior]

There are different types of freedom even as a US citizen which accords you more political and religious freedoms than nearly any other country on Earth.

For example, if you have extreme indebtedness you are not free at all. You are in a sense a slave to your debt.

Another example if you have severe health problems then you are not free to explore the wilderness or other pursuits requiring physical strength and stamina.

So perhaps the most free people in the world might be those individuals who live on their own, off the grid in Alaska. They have political freedom, financial freedom and physical freedom.

As someone living off-grid in Alaska, I do have lots of freedom. Most important, I have the freedom to live, or die, based on my own work. That's a lot of freedom, for sure, and I wouldn't change it for anything. But I still have to pay taxes, buy groceries, fix or replace machinery and equipment, etc.

That's very impressive. But What do you do if you get sick or injured? Also what do you do for electricity and internet?

Solar powered in the summer, generator in the winter, lantern to save batters during bad weather. Heat primarily with wood but keep a propane stove on a thermostat to keep the house above freezing when I can't be there. I have wifi and my laptop.

 

[gallantwarrior]

There are different types of freedom even as a US citizen which accords you more political and religious freedoms than nearly any other country on Earth.

For example, if you have extreme indebtedness you are not free at all. You are in a sense a slave to your debt.

Another example if you have severe health problems then you are not free to explore the wilderness or other pursuits requiring physical strength and stamina.

So perhaps the most free people in the world might be those individuals who live on their own, off the grid in Alaska. They have political freedom, financial freedom and physical freedom.

As someone living off-grid in Alaska, I do have lots of freedom. Most important, I have the freedom to live, or die, based on my own work. That's a lot of freedom, for sure, and I wouldn't change it for anything. But I still have to pay taxes, buy groceries, fix or replace machinery and equipment, etc.

So, Galt’s Gulch is in Alaska?

Only if your willing to invest sweat equity.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Putting aside for now the US obsession any small degree of ‘socialism’ will necessarily trigger the descent into communism there’s one real threat to freedom you’re all missing.
The advance of artificial intelligence and autonomous genetic algorithm programming is unleashing a force that threatens the survival of our species more than our own stupid mistakes do.

Not all of us. Off grid and learning"old" ways serves to hedge some bets and free you from too much reliance on technology.

 

[MarathonMike]

There are different types of freedom even as a US citizen which accords you more political and religious freedoms than nearly any other country on Earth.

For example, if you have extreme indebtedness you are not free at all. You are in a sense a slave to your debt.

Another example if you have severe health problems then you are not free to explore the wilderness or other pursuits requiring physical strength and stamina.

So perhaps the most free people in the world might be those individuals who live on their own, off the grid in Alaska. They have political freedom, financial freedom and physical freedom.

As someone living off-grid in Alaska, I do have lots of freedom. Most important, I have the freedom to live, or die, based on my own work. That's a lot of freedom, for sure, and I wouldn't change it for anything. But I still have to pay taxes, buy groceries, fix or replace machinery and equipment, etc.

That's very impressive. But What do you do if you get sick or injured? Also what do you do for electricity and internet?

Solar powered in the summer, generator in the winter, lantern to save batters during bad weather. Heat primarily with wood but keep a propane stove on a thermostat to keep the house above freezing when I can't be there. I have wifi and my laptop.

And do you provide for all your food by hunting and growing things? I'd imagine you have to get some things from a store every once in awhile.

 

[anotherlife]

A freind of mine posted a thread on face book about being free.
And it was intresting to me.
We are not free in the sense of true freedom .
From the time of cave men banding together in loose society's we have had to conform to rules mortality and laws tax etc. So we are not really free in the totality of the word.

Yet Americans have a lot of freedoms and rights not being seen in other nations.

While we have become to a degree a socialist society we still are far from a true socialist nation which is just a hooe skip and a jump from a communist SOCIETY.

After we loose certain freedoms and rights they are close to impossible to get back with the spilling of blood in mass.

We have socialist like cortez hillary and sanders along with many others who would take more and more freedoms from us given the chance.

This is a very interesting problem!

I think if we ask most people what they think freedom is, they think in terms of criminal law.

Real freedom however is in financial law. And now, in the 21st century, first time ever, banks have traded away their banking secrecy for a little unconditional overwriting of every bad loan by the government.

Therefore the 21st century is when freedom is completely eliminated, worldwide. Previously only totalitarian countries could try this, like the Soviet Union, but they all failed to completely eliminate all freedom. In the 21st century, the western world has fully achieved it.

So if you are hunting for freedom, your only chances are in the most corrupt third world countries, typically Africa, where they can't even build infrastructure. It is their lack of infrastructure that protects freedom there, nothing else is left in the world.

 

[anotherlife]

A freind of mine posted a thread on face book about being free.
And it was intresting to me.
We are not free in the sense of true freedom .
From the time of cave men banding together in loose society's we have had to conform to rules mortality and laws tax etc. So we are not really free in the totality of the word.

Yet Americans have a lot of freedoms and rights not being seen in other nations.

While we have become to a degree a socialist society we still are far from a true socialist nation which is just a hooe skip and a jump from a communist SOCIETY.

After we loose certain freedoms and rights they are close to impossible to get back with the spilling of blood in mass.

We have socialist like cortez hillary and sanders along with many others who would take more and more freedoms from us given the chance.

We are not free, we are all slaves.

The issue is, who do you serve? Is it other people, God, or yourself?

The better question is, what provides more satisfaction?

No because Galatians 5:1 already ensures this question:
" For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. ".

So personal satisfaction turns out to be a direction that is opposite to freedom.

 

[anotherlife]

A freind of mine posted a thread on face book about being free.
And it was intresting to me.
We are not free in the sense of true freedom .
From the time of cave men banding together in loose society's we have had to conform to rules mortality and laws tax etc. So we are not really free in the totality of the word.

Yet Americans have a lot of freedoms and rights not being seen in other nations.

While we have become to a degree a socialist society we still are far from a true socialist nation which is just a hooe skip and a jump from a communist SOCIETY.

After we loose certain freedoms and rights they are close to impossible to get back with the spilling of blood in mass.

We have socialist like cortez hillary and sanders along with many others who would take more and more freedoms from us given the chance.

We are not free, we are all slaves.

The issue is, who do you serve? Is it other people, God, or yourself?

The better question is, what provides more satisfaction?

Which God? All too often, service to 'god' is just service to other men who use a religion as a leash.

Depends what you are thinking during your service.

 

[Aponi]

Putting aside for now the US obsession any small degree of ‘socialism’ will necessarily trigger the descent into communism there’s one real threat to freedom you’re all missing.
The advance of artificial intelligence and autonomous genetic algorithm programming is unleashing a force that threatens the survival of our species more than our own stupid mistakes do.

Not all of us. Off grid and learning"old" ways serves to hedge some bets and free you from too much reliance on technology.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

We are not free, we are all slaves.

The issue is, who do you serve? Is it other people, God, or yourself?

The better question is, what provides more satisfaction?

Which God? All too often, service to 'god' is just service to other men who use a religion as a leash.

Yeah, that doesn't actually answer my question.

Much of history demonstrates that religion is a leash to control people. It dictates behavior, interaction, heirarchy. And often requires the individual to cede their own capacity for moral reasoning to a central authority.

That's rarely freedom.

---------------------------------- Most religion is voluntary at least in Christendom that i am aware of Skylar . Should be no ones business what a person voluntarily decide to do in freely practiced legal religion Skylar .

And religious is voluntary *today*....as its been balanced by secular power. For almost all of Christianity's history.....its been violently enforced. As have most religions. Islam wasn't particularly voluntary either. As the residents of Jericho how 'voluntary' Judaism was.

Looking to religion as a source of 'freedom' is a fool's errand. Most religion has nothing to do with 'freedom'. But the ceding of it. Its about centralizing control and internalization of methods of control. Most commonly through fear or violence.

Where a small group of people, usually men, use a conception of god to compel you to do what they tell you to do.

That's not 'freedom'. Thats the opposite of freedom.

Actually you are confusing 'Religion' with Christianity. They are truly 2 very different things.

Although many use Christians and their beliefs, to further empower their own lust for power & control ....all in the name of God.

 

[Skylar]

Which God? All too often, service to 'god' is just service to other men who use a religion as a leash.

Yeah, that doesn't actually answer my question.

Much of history demonstrates that religion is a leash to control people. It dictates behavior, interaction, heirarchy. And often requires the individual to cede their own capacity for moral reasoning to a central authority.

That's rarely freedom.

---------------------------------- Most religion is voluntary at least in Christendom that i am aware of Skylar . Should be no ones business what a person voluntarily decide to do in freely practiced legal religion Skylar .

And religious is voluntary *today*....as its been balanced by secular power. For almost all of Christianity's history.....its been violently enforced. As have most religions. Islam wasn't particularly voluntary either. As the residents of Jericho how 'voluntary' Judaism was.

Looking to religion as a source of 'freedom' is a fool's errand. Most religion has nothing to do with 'freedom'. But the ceding of it. Its about centralizing control and internalization of methods of control. Most commonly through fear or violence.

Where a small group of people, usually men, use a conception of god to compel you to do what they tell you to do.

That's not 'freedom'. Thats the opposite of freedom.

Actually you are confusing 'Religion' with Christianity. They are truly 2 very different things.

Although many use Christians and their beliefs, to further empower their own lust for power & control ....all in the name of God.

Then lets look at Islam too. Between the two we've got half the world's population and about 2000 years of demonstrations.