7 Signs You May be a Victim of Statism

“The State is the name of the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly it lies; and this lie slips from its mouth: I, the state, am the people.” — Friedrich Nietzsche.

The truth behind the vicious lies of statism and its cultish tendencies happens to be one of those jagged little pills that people can’t seem to swallow. Statism has become the most all-pervasive ism of them all. It is the predominant world religion. Almost every country practices it. It is, in fact, the worst form of religion: a deadly cult. It meets every single one of the characteristics associated with cultic groups according to Janja Lalich, Ph.D. & Michael D. Langone, Ph.D. Influence and control lie at the center of the state. More than likely we were all born into such a state, complete with all its commandments (laws), deities (founding fathers), common prayer (pledge of allegiance), sacred symbols and texts (flags and constitutions), and places of indoctrination (schools). Like Voltaire said, “Religion began when the first conman met the first fool.” And so it is with the cult of the state. But there are other options besides being a conman or a fool. At any rate, here are seven signs you may be a victim of the cult of statism.

1. You believe you need to be ruled

“I was not designed to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” — Thoreau.

You believe that other people have the right to rule over you. You cling to your slavery like it was your liberation. You falsely believe that you have an obligation to follow rules and laws made by men who created those rules and laws without your permission. Your leaders are not held accountable for their actions (NDAA). You allow these leaders to have rights that you don’t have. You illogically believe that men should be ruled by other men, even though you know that most men can barely even rule over themselves, let alone others. As such, you have given them the authority to dictate to you right from wrong, instead of taking responsibility for figuring it out for yourself.

2. You display excessively zealous and unquestioning commitment to the state

“What good fortune for governments that the people do not think.” — Adolf Hitler

You are an obedient law-abiding citizen, groveling under the false superiority of the state. You only think within the box allowed by the state. You let your government do your thinking for you (representation). You blindly accept the conditions of the state: paying taxes (legalized extortion), obeying laws (mere threats). You don’t question the system because, like a fish, you don’t question the water that you live in. But you are not a fish. You are a human being. And what makes you a human being is the ability to question and to imagine better ways of doing things. But there are other options, like this one from the words of Robert A. Heinlein:

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.”

3. You never question, doubt, or practice dissent for fear of punishment

“The supreme mystery of despotism, its prop and stay, is to keep men in a state of deception, and cloak the fear by which they must be held in check, so that they will fight for their servitude as if for salvation.” — Baruch Spinoza

You believe whatever authority tells you to believe. You have fallen hook-line-and-sinker for the great lie of the state: that it is there to serve you. You obey, usually blindly, due to programming and indoctrination. Your fear has paralyzed you into an obedient citizen. You worship the state with all your heart and soul because you are afraid of the consequences of falling out of line. You don’t question the bizarre rituals of the state, believing they are necessary to keep things in “order,” forgetting the fact that order forced upon others is tyranny unless that order is forced by nature. You loyally bow to the false deity of government, believing that the worst sin is disobeying (breaking the law). You’ve been victimized your entire life by mind-altering practices (such as psychological political propaganda and biased advertisements) used in excess and served to suppress any doubts you might have about the “goodness” of the state. But there is a healthier way, and it can be summed up in one simple word: disobey!

4. You’ve been conditioned to believe that the ends justify militaristic means

“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” — Albert Einstein

You proudly support the troops when they kill whoever the misguided plutocrats in DC tell them to kill, even though you know the troops are participating in behaviors or activities they would have considered reprehensible or unethical before joining. You have been tricked into thinking that obedience is a virtue and violence is necessary. You’ve been conditioned into thinking that war is okay because the state says it is okay to use violence to attain liberty, when really it’s just empty window dressing for the use of rampant tyranny. You have learned how to turn a blind eye to the blatant atrocities committed by the state and to praise it for its veil of democracy and peace, which is nothing more than smoke and mirrors to disguise its tyranny. But there are other options, like this one from Alexander Berkman:

“The man who can face vilification and disgrace, who can stand up against the popular current, even against his friends and his country when he knows he is right, who can defy those in authority over him, who can take punishment and prison and remain steadfast — that is a man of courage. But do you need much courage just to obey orders, to do as you are told and to fall in line with thousands of others to the tune of general approval and the Star Spangled Banner?” — Alexander Berkman

5. You are inflicted with feelings of shame or guilt used as methods of control

“Once you have enslaved one generation, most parents will almost inevitable resist the freedom of the next generation, out of guilt and shame about their own surrender.” — Stefan Molyneux.

You have given into the false virtue of doing what you’re told. This is done through peer pressure and subtle forms of persuasion, usually by greedy power-tripping frauds convincing you that they should be emulated, but who are actually just attempting to deprive you of your free will. They dare to guilt you into becoming a controlled pawn. They dare to use shame to keep you in line. And still you glorify them as “lawmakers” and “job creators” and “masters.” And then you have the audacity to shame people who seek freedom and liberation for themselves, attempting to make them feel guilty for their salvation. You even think they deserve to be crushed beneath the tyrannical boot of authority. Out of one side of your mouth you preach freedom and responsibility, while out of the other side of your mouth you preach obedience and security, all while freedom is being destroyed and responsibility is being ignored. The state is your cozy little prison, and shame and guilt are your prison bars. But there is a way to escape.

Ask yourself, as Rumi did, “Why do you stay in prison when the door is wide open?”

6. Your cultish state is preoccupied with making money

“It is no coincidence that a century of total war coincided with a century of central banking.” — Ron Paul.

You have been brainwashed into believing that money makes the world go around. There is nothing wrong with making money, but there is something wrong with being preoccupied with making money. As it stands, you are conditioned into being preoccupied with making money. It has been hammered into you since you were a kid: make more money than the next guy, do whatever it takes, take no prisoners, one-upmanship trumps cooperation. More money! More money! More money! It’s a cult in itself when not used in healthy and moderate ways. There is something wrong when money goes from being a tool we use to attain better experiences, to becoming our lord and master dictating to us our happiness, or lack thereof. Besides flags, money is the most powerful religious symbol of the cult of the state. We have become slaves to money in the form of debt, and the state is the one holding all the whips. Like John Adams said, “There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” But there are ways to counter slavery. One way is to defy it and create something new.

7. You have given into the elitism of the state

“The secret of freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny is in keeping them ignorant.” — Maximilien Robespierre.

You believe there is no life outside the state. Your blind patriotism and myopic nationalism has left you in a cloudy dream world where you believe that your state has some kind of exalted status simply because you were lucky enough to have been born there. You believe there is no other way to be, and you fear reprisal if you decide to leave, or even consider leaving. And why would you want to leave anyway? You’re “safe” in your police state. You’re “secure” in your surveillance state. Big Brother has your best interest at heart. And the state, your almighty god, loves you and is the greatest thing. So what a part of you knows the irrationality behind your logic. So what other people in other states think the same thing. Yours is still the greatest state, the greatest nation, the greatest country, the greatest religion, the greatest cult. Isn’t it? And even if it isn’t, you wouldn’t dare question its greatness. That’s too scary. Better to stay in the comfort zone created by your leaders. Better to remain a good little citizen. Better not to rock the boat. Better to be kissed with lies than slapped with the truth. Better the bliss that comes from ignorance than the pain that comes from knowledge. Better to be a comfortable slave than uncomfortably free.

Gary ‘Z’ McGee, a former Navy Intelligence Specialist turned philosopher, is the author of Birthday Suit of God and The Looking Glass Man. His works are inspired by the great philosophers of the ages and his wide awake view of the modern world.