Freedom and Privacy

Freedom and Privacy

In the West we hear so much in praise of Freedom, but which kind of freedom? There are two kinds of freedom. There is the Freedom in the Light where every free act is done in the open, up and above board. Then there is the Freedom of Darkness, where all depends upon Privacy – concealed motives, hidden incomes, secret pass-times.

Whenever I hear Patriots on the Far Right glorifying the deaths of young soldiers who kill and are killed for Freedom, I wonder whether the gratitude is only about Protecting the Freedoms of Darkness and the Secrecy.

Yes, there are instances where there is some disagreement about what is and what isn’t shameful, that is, on what it is that requires so much Privacy. A great many Homosexuals would be happy to enjoy their Lifestyle in the open, but fear a crazy, bigoted and hostile general Public. Indeed, almost anybody even a shade outside the Sexual Mainstream is anxious about their Privacy. But we need to remember that Society has nearly always considered such things as the proper realm for Privacy. Sex, the Bathroom, and the Laundry – these things have always been private, and should really stay that way. Man as a Spiritual Being doesn’t need to be reminded so often of the Physical Things, and thus the Spiritual Importance of the Privacy of Home and Body.

Yes, while there have been historically recognized religious injunctions against some details of sexuality, in actual practice, most of the time, only discretion had really been required, and Religion would have been happy enough if only private matters had been kept private. While the Rules said “No Kinky Sex”, what was actually meant was “No Kinky Sex on Main Street in front of City Hall in the middle of the day”. Yes. Gay Sex Parades probably would never have been a good idea. But the same could be said for Straight Sex Parades. Such things should remain private.

Yes, yes… we now have large factions of the Public who are seriously hostile to and ready to attack certain groups because of their Private Behaviors. Legislation is invading the Home… even the bedroom. But honestly I think the motivations here are more seated in Democracy than Religion. When it is the Political Parties spending hundreds of millions of dollars to disseminate hostile propaganda and to establish Tax-Exempt Hate Action Groups, then we need to assign blame where the blame is due.

Yes, it is ironic that the same Political Groups that so loudly proclaim the importance of Freedom, are the ones who so readily jump to persecute others. The Conservative Freedom to Cheat on Taxes and Exploit the Lower Classes is somehow Sacred, but the Household Freedoms of the occasional sex act, which never impact anybody, are to be hounded out and destroyed.

And it is probably not even about Sex. Or Abortion. Or whatever. Remember, nowadays it is all about Democracy. And Democracy is about dividing and polarizing the Body Politic into Winning Majorities and Losing Minorities. Dividing. Not Uniting. The only things that matter are the things that can win or lose Elections.

We no longer have Good and Evil. We no longer have Right and Wrong. With Democracy has come a new operative Duality – Win and Lose.

It makes one willing to reconsider exactly whether or not Democracy should really be considered as a kind of “Ideal”, or should be grouped along with all of the other crazy excesses of History… another insane revolution, intoxicating the delusional Masses for an archeological moment, and finally ending in ruin and the collapse of Civilization.

But let’s return to the topic of Public Freedoms and Privacy. What kind of Man is Free – acts Free and lives deliberately – and has no need of Public Privacy? Well, of course, it is an Honest Man… usually a Working Man. Lives on Honest Pay, pays his taxes, largely stays at home, and doesn’t bother anybody. Then there is the Man who can be Free only behind the screen of Public Privacy. These are all of our Cheats and Criminals. I would guess most Politicians and Lawyers. Probably most of our Wealthy Classes are of this group. After all, it has been their Propaganda that has so closely tied Privacy with Freedom… and since Propaganda is not bought cheaply, they must want so much Privacy for some personally compelling Reasons. Also, in a highly competitive Marketplace, it is difficult to imagine how entirely honest men could get to the Top of the Heap when being dishonest and unethical would offer so many competitive advantages. I would suppose that the greatest part of any group of billionaires probably has something to hide. Large Fortunes, that is, Destructive Levels of Concentration of Wealth, and Mushrooms grow in the Dark. Yes, I know there is a difference. Only some Mushrooms are poisonous.

We’d all be much better off if all Public Privacy were entirely removed. Electronic Money to assure that every monetary transaction could be recorded and monitored, and cameras everywhere so there could be complete and total surveillance. We almost have all the Technology we need for it. Only improvements in Cataloging and Compressing an almost infinite amount of Data could make it all a bit more convenient.

Yes, yes, yes, we have been conditioned by Decades of Anarchist Propaganda into thinking that Surveillance is the worst of all possible Evils. Big Brother is supposed to be a Bad Thing. But we need to remember that at the turn of the 20th Century all the experts were worried about two conflicting Revolutionary Trends – it was the Communists versus the Anarchists. Now, a hundred years later, Communism has been defeated. But has anybody heard of the Evil of Anarchism lately. Not a word. Why? Well, because they were the Winners. They used Propaganda successfully to ‘normalize’ their crazy Doctrines. Anarchism became the New Mainstream. But if somebody were to visit from another Planet… the Planet of Objectivity and Reason, then the Anarchism would stand out for exactly what it is. Chaos.

All the Crime, Corruption, and Castles on Hills against the vast slums of Poverty… it’s the Chaos born of Anarchy. The Anarchists won.

We need to go back to the Middle.

And Total Surveillance would be a Good Thing. If the Police know everything, then Honest Men will no longer be condemned for not being able to produce their own alibis. “Where were you when…?” Criminals always have an answer for that question. Only Honest Men are caught short. A Total Surveillance Society would reverse that. Total Surveillance proves the Honesty of an Honest Man.

It would be a bit like Heaven. For after all, in Heaven does not God Know All, See All? And Pure Souls have nothing to hide from God. In the World, at least in the Public Realm… every man’s home still being his ‘castle’…no Honest Man should have anything to hide. It would be a Great Light from which all the Cockroaches of Crime would have to run and hide. We would trade a useless Privacy for a Substantial level of Security and Safety.