by Pam Baker

That is one question which hovers at the edges of my consciousness every waking hour. I don’t know the answer. There are other questions of course. For instance, I often ask, “What am I capable of doing?” “What will I tolerate and how will I refuse?” “What cost am I willing to bear?” I am of course, referring to the social, moral, philosophical, political and religious putrefaction of our civilization.

There have been many times in the last three years that I have beseeched fellow readers of online news outlets and other media to be more active in their righteous indignation. But the question always stares back at me. The short answer is I don’t know what I would be willing to give up for the “greater good”. Many people have, throughout history, given all so that the “greater good” should succeed. By giving all, we usually mean their lives. In some ways, that is the easy way. I know that is a heinous thing to say but it is easier than living in hiding for years, living in fear. Surviving only to be ostracized and outcast.

How far am I willing to push against the “machine”. I’m reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s treatise on stupidity. It was part of his book, “After Ten Years.” If you are unfamiliar with him, let me encourage you to read his books. His “Letters and Papers from Prison” is a must read. But Mr. Bonhoeffer wrote this: “Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed- in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental.”

Does this sound familiar to any of you? I can fight evil. We all can. It’s straightforward. I can’t fight stupidity. We are losing to stupidity. Some call it brainwashing. There likely is a large element of brainwashing going on in the scourge of stupidity.

It is so easy to zip off a scathing comment on a blog, video or news article in relative anonymity. And in many cases that includes a letter to our elected officials be they local, state or federal. Or an editorial letter to a newspaper. What more than words can I give? I can give time. Energy. Intellect. Am I willing to give money? Relationships? Freedom? Honestly, I say that the ultimate sacrifice is freedom. If I give you my life, it is done and I am released. If I give you my freedom, I live in servitude for the rest of my days.

Ask yourself the difficult question, “What am I willing to do, to give up, to sacrifice?” “How important to me are the principles of freedom, liberty, unity, and equality?” Will you be the Nathan Hale of our day ? Will you be the Rosa Parks? I’d like to think I would be. But until the test of fire, one cannot really know what one will do.

I have joined the Convention of States. I have written copious “letters to the editor”, the senator, the district representative, the Congressperson, the Governor, the Selectboard. I have written letters to the President, the Vice President, to various and numerous corporations. I have canceled subscriptions, memberships, boycotted products, purchased other products in protest. I have read and continue to read. I vote. I financially support candidates who appear to want to fight the good fight. I talk with the few friends and neighbors who will sit still long enough, and who are generous of spirit and patience.
But the question remains, will I stand alone and say out loud in front of a crowd of people who do not hold my views, that I disagree with them? If the time comes, will I take up arms against my neighbors? Against members of the law enforcement and military engaging in unlawful acts?

Can any of us answer those question with brutal honesty? We cannot… for it is only in the moment of action that our true character comes out.

And for those that think I write hyperbole, take note of the many past civilizations as well as countries around the world that have gone down this same path. Violence will come. It always comes. It may not reach your little hamlet in Vermont but it will come close. Where will you be? Will you be running towards the fight or running from the fight?

“The essence of optimism is that it takes no account of the present, but it is a source of inspiration, of vitality and hope where others have resigned; it enables a man to hold his head high, to claim the future for himself and not to abandon it to his enemy.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer