What is it that we fear the most?

Salut, le mecs!

So. A two-word comment — “No thanks” — sent me on a long search and inner reflection.

Not about religion. Not about immigration.

About fear. And what fear justifies.

The governments of many nations are taking liberties that could be questionable in the eyes of many law-abiding citizens. Here are a few examples:

The expansion of surveillance post-9/11.

The normalisation of facial recognition in places like London is a concerning trend.

The legacy of the Patriot Act in the United States is significant.

The slippery logic of “If you’ve done nothing wrong…”

Democracies rarely lose freedom in dramatic gestures. They lose it in increments — each justified, each reasonable, each temporary.

Where do we go from here?

Stop.

Let's go back 24 hours….

This past Tuesday, I posted a note about music (a favourite subject of mine) that featured a person DJing in an Arabic garment. He commented not on the music, or the dancing, or the vibe. He chose to ignore all of that and felt so threatened by what he saw that he just said, “No thanks, I'll pass."

An influencer from Holland, Eva Vlaar is so incredibly popular on social media, especially Instagram, that she has managed to amass hundreds of thousands of followers by making her views (extreme right, mind you) public and constant, always reminding her followers of the dangers of unabated immigration in Europe.

Does she have a point?

How about my commenter, does he have a point?

Two Words and a Century of Fear

Let's face it. His comment wasn't made in isolation. His fear is real. But is it reasonable?

Eva, by presenting her evidence in the way of numbers and crimes committed by foreigners, makes her points very concise and articulate. But does she nitpick while ignoring other atrocities committed by her fellow countrymen? Yes, she does. Is it racist? You should answer that question.

History is a remix.

History is a remix in many ways. We come and we go; we emigrate and immigrate depending on life's circumstances. And that won't change anytime soon. Neither will the people cease to interconnect, intermarry and interact with each other. That is human nature, and with the world bursting at the seams with almost 8.5 billion people inhabiting the planet, I don't see how that can be curtailed.

Fear Is Older Than London

Indeed, it is. England as a whole has a fascinating story. It almost seems as if the Brits have always lived in fear. Fear of the Normans, or fear of the Saxons, is a common theme in this period. Fear of the Vikings or fear of the Nazis. Fear of the French or fear of the Catholics, and on and on and on…

Now there's fear of the immigrants. Not so long ago, Germany and some Scandinavian countries were welcoming them enthusiastically. 'More, send us more,' they cried. So, what happened now? What changed?

Empires, Cameras, and Other Passing Things

In a tech-based society, everyone carries an encyclopedia of knowledge in their pockets. Should we expect the governments to do nothing but watch the world go by without paying attention to its dynamics and movements? That would be absurd.

Our world is fast-paced and highly active. The demand for more data, technology, and terabytes is enormous. We are never satisfied because we are monsters of consumption.

Governments reflect the people they govern. And after 9/11, the US saw a complete transformation.

But when we discuss race, there seems to be an issue. And it's worldwide. However, why?

Nothing Remains Pure.

For roughly 300,000 years, humans have been producing tools, though this fact is irrelevant to the idea.

Now that every study has been finished, we can all agree that we originated in Africa, then the Middle East, and that as soon as we were able to construct boats, we dispersed throughout the world, drove out the Neanderthals—who never did anything to harm us—and proceeded on the path to our current civilisation. In all those years, did you ever think that we might have stayed as we were when we left Africa? Surely an impossibility. And some will say, Thank God for that!

And what is it that we fear so much? Us?

The future doesn’t ask for permission

We will follow our destiny, and we will meet our fate. How we get there is what we will decide. It’s up to us. One thing is for certain: nuclear war is out of the question, and most of us agree with that sentiment.

The way ahead is ahead. Towards growth and evolution. We must not seek our past for the solution to our future. We tried that and look where we wound up. And to think that we had all the wisdom we needed way back in the 6th Century BCE.

Privacy Day Got Suspicious

Most of us are law abiding, tax paying, civil citizens. And we are still living in a society that does not function properly. Why?

Soon, the government will require us to carry a single, all-encompassing ID that allows them to track our every movement, both public and private. Everything will be known to our watchers. They will decide what we can and cannot do. We will specify where we can or cannot go, and vouchers will be issued for compliance.

George Orwell wrote: “We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.” – George Orwell, 1984

Which leaves me with this final thought: At what point does safety become supervision?

And who decides? le mec?

Until we meet again…

Love and Light, ♥️🗽

René