Liberty at Its Purest

A Fleeting Moment
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." –Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826.

The most revolutionary part of the American Revolution was the audacious conceit that all governments derive their power from the governed and by the consent of the governed. This was viewed by many as a very dangerous concept. It’s like telling your slave that he holds the key to his fetters.

But we proved it true, as have many who followed our path. When the governed cease to consent, there is no government.

At that very moment, as the former head of state is running for the border with what cash he could stuff in his valise, for that brief instant, the citizens have the purest form of liberty there is.


Cairo, January 28th.           Ramy Raoof on Wikipedia

 
That seems to be happening all over the Arab world. Egypt, with the largest population, followed the lead of little Tunisia, and there are cracks in the foundations of a lot of other governments we thought were stable. It looks now as if Kaddafi of Libya will follow Mubarak of Egypt. It’s like a chain reaction, and accordingly a lot of energy will be produced from it.

And unlike some revolutions, this one came from the governed themselves, leading themselves. There was no Adolph or Fidel or Saddam; there was just a big buddy-list on Facebook.

These people are suddenly free. They have a chance to build a lasting society that is fair to all. They know that if the military or some would-be dictator tries to take over, they can refuse to consent to them, too. They have feasted on liberty and are sure of their purpose. It is a magic time, and it will not last, but the choices made in the first few days will set the course for the new nation – and the mistakes made in the first few days will haunt it forever.

Such opportunities have been lost before. The Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity of the French Revolution turned into a free-for-all of pillaging and murder. The Russian Revolution, which guaranteed to give everything “from each according to his ability to each according to his need,” took better care of the needs of its ruling elite. More recently we have seen the excesses of the Mau-Mau revolt in Africa and the Islamic revolution in Iran, among many others. Choices and mistakes.

There are always emperors and despots and satraps waiting in the wings to seize whatever domains they can. There are always clergy offering the benefits of a God-ruled nation. There are always generals and colonels and non-coms eager to use their weapons to their own advantage. And there are always companies with plenty of money: Do you want it on, or under, the table?

And so liberty is parceled out, sold, and swindled. The bread-and-circuses scams are offered in return for money and power. The backs get scratched. The governed give their consent in many ways. Choices and mistakes.

At this point, no one knows how Tunisia and Egypt and Libya and South Sudan will evolve. Will Jordan and Saudi Arabia be next? Will there be confederations like the old United Arab Republics? Will these new nations be good neighbors or zealous xenophobes? Will this be progress or ruination?

We can only hope that all these countries will savor their instant of pure liberty and use it to benefit their people.