“Give me liberty or give me death.” -Patrick Henry
For half my life I dedicated a great deal of my time to an organization and a cause I strongly believed in. Along the way, I met some really amazing people and had a lot of experiences that taught me what textbooks don’t cover. We did absolutely everything we could of and then some to support our cause.
Even in the freest county, it is incredibly challenging to stand up to the government. It’s nothing how it looks on tv.
It’s incredibly intimidating standing up to a corrupt government when you see just how much power they have. I have personally whitenesses first had the corruption being discussed nationally happen here locally. Blackmail, bribery, tracking, cyber security, controlling the press narrative, possible election fraud, coverups, censorship, manipulation, and the list goes on. Most of it was all done between the lines. The only reason I believe it is true is because I witnessed it. We have no idea what is going on under our noses that may hurt us. It has become very clear to me that the government will get what it wants at all costs.
As this passion project is ending, I’m seeing very similar problems within multiple other government systems that are causing horrible impacts on my community. Do I really want to stand up to the government again?
I feel an immense amount of responsibility to do what is right. I also am very scared of the repercussions of taking a stand. It would be so much easier to live a simple life and not be an active citizen.
All those who have fought for our freedom did not make grave sacrifices so that I could settle while turning my back to corruption. This experience formed a whole new understanding of what our Founding Fathers went through rebelling against the government and how unknown the future was for them.
I’ve come to realize that this experience wasn’t for the result I was working toward. It was about preparing me for what is next.
I hope with time I build up as much bravery as everyone who has served our country.