About 1,500 years ago, Rome fell because of greed and tyranny. Approximately 1,200 years later, the united states of America became subject to tyranny and they fought to take back their liberty. Now, 250 years after that, we are again subject to tyranny. Of course, these are just a few examples in history of when an empire has seen the destruction of tyranny. History has been repeated over and over again by men who have not learned from it, but their mistakes can be our greatest tool in restoring liberty today. Thanks to history, we know what mistakes led to the destruction of nations that we can now avoid, and more importantly, we know how brave men and women were able to restore liberty after it had been taken. They laid out a blueprint of what we need to do today in order to accomplish the same task they did 250 years ago. David A. Bednar taught, “A pattern is a guide or a model. Patterns are used in sewing and knitting, in wood and metalworking, and in a wide variety of other productive pursuits, activities, and jobs. Patterns help to avoid waste and unwanted deviations and facilitate uniformity that is appropriate and beneficial.” We can use all that has happened so far as a pattern for our lives so we can avoid making the same errors that were made in the past, and continue doing the brave and virtuous things that we admire from the past. We need to study the ups and downs from history so we can be prepared for the future. We have everything we need to restore liberty available to us. We can access it all with little effort, yet so many of us choose to remember a few names and dates and move on, not bothering to analyze the lessons and principles being taught from the things people have already experienced. So much knowledge can be received from studying the examples of those from the past, and through them we can be better than ever before. Study history and the principles that can be learned from it; then a perfect blueprint for what you are trying to build will be laid before you, all you need to do is follow it.

Yours truly,

Publius

If you have ever read any of the words of the men who fought for liberty, at any point in time, then you know how much they truly cherished it. The words that they wrote are so powerful that you can feel their desire and love for liberty. One of my favorite quotes, is one by Patrick Henry, “Liberty, the greatest of all earthly blessings- give us that precious jewel, and you may take everything else.” I have done an entry just on this quote alone because it is so powerful. When I read it for the first time, it changed my focus entirely.

Have you ever stopped to think of how many times a day you think about how others view you, or what possessions you have, or something else along those lines? I will admit I think about these things at least a few times a day. It is difficult not to be concerned with how the world views you but I found it becomes easier as you change your focus. Instead of thinking about how the world sees you, why not think of how those who fought for liberty see you? Alexander Hamilton, in the Federalist Papers, defended the people who would be living in America years after he was gone, or us, he said that if the government ever were to overstep its boundaries, the people would “be obliged to act, and in such a manner as would leave no doubt that they had encroached upon their natural rights.” He believed so firmly that we would never allow the government to control us yet that is exactly what happened. The love of liberty has slipped away from today’s society and we need to be the ones who ignite the spark so that others may have a desire for liberty once again. The weight of the examples of those patriots who fought before is heavy, but I hope you can feel as I feel when I read their words; not just the weight of restoring liberty, but the desire to do so. Once you have that desire, your focus will be changed and you will accomplish so much more and will impact the lives of many others. 

Yours truly,

Publius

Lately there has been, as most people have noticed, many natural disasters that have greatly impacted the lives of thousands of people. Unfortunately, the nature of a hurricane or earthquake is not to help, but to harm; and the same is to be said for tyranny. 
Trenchard and Gordon have said that tyrants “live by the destruction of mankind.” Livy declared that the tyrants are “the flames that are burning you now.” Algernon Sidney taught that there is no peace “when the government instituted for the good of a nation be turned to it’s ruin”. Lastly, Pufendorf warned that, “more inhumanity to man has been done by man himself than any other of nature’s causes.” The winds will blow, and the ground will shake, and sadly, there is nothing we can do about that, but tyranny can have a long lasting affect that is much more dangerous than anything the world can throw at us, and we can stop that. All of the men mentioned above, and so many more, have preached of the destructive nature of tyranny and warned of the damage it’s storms can cause. Tyranny causes knowledge to blow away, and discourages those who go after it; it pours out food and entertainment that distract us from liberty and truth; and it, as mentioned in last week’s post, makes virtuous things look wicked and things that are wicked look good. 

While it truly is heartbreaking to see the devastating consequences of the earth’s storms, we must remember that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against wickedness in high places”, (Ephesians 6:12). These things are hard. No one will ever deny that. But in the end, the storm you have to endure will make you stronger. The tyranny that threatens us may just be the exact thing we need to prove our virtue. The rain and wind is temporary, but the consequences of tyranny will last forever if we choose to let it be. However, if we fight for liberty, and prove our virtue, the blessings for doing so will be eternal as well and will be well worth the effort and sacrifice. 

Yours truly,

Publius

No matter where you go, there are always two different types of voices telling you where to go and who to be. “The one,” as John Trenchard said, “making common sense dangerous, and enquiries criminals; vowing the spirits of men, and rebuking the sallies of virtue; while the other, at the same time, encourages the improvement of the understanding, rewards the discovery of truth, and cultivates, as a virtue, the love of liberty and of one’s country.” 

Once a tyrant obtains power, he will use it to gain more power. The influence of the tyrant’s voice can be heard everywhere! At school, on the news, or even just casually walking around the grocery store, there are almost always voices shouting or sometimes just whispering at you, attempting to influence your decisions. These voices of the tyrant will tell you it is dangerous to think for yourself and that being virtuous is shameful; these false ideas are more prominent than the second voices. The second voices Trenchard mentions, though much harder to hear, can also be found everywhere. Anything that encourages you to do good, to learn, and to stand up for liberty, are the voices that will eventually lead you to liberty and virtue. Trenchard also proclaimed, “a few loud words rule the majority, I had almost said, the whole world.” Tyranny is loud, it is prominent, and it is dangerous; however, the harder we work, the louder we can become and liberty will be more prominent than tyranny. First, we need to listen to the right voices and be influenced by only good and virtuous things, then, we must shout from the top of our lungs, letting everyone know that we will not be ruled by a tyrant, we will fight to restore liberty, and we will not settle for anything less. 

Yours truly,

Publius