11/01/2026
"We are indeed moving toward greater authoritarian control and need to be aware of this. But it's also important to get clear on what we even feel freedom is. It's important to consider that freedom has very much become a slogan in more modern times. We might think freedom is just being left alone or the ability to do whatever we want. But how valuable is that freedom if doing whatever we want is harming others or ourselves in roundabout ways? Is that a valuable form of freedom?
Freedom is not just having rights or being left alone by authority. It is the capacity to make wise, reality based choices in a complex world. It's deeply tied to agency and sensemaking, meaning your ability to understand what is actually happening around you and inside you without your attention, emotions, or beliefs being hijacked by technology, incentives, or propaganda.
If people are easily manipulated, misinformed, or reactive, they may technically be “free” on paper but not free in practice. Real freedom requires internal sovereignty, emotional maturity, and education that strengthens our ability to make decisions and see how they affect a larger picture. From here, we build social systems that do not push society toward either authoritarian control or chaotic breakdown, much like we see today in 'free societies.'" Joe Martino
