Are you Republican or Democrat? Are you left-wing or right wing? Do you support Obama or Bush? Are you liberal or conservative? Are you socialist or capitalist? In terms of extreme spectrums, we have communism (Society comes first) VS libertarian style Capitalism (The individual comes first). Depending on which news media outlets you watch, the world is either for you or against you. Communism is the answer, or capitalism is the answer. The more articles you read, the more it enforces your bias for or against it. Depending on the articles you read or the videos you watch, you believe one thing or another, it all depends on what you’re feeding your brain. Just how bias are you?

Communism is the ultimate society in terms of having your most basic needs met. Everything is given to you by the government. Clothes, housing, food, a job….you don’t have to think, because the “hive-mind” of society will do it for you! There is only one draw back— you have absolutely no individual choice or freedom! Your input or desire for self-determination is second to the good of society.

On the opposite end, you have anarchism or libertarianism. A society where government is almost non-existent. If you can’t manage to establish friendships or build a business, you are left cold in the wind, left with the burden of making thousands of choices with little or no help. Healthcare, transportation, education, food, housing, clothing, —- basically without friends or family— You’re on your own! This system works well in a society with conservative and family values, but is failing us in a modern society that rejects a sense of community and Godliness.

While many Republicans or Libertarians preach the concept of self-reliance, only 8% of Americans are self-employed. Even fewer grow their own food, and even fewer refuse to use any government provided services such as courts or public education services. We are all “sellouts” if you think about it to some degree or another.

When our lives are totally secure, yet there is no freedom, you have a prison. When we have total freedom yet no security, we become nothing but emotional vagrants. We all seek attachment, something to be bound and responsible towards, especially us men, we are literally valued by our ability to conquer and be responsible. Yet too many of these responsibilities brings us a sense of claustrophobia. Yet, when a man is being subsidized and totally free of any obligations, he begins to feel suicidal and devoid of any purpose. If a man had to choose between ultimate freedom and ultimate security (i.e. Prison), he would choose the prison, for atleast then he would have a place to belong. The patriots were wrong. The assassins were wrong.

The order of the light, while occasionally getting in the way of the notion of “freedom”, ultimately had the more pragmatic end goal of ushering in global security rather than global freedom. A wise man, my father, Ronnie Stroud, once told me…. “Son, more than freedom, everyone wants security. Without security, there is no sense of inner peace. And without inner peace, there can be no happiness”. How right he was…. the anarchist pipe dream of “total freedom” is for those who have already found the luxury of freedom or who have fallen so far in the pits of society, that they have nothing to lose anyway. Anarchy is just a temporary transition between the old order and the new order.

People crave Anarchy when the state or society gets too powerful or isn’t running things to the good of society. So naturally, we seek to burn it down. For a few months or years, society is splintered, but eventually, society seeks unity once again, whereas councils, organizations, and public laws are restored albeit in a reformed way. Even those, such as the Amish, or the native tribesmen who live outside of modern governed societies, still seek leadership. Humans are pack animals, we work best in groups. Even in hyper-individualistic/narcissistic western societies, it is still universally agreed upon that we need courts, police, and public law.

The anarcho-capitalist, who says that market places and technology can replace government are merely replacing human overlords with mechanical ones. Robots and technologies must be programmed by humans who will inherently inprint a bias upon them as well. At no point in mammalian history has an organism been completely solitary or individualized. If we spend too much time around crowds and people, we may retreat to our bedrooms for an afternoon for some alone time, perhaps binge-watch some Youtube videos or read a book. Alas, after a day or two, we will be itching to reunite with humanity.

Humans are naturally social creatures. Connecting with, talking to, hugging, kissing, sharing, buying, selling, …. cooperative activities bring us joy! While humans can annoy us, and socializing does require energy and strategy, it is ultimately something we all want. Having too many friends is a far better problem than having too few friends. I know many men who are only friends with their wives and have no circle outside of the home. This is worrisome to me. Socialism has gotten very popular due to our lack of physical socializing.

60 years ago, we didn’t need socialism become communities voluntarily helped eachother out. Churches cared for the sick, and neighbors took in the poor. Yet, as atheism, sexual liberation, and social media took hold on society, the individual became the highest focus. As a result, most of us are lonely because of it. We use social media and technology to connect to others, yet ironically, we are more separated than ever.

Pride in country, culture, language, religion — having shared values is almost seen as bigoted these days. Globalism has taught us that consumerism is the new “world culture”, the new “world-religion”. Humans have always desired to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Whether it was being a part of a tribe, a religion, an army, an order, or a fraternity.

I reject hyper individualism while also rejecting the notion of communism which views humans as being mere ants in a hive-mind. There is a middle ground. This is why I am calling for a resurgence in moderate politics. We need to get off the left wing and the right wing of politics, and ride on the back of common sense.

With no real viable third parties being allowed on the ballots, we need to remove all political parties as George Washington once warned that political parties were more dangerous than standing armies!

To be frank, any politician from 1776-2012, would be considered a conservative by today’s liberal standard. And any Republican conservative today would be considered a hard-core liberal by any of the founding fathers. Endless wars, bailouts, runaway spending, selfie-culture, scandals, abortions, divorce, loose morality, corruption— there is no hope in the Republican or Democratic parties, we can only place faith in God and in Individuals who work on behalf of society. Not those who work in a group on behalf of themselves.

• Randell D Stroud
• Nalini-Global