The Tyranny of Freedom

[GoblinSapper]

The Tyranny of Freedom


by


Lazaric Monteblanc

        Across Toril, in nations young and ancient alike, an unprecedented wave of optimism and idealism following the cataclysmic upheaval of the Time of Troubles and the stability that has come after has washed over the people. In these heady days, an idealized world view has taken root, particularly amongst the easily led masses. This world view espouses that each man has a right to govern themselves, and that it is the duty of government to grant them freedom and privileges. Freedom and Equality are the battle cries upon the banners of the young and the idealistic, and rights for the common man and rule by majority are their goals.
 
At no time in history, has human civilization been in more danger of succumbing to its darker impulses, and collapsing.
 
        Freedom as an ideal is, at first blush, a fine thing. Each man accorded equally so that none may complain of their lot, each man with a voice in his destiny so that none may say 'this was not my will'. And indeed, in the idealized world, it would make perfect sense, that each man be educated and permitted to govern themselves equally, with sound reason and logic.
 
       What the idealists neglect to mention, or outright fail to realize, is that human beings and indeed all apex civilization building species are predatory animals by nature. We function under a pack mentality, where each works together in their place beneath an alpha, for their own benefit as well as the continued propagation of the species. What elevates us above the wolves and the tigers and the marmosets is our capacity for civilization, to codify and obey law even when it runs counter to our most base and selfish instincts. It is through the self realization of law and civilization we are able to worship the gods, and given the leisure and self awareness to produce art. Civilization, in all its glory and splendor, depends entirely on law. But our basic natures have not changed, and the pack mentality is still in place.
 
      In a proper kingdom, the king or lord or even the ruling council, function as the alpha's. The fittest of us by virtue of the tenacity and genetics of their predecessors, and the winnowing jaws of the ever voracious and ambitious beta's, they rule. Order is enforced, for the good of all, through reason when possible, and intimidation and the snapping of jaws when good sense leaves the lower castes and they embrace their feral instincts too fully. These rulers govern with the grace of the gods, and the advise and wisdom of the most wise and learned men and women their domains can offer. They remain mortals - imperfect, prone to mistakes, but they can be reasoned with and when they step too far out of bounds, the divine and the worthy may remove them judiciously for their excesses.
 
        In the land ruled by the many, there is no king, only the mob. Each man is equal, in education and value. In any mob, the lowest common denominator will define the highest level of intelligence that can be exhibited. In simplistic terms, one is only as smart as their dumbest neighbor. The pack instinct given complete reign, with no alpha to govern, the pack of wolves becomes a herd of cattle, inclined to follow whomever is out in front at the moment. A man is an intelligent and reasonable creature. A mass of men, is a stupid and voracious beast, startling at every shadow and devouring every resource without care. Free of the rule of law and the intimidating presence of the alpha, the eternally ambitious beta's drive the herd unrestrained, pitting them against one another in a cyclical and self destructive internal struggle to put their own ambitions above any others. Eventually, one will become supreme, and become the alpha. The mob defeats itself, and the proper order is restored. But only at horrific cost.
 
      I say to you now, a King may be a fool, may be weak. But that King can be bolstered by wise advisors, admonished by punishing gods, or by Bane's willing even assassinated. You cannot reason with a mob, nor advise it, nor assassinate it. You can only go to war with it, culling the weak and the stupid and subjugating those that remain.
 
      If you seek evidence, look to noble Cormyr, once a powerful monarchy. It is now wracked with internal strife bordering on civil war, as the clamoring of the mob had convinced King Azoun to grant them constitutional rights. Well and good, but this constitution also limited the rights of the noble classes to rule. The nation is now split, King Azoun is dead, and his only heir is an eight year old boy who must lead through a regent. A once unshakable monarchy is on the verge of civil war, it's armies weakened, and it's people suffer without a strong centralized authority.
 
      Even those who suffer beneath centralized rule, must know that their suffering helps preserve the nation and the species. Not everyone can be an alpha, not everyone can lead. It is the duty of each of us, to surrender the concept of freedom, just as we surrender the overly idealized concepts of our youth, to embrace reality and build a better tomorrow with our blood, sweat, and tears. For one day, when all is united beneath a single tyranny, we shall finally be truly free of our own natures.