Jarrett Wold, Minot

The past years have seen a rise in the appeal of the strongman in politics. Globally the ashes of previous strongmen churn constantly, leading to the repetition of past mistakes and atrocities. Strongmen arise from a desire of people to escape freedom. This escape is fueled by the realities of a free society. This reality is that others’ views may conflict with personal and religious beliefs, leading to a fear that the mores of society are at risk, when this is almost never the case. Societies churn, grow and progress.

In America we no longer hunt witches to burn at the stake, because as a society we’ve grown to learn that they don’t and never did pose any viable threat to the community. They practice what they practice at no expense of ours. In America we no longer stone people, because we believe that an equitable justice system should handle judgment of crimes instead of the raging anger of the mob. The civil war was a just fight over the dignity of man, and the equability of man. As a society we learn to coexist with those that are different from us, while expecting an assimilation of civic values we hold dear.

When these beliefs and codes start to wobble we see the rise of the strongmen who agitate us against those who are different from us, but seek the same freedom as us. America was not created as a theocratic state. The founders had that before them, and passed on it. There’s no mention of a higher power in the US Constitution, no mention of one dogma superior to others. The founders were wise not to, predicting that we would be a melting pot of faiths, people, and ideas. Strongmen, however, seek to agitate us with the idea that there should be one faith before others, but used as a tool to shape the curvature of a free society to their mores.

We see strongmen on every corner in American politics now, predicting the downfall of society if those with different views from us are allowed to coexist with us. It’s on every evening news show, and in every newspaper that doom is to befall us all if we don’t make the other verboten.

Beware the strongman and their visions of order and morality, as we’ve seen what befalls societies that leash themselves to that. Their leadership becomes a pyre that society burns upon. Our freedom and democracy is precious, difficult and should not be relinquished to those people. Be wary of the strongman and the sycophants who follow, and the words of anger and division that follow them in their wake.