Times of Tyranny

The origin of tyranny can be credited to Greece, the same geographic land that is credited with the birth of democracy.  Tyrants in archaic and classical times were viewed by the Greeks in a neutral shade and colored by the temperament of the ruler.  In essence the word “Tyrant” was used by early Greek city-states as a title in the same manner we use the titles “President” and “Prime Minister” today.  Plato and his pupil Aristotle were the first ones to present tyrants in a negative light.  They deemed a tyrant to be "one who rules without law, looks to his own advantage rather than that of his subjects, and uses extreme and cruel tactics -- against his own people as well as others.”  Henceforth, “tyrant” was no longer a neutral term that denoted administrative executive power, but rather, reflected the deep character of the man in power.  Tyranny, as we think of it today, was born 2400 years ago.

Tyrannies have grown more ruthless and damaging to the fabric of humanity in recent centuries and have degenerated in linear fashion.  History has seen many ruthless tyrants over the ages, from Caligula, Nero and Genghis Khan, to Hitler, Stalin and Mao.  Technological advances and the weapons arsenals available to modern oppressors put the vaunted Roman legions and Mongolian cavalry archers to utter shame.  The propaganda tools and media control in the hands of Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Il would be the envy of Atilla The Hun and Ivan The Terrible.  The hordes of “barbarian” clans that pillaged and raped Europe after the fall of Rome have been put to shame by Soviet tactics and aggression in the last century.  It is safe to say that mentally unfit rulers with psychotic tendencies have risen and continue to rise throughout history.  However, tyrants who seize power in these times are capable of wreaking unfathomable havoc upon their own population as well as the entire globe.

THE MODERN WORLD
Tyrants thrive on the vulnerability and fear of their people.  In our times, the aftermath of World War II has left the entire civilized world in fear of new dictators that employ ruthless methods of governance.  History records that the League of Nations was born after World War I to prevent any future large-scale global conflicts.  Unfortunately, the brutality of the Treaty of Versailles put an end to the hopes for lasting world peace.   The treaty imposed a crushing war debt on Germany, leaving it humiliated in the global community.  This would eventually lead to the rise of National Socialism (Nazism) and the Third Reich.  In the same manner, the United Nations was birthed after World War II, in order to avert future global wars.  The nations of the world swore to never let another Hitler rise from among them.  They vowed to never let another tyrant consume an entire continent as Hitler had consumed Europe, but instead, the world became soft.

The trend of concession began with policies of appeasement towards the tyrannies of Stalin and Chairman Mao.  Clash and confrontation with global juggernauts such as the Soviet Union and Communist China was not deemed advisable for world peace.  U.N. recognition of dictators such as Fidel Castro and Pol Pot is further evidence of the world’s descent into darkness.  The cloak and dagger tactics of the Cold War brought out the worst in humanity.  From frenzy in food ration lines and torture in the notorious Gulags of Russia, to rampant McCarthyism, black-listing, interrogation and imprisonment in the West. 

The global community and its lone superpower have no firm moral footing for its political endorsements.  This is demonstrated by their support of the autocratic rule of the Shah of Iran and in the same breath, validating the oligarchic theocracy of the Saudi royals.  Military or political alliances are mostly forged due to economics, resources, or geography.  In forming alliances, the moral measuring stick has been thrown out in favor of a utilitarian approach.  Certain tyrants are tolerated due to perceived advantages by their allies.    Oppressive regimes who do not overtly demonstrate conquest or imperial expansion remain unchecked.  Tyranny continues to thrive inside the borders of “civilized” nations while global unrest foments.

THE POST-MODERN WORLD
The guise of global and universal “tolerance” has proven effective for a new form of tyranny to rise.  It is the moral tyranny of relativism, which is cementing into a dictatorship.  This tyranny is born out of fear and a taboo of offending others.  No individual is permitted to make any form of judgment about another individual’s actions or lifestyle.  Even if the actions may be abhorrent and/or leading others to follow a destructive behavior.  Any individual or media outlet found in violation is harshly reprimanded and sometimes ostracized.  Tyrants of these times feel very liberated in admonishing others not to judge for the sake of freedom.  This is not freedom for all; this is open license to follow one’s own whims and passions, without any objective truth. The advocates of this open license have transformed into the oppressors themselves

Unbridled subjectivism is the greatest movement towards human egotism in the history of the world.  Compounded with the exponential rise of technology, the culture of immorality has become a direct threat to the progress of humanity.  Our early human ancestors toiled over thousands of years to advance our species out of caves, jungles and savannahs; now human progress is truly threatened as we fall into the lull that our technology can protect and save us from every threat.  Moral tyranny today enforces this lull and impedes any uniform objectivity, considering it a relic of primitive, ancient times.  Any universal code of ethics has been discarded, especially the religious and institutional.

On the surface, the concept is masked to be noble and just.  Making a damning and final condemnation against any person is not acceptable by all the major religions in the world today.  Those tyrants fearing judgment use this false premise as a foundation for their fight against objective moral values.  The world, especially the West, has failed to promote the family values system exercised by the “greatest” generation of WWII. 

Humanity has become weaker, more sensitive and afraid of being labeled, judged or categorized.  The new tyrants of humanistic relativism are moving to obliterate the moral ethics code and create a chaotic world where everyone is their own guide and their own ultimate god.  This is the tyranny that will plague the current generation for many years.  It is imperative to resolve these tyrannies before the time comes for us to lead humanity into the future.