The Siren Song
Sometimes, for some people, free choice must appear like the Sirens’ song - seductive, but destructive.
Why is it that 15 years after the Communist regime in the Soviet Union fell, and the Communist regime in China transformed out of all recognition of a truly Communist economic model, we saw the rise of Islamo-fascist regimes in Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, secular fascist regimes in Iraq and Syria, and thugocracies (every gang gets a vote) in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories?
Could it be that there is a large segment of the world’s population that craves certainty at any price? A segment that is afraid of freedom, choice, autonomy, independence?
I recall the scene in Moscow on the Hudson, in which Robin Williams goes to a store to buy a pound of coffee. He nearly has a breakdown when he’s confronted with an entire aisle of choices for a pound of coffee.
Some people don’t feel they have the power or knowledge to pick wisely (or lack the experience in doing that). Others wisely realise that they’d never be picked by the populace in a free and open election. In both these cases, democracy is the enemy.
