For A Friend

I am not a believer but I do love music by people inspired by their deeply held convictions. Ralph Stanley, the author of this song, is one of my favorites. A friend out in the blogosphere is feeling some of the challenges life presents. This song is for her.

Daddy or Nanny: Two sides of the same coin.

A substantial portion of the American people fluctuate between a desire for a sweet Nanny or a strong Daddy. The temptation to go with the team that you perceive as benefiting you and your loved ones the most, is a very compelling attraction. An opiate for masses, as it were. Fear and paranoia work to inhibit ones ability to think outside the box, or for that matter, inhibit the willingness to live in a state of unhindered liberty. We Americans like to think of ourselves as rugged individualists, but this individualism is a fabrication. Thus the rise of the Daddy/Nanny state. We wish to see ourselves as we believe we are. The loss of community, e.g. most suburbs, and the lifestyle created by these sterile neighborhoods, with little contact and interaction with the people we live near, creates this isolation and fear of failure.

Why do we fear freedom? More later. I will research for citations to substantiate some of my claims above.