And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. I just cannot even begin to improve on that most explicit of all pronounced axioms that has even been proposed. The obvious problem arises when you have to finally decide for yourself as to which path to ultimately follow; remain enslaved to a pack of lies and gross misrepresentations of reality or strive to obtain life, liberty and the pursuit of true happiness? I wish the answer were as simple as the above quoted statement. In actuality it probably could be so, if we could only become as little those children lacking that societal-imbued knowledge of what is deemed as good or evil and certainly what are considered as the only acceptable choices in life. After all, not everyone can be so wrong; my parents, my family, my friends, the church, my community, my education and most assuredly this wonderful government that has at least idealistically promised every man his inalienable right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Most of us simply abdicate our own freedom of choice and place our sacred trust in some traditional set of established and presumably tried and true beliefs—usually those of our parents as a start. If the foundations of those handed-down traditions were to be somehow faulty, the ideological structures that they are thereupon built are eventually predestined to total failure. More realistically, we are now more often than not entering that period of time where many are just beginning to experience that predestined failure as an integral part of this usually morose present. We have only ourselves to blame for this sad condition for not more aggressively demanding and choosing the sometimes-treacherous path of truth.  After all, it requires a great deal of courage to face the majority and declare a proposition that flies in the face of the establishment.  The very groundwork for this asserted behavior was given it passport to any possible success when out founding fathers suggested that one of our most basic rights was the individual's right to express his own ideas and beliefs with the assurance that there should be NO retribution from any quarter of life and most specifically from his own government.
     We are certainly lied to by both the church and the state in addition to so many trusted individuals that we have all so naïvely assumed that they were uttering only what they purported to being only the very best for us; at least that what they want us to believe.  But at the same time, the truth has had an engaging manner of presenting itself for those whom simply care and dare to consider the other massive alternatives for themselves whether it be a different religion and something as basic as an alternative life-style. I for one have had absolutely no problem in critically accessing any of the material that is herein contained in this book. What endlessly amazes me is the unwitting degree to which so many of us are able to so faithfully ignore the obvious and continue to yield to the hypothetical veracity of antiquated mythologies. I am reminded of my lawyer friend, Roy Black's explanation of why he had failed to successfully defend what was to become the only case he lost while serving as a public defender in Miami, Florida. Apparently, there were two Cuban men who had intentionally with sound mind held up a grocery store and then willingly permitted themselves to be arrested and charged just so that they would be incarcerated where they could expect to receive the benefits of free shelter and three square meals each day. Perhaps too many of us freely choose to be caught up in this convoluted system of economic and intellectual slavery simply because we then don't have to take on the sometimes arduous and personal responsibility for our less than joyous states of being. We don't even have to think for ourselves with the presence of so many self-righteous and self-proclaimed despots willing to tell us their own neatly packaged lies and then pass the offering-plate for our hard-earned tithes. They ravenously feed too generously off of our socially hammered passiveness. Our laboring is not only taxed by the state, but is duly extorted by the church. We all too willingly offer ourselves as virtual slaves to probably avoid the private and public disdain that is so likely and often placed on those of us who choose to aggressively speak out against the oppression of the establishment. It is simply our submission to secular intimidation and the awful dread of the expected spiritual condemnation that so empowers these numerous illiberal enslavers.
     Choosing an alternative to slavery ultimately costs Jesus the dreadful pain of crucifixion on a Roman cross. And almost every other freedom seeker in man's long history of struggling against the odds has paid with either his life or incarceration for daring to demand the freedom of his own people. I should rightfully suspect that any number of my so-called kindred brothers reading this book would experience those brief moments of doubtful shudder at the very idea that I would dare speak out so definitively against the supposedly infallible church and our overly-cherished democratic government. Of course, in light of the thousands of heretics that have already sacrificed their own lives for the truth, there is little wonder that we modern slaves for the most part have been so successfully and completely subjugated to a life of obedience to the recognized establishment; pay your taxes and keep your mouth shut!
     Our American forefathers had shed their precious blood for the founding of a comprehended free and equal society; with the exception of African slaves and women.  We have certainly built upon their well-thought-out ideological foundations of government and have even successfully enacted and extended many civil freedoms to those who were originally denied their inalienable rights with the noted exception of those who live an alternative life-style. At the same time we have managed to over-encumber ourselves with a gluttonous Federal government that continues to over tax not only our natural resources but also our most personal freedoms to the extent that we are too fastly sinking back into a filthy quagmire of human vassalage. Our government is often prostituted by the consummate illiberal to continue the surreptitious slavery of the oppressed common man. We are persistently encouraged to "not rock the boat" by those who either benefit from our bondage or who desperately fear the inevitable reprisal for being associated with rebels. And after all, this awful state of ours isn't necessarily that unbearable for most of us to passively endure so long as you are in concert with the mainstream of America. As I have frequently alluded to in several of the previous chapter, there are those attractive perks and seductive opiates that offer some relief to many of us who might otherwise object to this subjugation of body, spirit and mind.
     There are actually only two possible downright escapes from slavery and a true American patriot of the old school of thought all too aptly expressed them both in one germane statement: "Give me liberty or give me death." Both alternatives could be seriously regarded as equally arduous if you considered that liberty is too often obtained at the ultimate costs of life itself. We Americans are probably emotionally exhausted from our past involvements in two World Wars, costly military engagements in the East and countless military commitments throughout the world in the names of national security and human rights violations. I'm not sure where the needed energy could possibly be found to wage another war against this awesome oppression, and there would probably be too little support in light of the fact that most of us have been ideologically drugged into a state of lethal submission. I for one often feel like a four-star general in front of his men that had given the order to charge, and looking back for assurance after some reasonable advancement of my position, suddenly discovered that there was no one following me into battle. I have taken the safer way out and decided not to lead some battles more directly and instead take on the responsibility to expound a goodly portion of the truth. Where have all the freedom seekers gone? Gone to prisons and graves, every one! When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn?
     Actually there are a number of viable alternative paths to slavery and what I was suggesting above is the absolute necessity that we first free ourselves of any encumbrances before we first embark on that new course in life. One of the principal axioms of Gestalt psychology is; "If you want to make a change in your environment, you must first expedite a serious change in yourself." I would like to convince you that it is quite possible to structure changes in our lives that will allow us not only more freedom, these same changes can insure that we will come to accept, appreciate and most importantly love ourselves. The idea of the truth having the power to free us clearly points to the first necessary steps. Those steps are simply the tasks of acquiring and integrating new information that will be needed to reconstruct an identity that is worthy of your love and appreciation alone beyond any previous expectations based on your discarded enslavements. I want to be the first to inform you that there exists no one person that is as capable as you are to achieve this. Take this as a warning in that you absolutely do not require someone else to think for you, myself most certainly included.  It has often been suggested by well-meaning friends that I take to preaching what I believe, but such an endeavor would run the calculated risks of my becoming some sort of guru for those who agree with the truth that I so enthusiastically purport. Central to my philosophy is the poignant idea that every living being should be empowered autonomously in order to fully experience the exhilarating feelings and comprehension of complete salvation. It is a very personal adventure that I would hope we could all have and maintain.
     I have readily discovered many truths for myself from simply reading extensively the un-interpreted ideas and propositions that have been recorded throughout history. One of the poignant suggestions made by Machiavelli in The Prince was for us to take those portions of history's great people that were probably most effective in their own unique achievement of success and greatness, and apply them to our own lives. Like myself, I'm certain I do not have all the answers and even if I did, the results of my own personal experiences may not be exactly what you require for your own unique enlightenment. Ask yourself what is most essential for your own enjoyment of life and who you are, and be very cautious to not include only material things. Not to sound like one of those Bible-thumping Christian, but "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" I take this paraphrased saying from the Bible exclusively in the context that heaven, most certainly a mystical and contrived construct, resides only within each of us and that it most certainly isn't, as Christian mythology suggests, some after-death residence occupied exclusively by the souls of faithful and obedient slaves. Love thy god (the very best part of you that resides within each of us) with all thy heart (the source of your love and ability thereof), thy soul (the passion for life and salvation) and thy mind (and this specifically means your mind—think for yourself!).
     In the that corresponding spirit of beginning with yourself as necessary for effecting change in your physical and mindful environment, it is not necessary for any of us to take on the responsibility of changing this society; let's work together for these changes one individual at a time.  This does not mean that I purport the idea that we are not indeed our brother's keepers. I am only saying that we can be as effective by setting a good example for our family, children and friends, and any further reaching out will come to those who are naturally gifted and imbued and most capable of discovering the truth for themselves. If you were to perfect your own life and only influence one or two other loved ones in your lift, you have fulfilled far more than most of us. Love yourself and love that next-door neighbor as just a significant and adequate beginning to a wonder end.
     When you have accomplished for yourself those cherished goals and feel competent in your knowledge of whom you are, then seek out those portions of society that can provide an outlet for your passions. Practice only what you preach and spread the truth meticulously. I admire so many of my brothers and sisters for reaching out and having an impact on our society in so many creative approached. There is no particularly meaningful cause that should be valued above the others, it's liken to that of a the widow's mite. Population controls (family planning), save the whales, green peace, starvation and anything that is aimed at having a greater respect for and the restoring and preserving of this Garden of Eden are all important to the ultimate salvation humanity.  But please, first take care of your own needs.  I like the concept that some airliners demonstrate when the stewardess at the outset of a flight suggests to any mother that in the event of some emergency where oxygen masks may be needed, that they should first place an oxygen mask on their own face before they attend to their children, "If you don't save yourself, you won't be in any position (alive) to save anyone else."
     As important as these conservation issues have become, there are many significant political issues that specifically address our most basic freedoms. At the very top of my own list are those acrid political issues addressing equal rights, which can eventually effect every one of us despite any observable differences. It appears that the manifested strategy that continues to inhibit passage of so many of these significant items is that time-honored idiom of "divide and conquer." There are so many individual groups that are perpetually inclined to politically isolate themselves from others despite the obvious reality that their specific interests probably varies too little from those others to actually justify their separate and not necessarily unique approach.  Freedom comes in many forms and it is that 'freedom' that should be the call to arms and not the specific issues that are approached.
     I encourage you to participate in politics with the same or even greater degree of passion and personal exuberance as with any of the environmental issues with the specifically added precaution that your approach is acutely impregnated with a dynamic concept of total inclusiveness. There are enough of us to effect so many needed changes if we would only unite for the betterment of all. I am sure that it is most difficult for some of us to free ourselves entirely from the cumbersome shackles that we each must often suffer simply because of our sometimes hauntingly oppressive past beliefs and prejudices. Sincerely ridding ourselves from these dreadful enslavements goes a long way in that is has the potential to free us to change for the betterment of all, and we can then firmly set that preferred course of being our consummate brother's keeper. In the same vein of the magnitude of loving one's self as you are so commanded to love your neighbors, your seeking and demanding to be set yourself free of any constraints contributes equally to the salvation of your neighbors; set a good example!  It just wasn't the divine design of mankind to exist in a total vacuum and separated/divided from one another. Our mutual and continued acquiescence to the various forms of personal and societal enslavements insures that the illiberal enslavers will prevail into perpetuity. We owe it to our children and those future generations that we embark on a course of total salvation and that salvation begins with you. I implore you to take the time and interests to pick up a good book and begin the wonderful adventure and discovery of truth. It's entirely your own free choice.