Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 7: Be reflective if you must be armed
Very good analyses, folks. Certain institutions/professions demand conformity and the ability to obey commands; free thought and open debate is not recommended, especially when quick action is required. People in these professions are taught to trust and obey their commanders. I’m not sure if they’re ever taught what to do if they think something is wrong in these situations, as I’ve never been in those professions, but I do know that disobeying orders is generally a high offense in the military, and I imagine it is in a police force as well. And I don’t imagine there was much sympathy for anyone who disagreed with the Nazi regime; some people were summarily executed on the spot for not following orders, serving as an example to others who might be tempted to follow along. I would be interested in knowing more about the people who actually got away with their lives when they refused, and how those situations played out. Perhaps it’s most likely to succeed in the incipient stages of a takeover, before the tyrants get fully in control. Once the norm is established and objectors are repeatedly silenced, I imagine there’s little choice but to conform, escape, or die. So, the time to reflect is well before the unthinkable happens. The vigilance and resistance need to come early, and continually, and the reflection of pros and cons, objectives and solutions, should ideally be a constant in daily governance, well before things take an unimaginable turn. That’s why it’s so important to be aware of who we put into positions of power, and what checks and balances we have in place to prevent overreaches. I think complacency leads to conformity, and conformity without conscience and reflection can lead to crimes against humanity.
