Freedom is the Sacrifice of Power

“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” You should recognize this as Newton's second law of physics. Of course, he was talking about it in terms of the physical, you push a rock and the rock rolls. What people don't realize though is it applies to everything, including the intangible. What I want to focus on is power. This rule is often disconnected from this concept. Most people feel like having more power gives them the ability to transcend this rule. Not so. Does the businessman who has worked and worked to gain power within his company have the freedom to do what he wants. No, in actuality he has sacrificed power over himself for power over others. He has the ability to fire, lay off, promote, or demote anyone beneath him in the company hierarchy, but he cannot spend time with his family, he cannot take a break, he can't even stay in one place for any length of time. The more power over others you have, the less freedom you have for yourself. The President of the United States is often considered the most powerful person in America, but does he have any freedom. The sacrifice of Power, is freedom. It's a rule that nobody has been able to transcend.
Also, with that rule in mind, where does your freedom go, who has hold of the power holder's freedom. The answer is, the people that power is being held over. I'm sure you've heard the phrase, “don't point the gun unless you're willing to pull the trigger”, well it's the same concept. Don't threaten with power unless you're willing to exert it. When you attempt to force someone to your will, you give them a simple choice, bend to the will, or resist it. And by giving them that choice, you hand them your freedom, if they resist, you are forced to exert your power, or lose your power because you weren't willing to pull the trigger.
Now, as you gain power and reputation by pulling the trigger you have to do it less often. People gradually become docile and bend to the will of the power holder without resisting. Another way this can happen though, is not through fear, but through apathy. Generally people look at communist dictators and fear them because they pulled the trigger, and their view becomes narrowed because of it. The American government is growing in power over its people but nobody has pulled the trigger. It's because the American people have become apathetic, they have bent to the will of the government without putting up a fight. We as citizens of America have allowed our government to take over without pulling the trigger, and frankly, it's embarrassing. Where other countries had rebellions and uprisings, American's watch the news on television, rag about the stupidity of everything and then get back to their normal lives.
I have to refine my earlier statement, the government isn't taking over because American's people are bending to the government's will, they simply aren't standing up to it. The only difference between the two, is that rebellion is more glorious then apathy.

-Joshua A. Shillingworth