The Power of Inertia

by Brent Johnson

One of the most powerful sociopolitical forces exerting influence over our world today is inertia.

The Merriam Webster definition of the word “inertia” is, “indisposition to motion, exertion, or change.”

In plain language, inertia is the principle of matter in which an object continues doing the same thing it has been doing - if the object was moving, inertia would cause it to continue moving in the same direction and at the same speed; if the object was not in motion, then it would remain in its idle state.

Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object will remain in its state of inertia unless and until acted on by an external force.

These fundamental laws and principles effectively explain why it is so difficult to get general populations to change their views on anything.

When a population has believed a falsehood for a very long time, it) the population) builds up substantial resistance to the truth; in other words, it builds up tremendous inertia.

It is against that primal sociopolitical force that all truth seekers and freedom lovers must wage their efforts.

This may at first seem like an insurmountable challenge, but it really isn’t, if only you will approach the problem in the correct way.

The first step toward solving any problem is to recognize precisely what the problem is. By acknowledging that we are facing a global epidemic of social inertia, we have taken the first - and most important - step toward resolution.

Now that we have defined the problem, we only need to look to Newton’s First Law of Motion for the solution. We must find ways to exert an external force on global social inertia. How might that be achieved?

My experience shows that one of the great motivators for change is discomfort. When the status quo becomes sufficiently uncomfortable for people, then they seek to change their circumstances in order to avoid the unpleasantness of their situation. We need to make the status quo so uncomfortable that people will become willing to change the way they have lived.

This can be accomplished by revealing to the mass public that they are not truly free, but doing it in such a way that they feel the negative effects of their lack of freedom. When that is done the people will begin to value their liberty, and when that happens they will start to take steps to address their uncomfortable and unacceptable situations.

What do you most value? Is it your job, your lifestyle, your money and possessions, your family, your children? What would you do to protect and preserve that which you value most? What wouldn’t you do? These are crucial questions, and their answers represent the formula by which we can change the status quo into something much more beneficial to the world population.

When you value something you take steps to protect it. We need people to value their freedom. We need people to make the preservation of individual liberty more important than anything else. Only then will they take steps to address the injustice and oppression that surrounds them. The question is how do we make them aware of the self-destructive nature of their current situations?

The American Founding Fathers had this character; that personal freedom was a gift from God and its preservation was more important than anything else. They sacrificed everything they had in order to fight - and often die - to establish a society in which liberty was paramount. If we can get people to recognize the celestial gift that represents their rights to self-determination, then they will begin to resist efforts to subvert those rights, even if they risk losing everything else they have. That is the formula we must apply to address this critical social problem.

Who controls your life? There are only two answers to this question. Either you control your life, or somebody else controls your life. Let’s take a look at an average life and determine the answer to this important question.

Do you travel wherever you wish, or do you carry the government’s permission (i.e. license) to travel, thereby accepting rules, regulations and control over the ways in which you travel?

Do you keep the fruits of your labor, or do you agree to allow others to take a portion of what you earn because you fear being attacked, jailed, or robbed if you don’t?

Do you determine how to raise your children, or does somebody else decide what your children will be taught and how they will behave?

Is your home your castle, or are you instructed by others how to keep up your land, what color to paint your house, and what you can and cannot do with your real property?

Do you make your own decisions about what you think of world events, news stories, and the general activities that make up your daily life, or do you believe what you see or hear on the Internet, television news, radio broadcasts, and in print?

Consider your honest answers to these questions. See if you can name one thing - anything - that you do in life that is not regulated, taxed, or otherwise controlled by government institutions. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to come up with something, right?

Once you begin to see how you are not truly free to live your life as you wish - without damage to your neighbors and brethren - then you will begin to recognize the problem that faces you. Once you understand that you have a problem then the next step is to look for solutions.

However, there is a greater problem that needs to be addressed.

Does this state of affairs really matter to you? Do you care that you must have licenses and permits to do what you want, or that your children are being taught what the government wants them to learn and are not being taught what the government does not want them to learn? Does it matter to you that you do not get to keep 100% of your earnings?

Most people who honestly answer this question will tell you it doesn’t really matter to them. They are used to these restrictions that have been imposed on their lives. So the question is, how do you get them to care?

Ask yourself if you want a good life for yourself, your family and friends. Consider: can you really have a good life as long as others decide how you are to live? Can you really achieve your personal objectives while others take what is yours? Will your children really grow up to be successful and happy if others continually diminish their contributions to society and program them not to think for themselves?

Once you start to realize that your desires in life will never be achieved by the way you are living, you will begin to change what you do, and that change represents the solution to the problem of social inertia.

Please understand that you cannot fix the world by yourself. All you can do is plant the seeds of understanding in others. Many of those seeds will be barren. Some will grow for a time and then wither away and die. But a good number of those seeds will take root and cultivate the desire to change things for the better.

There are lawful ways in which you can arrange to keep 100% of what you earn. There are legitimate ways to set up your ownership of land so that you can do whatever you want with your property - without permits. There are many choices available to you to educate your children outside of public schools. There are documents you can carry that do not bind you to the rules and regulations of driver’s licenses. In other words, you really do have options.

Each individual must recognize the value of freedom if he or she is to make a difference in effecting change for the betterment of all.

It is time to plant the seeds of realization in as many people as possible. We must all take a part in breaking the chains of social inertia that afflict our world. If we fail to do so then we are all doomed to lives of abject servitude.

Brent Johnson is Director of Freedom Bound International, a common law service center dedicated to the preservation of personal freedom, privacy rights and the Declaration of Independence. He may be reached at 1-888-385-FREE or on-line at www.freedomradio.us.