True Autonomy and the Path Forward
Autonomy is not an abstract idea. It appears in the choices people make, the responsibilities they take on, and the confidence they carry in shaping their own lives. It grows through practice. It fades when people stop using it. And in recent years, it has slipped away from the places where it once lived.
Local Power Over Nationalist Dependency
National pride can offer a sense of belonging, a reminder that people share a common story. It becomes something different when it encourages dependence on a distant figure or a centralized identity. It pulls attention away from the places where people actually live their lives. When that happens, the structure of freedom begins to lean in the wrong direction.
The Myth of the Single Savior
There is a difference between believing in a leader and handing them our agency.
The two can look similar from a distance. Support can turn into dependence. Admiration can turn into surrender. And somewhere along the way, the idea of a single person carrying the weight of a nation begins to feel natural, even necessary. It becomes part of the story we tell ourselves about how things get fixed.