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.
Freedom From Fear, Not Freedom From Others
Fear narrows our world long before anyone else does. It shapes what we notice, how we interpret unfamiliar faces, and the conclusions we reach about the people around us. It can make a familiar street feel uncertain. It can turn a passing stranger into a question. And once fear takes hold, it becomes easy to believe that the threat is everywhere, even when nothing in our own experience supports that belief.
Captivity Should Not be For Sale
Most people I know who lean conservative share a common belief about the world. They trust private organizations more than government because they have seen how slowly government moves and how easily public systems lose sight of the individual. I understand that instinct. I grew up around it. I still think there is wisdom in the idea that power should be held in check, no matter where it lives.