Status Updates From On Freedom

“We [Zelensky & Snyder] talked about how, over time, beginning in youth, an accumulation of decisions makes us who we are. Then a moment comes when we do what we must because of what we have chosen to become. An unfree person can always try to run. But sometimes a free person has to stay. Free will is character.

Staying
“Without ideals, it is impossible to be a realist. If you forget about freedom, you misunderstand the world and change it for the worse.” Initial reaction to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022 clarifies the point.
Zelenskyi stayed (CW was he’d flee). Day 2, posted video, spoke truth to power. “Indeed, it was what he was doing with his body - staying - that was the truth.”

“A provocation works when a less powerful entity turns a more powerful actor against itself. The attack of 9/11 was one of the most successful provocations of all time”
“After 9/11, Americans were told that the attackers ‘hate freedom,’ but our response suggested we misunderstood it. The ostensible exchange of freedom for security meant less of each. Surveillance became normal.”