In a day where unimagined technological capabilities surveil our lives, it seems there is nowhere left to hide. It is hard to escape the quiet control technology has upon our thoughts and ideology, and our lives being changed forever while under the influence of “wokeness.”
One definition of “wokeness” in the Cambridge English Dictionary is “a state of being aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality” — which sounds righteous. But the deeper implication of wokeness in our day brings another definition by the Urban Dictionary: “self-righteousness masquerading as enlightenment.”
The idea of being anti-racist is great, but the addition of “wokeness” has become a lightning rod for identity politics and radical activism. Certainly, this way of communicating the idea of equality falls under the spell of shaping our culture. They go hand-in-hand to effectively replace truth with “my truth.”
We live in a world where communism still prevails in some countries and we witness, even from afar, the effects upon its people. Where these societies still exist, tyranny reigns. As bad as communism is, however, totalitarianism is worse. It is worse because of the subtle way the actual reality of our existence is replaced with something esteemed to be better.
In 1943, the Nazis and Hitler were implementing totalitarianism on their conquests. Soon, Russia would follow in their own quests. While communism is the implementation of imperialistic ideology, totalitarianism seeks to displace prior traditions and institutions, with the goal to bring all aspects of society under that ideologist control, often disguised in the names of justice and equality. A totalitarian state seeks nothing less than defining and controlling reality. Communism is forced compliance, while totalitarianism is a compliance that is offered up voluntarily; thinking the path is a more equitable and worthy cause.
The way totalitarianism is introduced to a society is usually a way to meet an internal longing for harmony and happiness, which is more powerful than fear or misery (think totalitarianism versus communism). This hunger leads to a desire for a just society, one that vindicates and liberates the historical victims of oppression. Who wouldn’t want to live in such a society? But the leaders of these causes often fake kindness and explain their truth in very calm tones as they demonize any with opposing views, all to protect the feelings of “victims” in order to bring about social justice.
The decrease in traditional religious traditions and related spirituality has given rise to replacing it with social justice. The “isms” of our day (i.e. relativism, secularism) pave the way toward totalitarianism. “It’s all good,” they say, while trampling on anyone not in line with their thinking. Enter the “cancel culture.” In this culture where everyone is a winner, and no one should suffer, and spiritual or religious practices are not particularly in vogue, standing up for a cause to the point of suffering doesn’t seem worth it or even right (or so is the thinking conditioned). These newly fashioned tribes begin to gather in their culture, where everyone can enjoy their personal pleasures and celebrate their wokeness while those with opposing views are pushed aside (canceled) as racists or similar.
I am sending forth a caution, to see clearly what path you are on and to recognize it for what it is. Only you can decide if you are entering the road toward diminished liberties — especially religious liberty, of which the founders of the Constitution established the First Amendment to protect us from these limitations.
It wasn’t that long ago that figures such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (from Germany and Russia, respectively) were exiled and punished for pushing back against the regimes that would control them and eliminate religious liberty (Bonhoeffer during WWII and Solzhenitsyn in the 1970s). Bonhoeffer became a martyr and Solzhenitsyn was exiled. In Solzhenitsyn’s last publication before exile, he urged the Russian people to “live not by lies.”
In the book titled after this phrase, “Live Not By Lies” by Rod Dreher, he outlines the final published message from Solzhenitsyn. It documents six points Solzhenitsyn asks us to consider, “refusing to say what we do not think.” It is an excellent place to start as we contemplate the spell being cast over us by those who would strive to define and control our reality (totalitarianism). One who chooses to live not by lies:
- Will not say, write, affirm or distribute anything that distorts truth.
- Will not go to a demonstration or participate in a collective action unless he truly believes in the cause.
- Will not take part in a meeting in which the discussion is forced and no one can speak the truth.
- Will not vote for a candidate or proposal he considers to be “dubious or unworthy.”
- Will walk out of an event “as soon as he hears the speaker utter a lie, ideological drivel, or shameless propaganda.”
- Will not support journalism that “distorts or hides the underlying facts.”
So, while we live in a cancel culture that causes one to fear if opposing the “chosen” path of the few vocal voices, we can still stand firm for what supports liberty. It may seem that to stand firm in this way is weak (standing firm without confrontation), but it is a great start to not “live by lies,” and may ultimately be our best weapon to defend our liberties. This humble and yet pluralistic approach is perhaps the most effective if enough of us decide to stand firm. In truth, if we just didn’t support any agenda that diminishes religious liberty, we are involved in doing good. In so doing, each of us, together, can have a very large impact.
We can stem the tide of the quiet and deceitful path of totalitarianism if we stand firm. Doing so is key to fostering tolerance, civil discourse and true equality while pushing back against any form of control which quietly alters our reality and preservation of religious liberty.
Steve Hitz is a co-founder of Launching Leaders Worldwide, a nonprofit organization that provides young adults with tools for personal leadership and faith. He is the author “Launching Leaders: An Empowering Journey for a New Generation,” and “Entrepreneurial Foundations for Twenty and Thirty-Somethings,” available at Deseret Book or Amazon.