“Men do not exist for the State, the State exists for men. First and far above all else stands the idea of the people: the State is a form of organization of this people, and the meaning and the purpose of the State are through this form of organization to assure the life of the people.” Adolf Hitler 1930
My friend, Hitler was wrong on this just as every single statist is wrong (on purpose) about the "State" and its Government!
This “rhetoric” is an art of gaslighting and the vast majority of people, for thousand of years, have fell for it without end in sight despite all evidence to the contrary!
This is pure theoretical wishful-thinking that does not exist in reality. Because in reality under statism (statist system) be it ancient feudalism, monarchy, theocracy, or modern democracy, "Men/Women/children" have been forced to exist for the State as the State's property! And the State is NOT an organisation but an abstract idea, a notion of perpetuate monopoly Power that is exclusively manifest, possessed and exercised by the individual(s)/ a.k.a leader(s) in the government, a criminal organization of the day, be it the King, Queen, President, or Chairman etc... Thus the State, or rather the individual(s) claimed to represent the State, does NOT “ exist” to assure the life of the people, but as a pretext, a myth to control and use the life of the people as these individuals in government see fit for their self-interests!
That's why in the name of the State, leader(s) in government can rob (a.k.a confiscate, condemn) people properties, force people to kill and be killed for their own ideas/self-interests disguised as the "Security of the State" or/and collective interests of the “society.” And the people who believe such non-sense solemnly take an “oath of allegiance” to absolutely obey, live, and die for the State Actually, these foolish statist "patriots" obey and die for the individual(s) in control of the government of the day. (well, a piece of colored cloth will do the trick!)
― Arundhati Roy is right: “Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people’s minds & then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead.”
We all have seen such stupidity and madness more than enough!
Étienne de La Boétie understood this simple truth in writing "Discourse on Voluntary Servitude". Lysander Spooner understood this obvious simple truth when writing "No Treason." General Smedley Butler understood this reality in writing "War is a racket."
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon understood this obvious simply truth when wrote "The Nature Of The State And Its Government Power- The General Idea of the Revolution in the 19th Century":
" You know it, and you permit it. To be governed is to be kept in sight, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right, nor the wisdom, nor the virtue to do so…. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction, noted, registered, enrolled, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under the pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be placed under contribution, trained, ransomed, exploited, monopolized, extorted, squeezed, mystified, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, despised, harassed, tracked, abused, clubbed, disarmed, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and, to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality."
In reality, People can assure their life themselves without the State throughout human history. On the contrary, throughout human history, in the name of an abstract notion "the State," the life of the people, their liberty, happiness, and safety, have been constantly violated, oppressed, controlled, used, exploited, and destroyed a.k.a “sacrificed” by those individuals in the government of the State!
As matter of fact, people/individuals can be killed/murdered by the "State", actually by the politicians in power, not only because of just refusing to accept, disagreeing, or disobeying the "State, " but more often than not, just being randomly chosen as convenient collateral damage or/and as involuntary "sacrifices" by government of the State! Or in fact, by those individuals in control of government of the day in the name of the “State.”
The State, like “God” which is just an idea, a concept, a belief that CANNOT be quantified but only be manifest and interpreted in whatever way by and through the “authority”(the individuals in government power) of the day wants it to be!
Like the concept of God in religions, the concept of the State has not only suppressed people liberty, inflicted much sufferings on individuals, but also pitted people to hate and murder each other between and within nations in cold-blood. The main product of the State is “Patriotism” which is always the first and “the last refuge of the scoundrel” (Samuel Johnson (1709-84)
Mass murder, massacre, genocide are only possible by the State and its government power! This is the fact!
One does not need to look back to the history with wars between the States and all the massacres, oppression, slavery, serfdom, democide by tyrants to understand this fact. The global Covid19 plandemic operation alone is the concrete evidence and the best case in point of such dangerous and destructive abstract idea of the State and its government system of authority in this 21st century!
PhiQuyenChinh-TheTaoOfAnarchy
Thank you so much Phi. Some deep and valuable thoughts here. I tend to be carried along in general resonance with almost everything you say – and you introduce me to several new sources. Where we may see certain things somewhat differently, or see the same symptoms but have come to a different conclusion, this is not a matter of disagreement but an opportunity to share in a few more steps along this journey together.
I hesitate to tread in deep water, but we almost need to go back to the transition from the hunter/gatherer phase to the agricultural/domesticated phase of man’s existence and ponder how the commune, village, town, city and ultimately the concept of the State evolved. At some point along this path there had to have been a natural process of specialisation and delegation of central tasks and services (such as digging toilet trenches or collecting and disposing of waste) while others hunted, made cloth, prepared food and eventually forged the wheel and other revolutionary tools.
I see so many good articles and comments here and there such as this one by Curt Kastens on ‘Systemic Disorder’ in which he opines “If humans could go back 12,000 years and do it all over again should they remain hunter gatherers?” …
https://systemicdisorder.wordpress.com/2023/12/20/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-hamburgers/#comment-128081
But before we gat back to what Adolf Hitler actually said and what his true intentions were, I was triggered to offer the following segue to Catherine II (Catherine The Great):
“To shield herself and to make life bearable, she turned again to books. That winter she read the “Annals” of Tacitus, Montesquieu’s “L’Espirit des Lois” (“The Spirit of Laws”) and Voltaire’s “Esai sur les Moeurs et L’Espirit des Nations” (“Essay on the Manners and Spirit of Nations”).
[…]
[On Voltaire …] Reason, not religion [] should govern the world. But certain human beings must act as reason’s representatives on earth. This led him to the role of despotism and to conclude that a despotic government may actually be the best sort of government possible – if it were reasonable. But to be reasonable, it must be enlightened; if enlightened, it may be both efficient and benevolent.
[…]
Catherine, like many of her contemporaries was charmed by Voltaire. […]
Here was a philosopher who could teach her how to survive and laugh. AND HOW TO RULE [emphasis added].”
Source: “Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman” by Robert K Massie
Rhetorical: In your model, is there any room for benevolent (‘enlightened’) despotism?