DEAR SOPHIA,

THE PICTURE IS FROM NAZI GERMANY. ONE MAN DEFIANT AGAINST BLIND OBEDIENCE AND NON CRITICAL THINKING. ADOLPH HITLER IS REGARDED AS A DICTATORIAL MONSTER WHO TOOK CONTROL OF GERMANY. THAT IS NOT TRUE. HITLER WAS ELECTED TO POWER. SHOCKINGLY, HE RECEIVED 95% OF ALL THE BALLOTS CAST IN 1933. DEMOCRACIES DO NOT ALWAYS WORK. AFTER HE WAS ELECTED, HE WAS ABLE TO GRANT HIMSELF DICTATORIAL POWERS BUT THAT WAS BECAUSE 95% OF THE PEOPLE ELECTED HIM. THIS MEANS THERE WAS A LACK OF CRITICAL THINKING. DEMOCRACIES DO NOT ALWAYS WORK. THIS IS NOTHING NEW BECAUSE WE (HELLENES) INVENTED DEMOCRACIES AND WE SAW THE FLAWS IN THEM. THE MOST DANGEROUS FLAW IN A DEMOCRACY IS MOB RULE. IT IS FOR THIS REASON OUR REPUBLIC HAS TRIED TO IMPLEMENT SAFEGUARDS AGAINST MOB RULE. THE MINORITY VOICE IS SUPPOSED TO BE PROTECTED. HOWEVER, THAT IS NOT HAPPENING ANYMORE.

I CAN GO INTO THOUSANDS OF WORDS TO EXPLAIN WHY ALL FORMS OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT FAIL. THE BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN IT IN MODERN TERMS IS THROUGH THIS POLITICAL AD WHICH CLEARLY POINTS OUT THE DANGERS OF MOB RULE, MOB THINKING AND THE PRESSURE TO CONFORM. THAT IS WHY THAT ONE PHOTO REPRESENTS THE COURAGE TO THINK INDEPENDENTLY.

THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF HUMAN HISTORY, THE STATUS QUO REPRESENTS INERTIA, STAGNATION AND AN UNWILLINGNESS TO CHALLENGE MALAISE. IT IS INEVITABLE THAT ALL FORMS OF GOVERNMENT SEEK SELF-PRESERVATION AND PERPETUATION AND WILL USE ANY METHOD POSSIBLE. PROPAGANDA IS AN OLD IDEA. IT IS SOPHISTRY AND THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SOPHISTS FROM 3,000 YEARS AGO TO TODAY IS THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE AND TO PREVENT AND DISCOURAGE CHALLENGES TO THE STATUS QUO.

WHETHER IT BE RELIGIOUS, POLITICAL OR BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS, THEY WILL ALL ATTEMPT TO SUPPRESS INDEPENDENT CRITICAL CHALLENGES TO THEIR AUTHORITY.

IT IS THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS FOR THE YOUNG TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK INDEPENDENTLY AND CRITICALLY. FEAR NOT THOSE WHO RESIST AND CHALLENGE YOU TO THINK INDEPENDENTLY. FEAR IGNORANCE WHICH IS YOUR GREATEST ENEMY. ONLY THROUGH CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO, THINKING CRITICALLY AND QUESTIONING EVERYTHING, WILL YOU AVOID THE GREATEST EVIL. EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE JUST SAID CAN BE SUMMARIZED IN THIS SENTENCE: THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING.

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LOVE,

DAD