I’ve just returned from a two-week road trip across America with my kids—a journey that rekindled my deep love for this country… and also stirred a quiet ache I couldn’t ignore.
We didn’t stick to the usual tourist spots. Sure, we saw the Statue of Liberty and wandered through New York and Boston.
But we also went deep into the heartland—driving across South Dakota, visiting the cowboy town of Cody, WY, camping under the stars in Yellowstone, standing beneath Mount Rushmore, watching small-town rodeos, and even learning to shoot guns.
It was beautiful. Awe-inspiring. A window into the raw soul of this nation.
One morning, I was about to post a photo of my kids and me standing under the American flag—captioned “The Land of the Free.”
But my thumb hovered. Because something inside me whispered, That’s not entirely true anymore.
And that’s what today’s email is about.
It’s about freedom—what it really means, why it’s vanishing, and why we should all be concerned. Not just Americans, but all of us.
Where does America actually rank in freedom?
I was shocked to learn that America no longer ranks in the top 10 freest countries in the world.
In fact, not even the top 15.
According to the 2024 Human Freedom Index, America ranks #17—and it’s still falling.
Recent events, growing surveillance, media consolidation, and the erosion of civil rights are accelerating the decline.
Many experts now warn: the U.S. is on the brink of autocracy.
Why do Northern European and select Asian countries consistently outrank America in freedom?
Because they have:
- Strong protections for civil liberties
- Public education systems that teach critical thinking
- Universal healthcare that actually works
- Transparent governance
- Independent media (not owned by six conglomerates)
- Smart regulation that keeps corporate influence in check
Meanwhile, America continues to erode its democratic foundations.
Let’s break it down—with four global indexes that reveal the full picture.
#1: Human Freedom Index
Measured by the Cato Institute and Fraser Institute.
This combines personal freedom (speech, religion, and movement) with economic freedom (property rights and regulatory fairness).
Top countries: Switzerland, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Estonia
America? Ranked #17—tied with the UK.
Why?
Because of increasing political polarization, declining rule of law, and growing restrictions on bodily autonomy and protest rights.
#2: Press Freedom Index
Measured by Reporters Without Borders.
Evaluates media independence, transparency, and journalist safety.
Top countries: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands
America? Ranked #57.
Why?
Because six corporations own 90% of U.S. media.
Because cable networks profit from division.
Because journalists are threatened and discredited.
Because truth is no longer profitable.
#3: Democracy Index
Published by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
Measures the electoral process, civil liberties, political culture, and government function.
Top countries: Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Switzerland
America? Labeled a “flawed ”democracy”—currently around #28.
The country that once exported democracy… now struggles to protect its own.
#4 Internet Freedom
Measured by Freedom House.
Assesses censorship, surveillance, and digital expression.
Top countries: Iceland, Estonia, Canada
America? Not even in the top 10—and declining.
Why?
Policies like requiring visa applicants to hand over social media accounts are undermining digital privacy — and global trust in U.S. tech.
Each index tells the same story:
America is falling behind.
So what does this tell us?
The idea that America is the freest nation on Earth does not hold up against the four global freedom indices.
It’s a myth—one we must lovingly but urgently dismantle if we are to build something better.
What real freedom actually looks like
Real freedom isn’t fireworks and an anthem.
It’s not red, white, and blue—it’s truth, agency, and dignity.
Here’s what real freedom looks like in a modern, awakened society:
Real freedom means…
Freedom from fear
You can walk down the street without fearing bullets, badges, or bills.
Freedom to learn truthfully
Your education isn’t censored by political agendas or banned books.
Freedom to heal
You can access affordable, evidence-based healthcare—without bankrupting your family.
Freedom to vote—and have it count
Your voice isn’t silenced by gerrymandering, voter suppression, or money in politics.
Freedom of thought
Algorithms don’t control your beliefs. You think for yourself—not how the algorithm trained you to.
Freedom to be who you are
Regardless of your race, gender, sexuality, faith, or background—you’re treated with dignity, not suspicion.
Freedom online
The internet is a tool for empowerment, not surveillance, manipulation, or corporate censorship.
Freedom to roam
You can travel, work, and live across borders without bureaucratic chains—as a citizen of the Earth.
Freedom to rise—together
Economic mobility is real. Success isn’t reserved for the zip code you were born into.
Freedom from war
You don’t have to fund invasions while schools crumble and families go hungry.
That’s what freedom looks like.
Not something you claim.
Something you create.
But here’s what Americans still aren’t free from…
Freedom from poisoned food
Michelle Obama planted vegetables. Conservatives shouted, “You’re taking away our freedom!”
Now RFK Jr. echoes the same message—and it’s patriotic.
The hypocrisy is wild.
But at least now both sides agree: America’s food system is broken.
Americans now die five years younger than their European counterparts.
Freedom from gun terror
You want a handgun? Fine. A hunting rifle? Cool.
But why the hell are AR-15s on the streets?
Kids are doing active shooter drills in kindergarten.
That’s not freedom. That’s national PTSD.
Freedom from mass incarceration
America is 4% of the world’s population, but holds 20% of the world’s prisoners.
Over 1% of Americans are behind bars.
Private prisons profit. Minorities suffer.
Land of the free… unless you’re poor, Black, or unlucky.
Freedom for your vote to actually count
Wyoming: 580,000 people. California: 39 million.
Same number of senators. That’s not democracy—that’s dilution.
And Puerto Rico?
3 million American citizens.
No vote in Congress. No vote for president.
How? Puerto Ricans are American citizens. They just don’t get to vote.
Make it make sense.
So what if we flipped the script?
Young Americans chant: Free Gaza. Free Palestine. Free Cuba. Free Iran.
But what if we said: Free America.
- Free America from propaganda disguised as news.
- Free America from the grip of Rupert Murdoch.
- Free America from billionaires who can buy elections.
- Free America from a system where corporations are people, but people are disposable.
- Free America from mass shootings—and the 25+ million assault rifles still circulating.
- Free America from the impact of foreign lobbies, like the Israel lobby, which spends over $100 million/year influencing U.S. politicians.
- Free America from racism disguised as patriotism.
- Free America from cruel policies that tear undocumented families apart.
But mostly…
Free America from the illusion of freedom.
Because here’s the truth:
When America is free… Gaza will be free. So will the world.
When America sneezes, the world catches a cold. And we, the rest of the world, are sick of suffering the consequences.
This isn’t about red vs. blue
It’s about truth vs. illusion.
It’s about reclaiming what “freedom” really means—beyond slogans, beyond partisanship, beyond the BS.
And it starts with us—speaking up, seeing clearly, and refusing to settle for myth over meaning.
In love, the American spirit of rebellion, and deep respect for what this amazing country could still become,
— Vishen
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below—tell me what freedom means to you, what you’re standing for, or what this stirred in you.
Next: Join us live at Mindvalley X this Aug 9, 2025
Our last AI Summit brought together 160,000 attendees. Now, we’re doing it again.
This time: a one-day, global event with our best Mindvalley teachers delivering TED-style talks—20 minutes each—packed with new ideas for 2025 and beyond.
From longevity and AI to conscious entrepreneurship and emotional mastery—this summit is your invitation to the next evolution of you.
And it’s free to attend from anywhere in the world.
Because the future isn’t waiting.
And neither should we.
Let’s grow together.
Let’s rise as one.
288 Responses
This is the most powerful claim I have ever read or hear regarding USA’s freedom declarations. I traveled to Cuba once and they declare themselves as free everywhere and in all possible ways. And I wondered: How??? Why???
The same I think on “America’s” self-declared freedom. I love how comprehensive this analysis is, all backed-up, brave and bold. Thank you!
Hi all-
Freedom, to me, is alignment with my values—not control.
It’s when my nervous system feels like it’s a calm creek, not a constant war that keeps us trapped
.
It’s taking care of the invisible things, what I think, how I show up, how I take care of myself.
As an empath, it’s taking care of the invisibles…. meditation, nervous system regulation and my mindset.
It’s knowing that truth is quiet and I can trust it. It hums to my intuition.
What I’m standing for?
The kind of feminine leadership that gets stronger when we get quiet and listen.
The courage and forgiveness it takes to heal our families, break inter-generational trauma, grow a new world by paying attention and focusing on what we want. Freedom doesn’t need to shout, freedom is loudest when it’s singing.
—Rita Hickman
Field Guide for the Woman’s Soul
Lovely & true. But that’s just one part of it. Maybe. I have said what i wanted, and now I am going back to my bed. Maybe, in the end, the sort of reality/way of being you suggest is all we may have to call our own…
Best summary I have ever read. The entire country has been consumed by thoughts that are primarily led by somebody who believes that money is far more important than people. I was a CPA for 45 years and happen to know that in the legal profession they word it as In Business Money is the Only Thing that Matters. Money is important, thats my job, but people, their livelyhood, feelings and values are very important too.
Wake Up!
Vishen, you talk about freedom, and then you complain about healthcare and education. You don’t say, but you strongly imply, that there should be more government spending on these things. I’d like to point out that more government spending means more taxation. And taxation means using government guns to force people to hand over their money. When you request the use of government guns to solve a problem, you are not advocating freedom. Just the opposite. Please think about that. I even fear using my full name, because the “government guns” crowd is so violent and vicious. If you were truly advocating freedom, you would be calling for MUCH smaller government, as did the founders of this country. But you had better not do that, because you will be boycotted and canceled into oblivion.
I agree with most of your sentiments. Overall they are quite accurate, but there is a deeper analysis. There are powerful behind the scenes elites who manage the world for their own purposes. Politicians and political systems are all controlled by them. The people have to stop trusting authorities who work for their own interests and the elites who blackmail them. Some aspects of the freedom rankings are a joke. New Zealand had some of the most draconian Covid restrictions in the world. The UK and Germany arrest people for controversial posts on social media right now. Europe seems to blindly follow the lead of the USA to their detriment. Zionist interests seem to blackmail the governments of the western world. Also, there was no mention of the evil of fractional reserve banking as a huge global problem. Creating money out of thin air and charging interest on it! This only benefits the elites who are close to the money creation source. Western medicine is based on the Rockefeller model. Surgery, vaccines and drugs defined as healthcare. That is another huge problem. The USA subsidizes the world with this system by discounting drugs to the world while we pay unaffordable prices. We also are the subsidizing the wars of the world to help the tiny global elites. Maybe that is why the US cannot afford a better and more affordable healthcare model. We spend too much on arms, too much on drugs, and try to be the world’s policeman with 200 bases around the world. Vishen this has been a growing problem for decades. It is not a Trump phenomenon as you often hint. I still recall in 2016 when you made a veiled endorsement of Hillary. While I agreed with your assessment of Trump you over looked the obvious problems with Hillary which were equal or above Trump. That is why I did not vote for either. The problems the USA faces are bigger than any personality or party. Again you hint at political solutions from the uniparty. All controlled by the same forces from behind the scenes.
Agreed. The people who really control the world will never be seen.
I agree with Ginger Allen above. I would also add that “undocumented” are ILLEGAL. NO COUNTRY allows hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants into their country except for UK, Ireland and other EU countries and that’s NOT WORKNING. Islam is DOES NOT spread love and forgiveness as Christianity does, therefore, these people do not integrate into Christian societies.
Someone states “Free Palestine”. The have been offered their own country several times in the last 70 years and DECILED it every time and are NOT wanted in ANY Arab country as they destroy every country that they’ve been in. Someone needs to read the history of the Palestinians. Start with “The Green Prince”.
Racism?? Are you kidding me? Black fatigue is real and look at who was beaten at a jazz concert in the last couple of days. I have (as a white woman) have dated black men and one man from India. Who was mean to ME? Not one white person, only the black and brown ones.
Yes, the MSM is ‘owned’ and we know it. It’s our responsibility to seek the truth wherever we can find it. We can all be kind to everyone, no matter their ‘status’. We can all help someone in need- buy a lunch for a homeless person. My home has woods behind it. We (my neighbors and I) leave out blankets, socks, secondhand shoes and body wipes in the winter in a plastic tote where I know they live in the winter (I live in Florida) so that they can get what they need without the stigma of being homeless. We put out water, ice and canned food after hurricanes. We can’t save the world; we can only make our part of it better. AND I still claim that America is where you CAN do it if you want.
Thank you for your thoughtful blog, which I read to the end. We all need to weigh in on what freedom means to humankind, and commit to supporting and maintaining freedom in our respective countries…so that ultimately we live in a free world. I’ve also read all the comments, and most of what I would have to say has been said in one way or another. Just one thing though. When countries/regions where people are at huge risk are mentioned, such as Gaza and Ukraine, almost always African countries are left out. The Sudan, Somalia, Mali, Congo, and others are involved in wars that are exacerbating starvation, displacement, etc. Here is an article which addresses that: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/3/why-are-humanitarian-crises-in-african-countries-so-ignored. I have not attended a single webinar, mastery, or other such event where any African people in devastating crisis are mentioned.
After my previous message i forgot to mention how i experienced the same in the Netherlands. Politics became a joke which nobody takes seriously anymore. Everbody seemingly doing their best in order to first fix the problem of the person in charge before and then not daring to take any risk of responsibility to do anything else. Also feeding problems more and more with so called extra care and attention instead of removing them with solutions.
Then again, and i never could have imagined me saying this but i am proud of our kingdom and royals because they show humanity and i truly hope that they will get to be more involved into leading us and restore faith again.
Especially Princess Alexia i feel a very strong connection with. At her age being that open and honest about herself showing genuine real sincere personality is remarkable to say the least. She is the example we need in this world. Being herself trough everything happening around her with such high demands and expectations is pure class!
Oh what would i love to give her a hug and show the respect that she truly deserves!
To get back on topic is that we dont need so called leaders who are there for some personal benefit.
It should just be about humanity as a collective just all souls connecting loving and living together in a natural flow of life. Nobody wins by excluding others or by placing someone else down. The mirror is our best daily reminder who we can always turn to.
In order to always win just make sure nobody ever loses…
Your piece stirred something deep. I’ve sat with it for a bit, and what came through was this:
America was always meant to be an experiment — not a monarchy, not a machine. A living idea, stewarded by people.
But that’s the tension now: people have to want to lead. And many don’t — not because they’re lazy, but because they’re exhausted. Survival is familiar. Growth requires visibility, courage, and disruption. That’s harder to choose when your nervous system has been in fight-or-flight for decades.
We forget that flawed systems exist because we are flawed — beautifully, painfully, and still worthy.
The reset we keep searching for isn’t political. It’s personal.
We can’t love others unconditionally until we learn how to extend that same grace inward.
So maybe before we blame countries, governments, or religions — we start with ourselves.
That’s where the real revolution begins.
Thank you for opening this conversation. 🙏
Thank you, Vishen! You had the courage and wisdom to summarize America’s current situation, which is definitely not encouraging of all the freedoms we have (or had). Instead we’re losing freedoms which so many people worked so hard and sacrificed so much to attain. I do not want to live in a system of tyranny, or one where the wealthy upper class rules the poor lower class.
Thank you for finally speaking up and mentioning Gaza. People with your influence should definitely step up and speak real hard truths more often. People of the ‘spiritual’ world tend to stay quite about these subjects but they are the ones with the voice who should speak it out. I am of all religions. I am born a Muslim but I am all religions. I love Jews as much as I love everyone but Gaza has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with humanity, with human sacrifice and human dignity. So please don’t hesitate to use your voice for these causes.
I have followed you for many many years and found wonderful insights. It is disappointing to read this blog because you left out so many wonderful things that make our country great. I was surprised, gjven how so much if your work focuses on personal development . The opportunity to go as far as your work takes you is not found anywhere else in the world. No one looks at that part of pholanthropy and the benefits provided to society as a whole. When you tell us that we live in such a broken country that we dont have freedom to succeed that is an insult to those of us who started with nothing and made a good life for oursrlves by hard work and help from our communities. How dare you tell us we cant get ahead because the country is against us. The socialist-leaning countries that your references rate so highly are leaving out a critical value/category, the desire to accomplish and achieve and leave the world better because you were here . You disappoint me in not mentioning that because it is the very thing you have made yourself wealthy by doing . I want nothing more to do with MindValley.
Love this!
Thanks for sharing.
P.S. This was the best quote:
“Free America from the illusion of freedom.”
I like to look at the united states like the harley davidson motorcycle company…harley davidson does not sell motorcycles…I am sure you are thinking what are you talking about joe of course they build and sell the great american motorcycle right? But that is not true harley davidson sells the idea of freedom and the feeling of freedom on the open road they have never sold motorcycles in my lifetime they sell you the propaganda that gives you a feeling…a mental state…if you rated harley davidson motorcycles compared to other motorcycles based on quality and reliability compared to motorcycles that are made in europe and japan they would rate last at the bottom of the list but americans still put on leather jackets and fire up a harley and ride…and let me tell you that you do get that great feeling of freedom when you ride a harley…not because it is a quality motorcycle and not because it perfoms better than other motorcycles…you get that feeling of freedom because of the propaganda they sell you in advertisements…it is 100% mental…The unites states operates the same way as harley davidson they have never offered anyone complete freedom we all know that when the declaration of independance and the constitution were written they only applied to white men women were not allowed to vote for most of our history and we all know they did not apply to other races until recently…the united states has never offered complete freedom for anyone they sell the idea and the feeling of freedom the same way harley davidson does…are harleys junk of course they are and we all agree on that…is the united states broken of course it is it always has been but we still have that feeling of freedom…propaganda and suggestion are very powerful things…but you already know that brother vishen peace and love to you and your family my friend…joe
Wow!!! this message made me feel so happy and also very proud in a strange way.
To see and feel the transformation /evolution you went through since that live weekend summit which was my first Mindvally experience that didnt went all to great because my “rage of Fury”. Therefore again my sincere apologies for the way i acted out that day. It made me reflect on myself a lot, this showed where i needed to heal myself, from those deep inner pains and resentment. Result was to find incredible ways for growth, strength, faith and most important: Purpose. Thats exactly what i felt in your blog!
So genuine, real and peaceful its truly amazing! Also wonderful you spend and share those weeks with your kids learning about true value in life!
We were both triggerd that one day in ways we didn’t experienced before. After that you have truly shown your vulnerable side to the world and the real meaning of leading by example.
You didnt chose the easy way out but instead went right trough that storm of struggles to rise as an absolute winner! And also as the great inspiring, motivating and powerfull human being you probably had always been before.
Everybody gets lost sometimes and certainly our western society in general. It is not to blame anyone for this, except maybe all of us individually by getting more and more distracted and spillng our valuable energy on things that doesnt matter. Instead of turning around and start from the beginning again, politics tried to pursue and fix old roads on broken foundation, this took a heavy toll on all of us as humans and made us separate and more divided then ever before. Thats just what we all do when whe are exhausted and perhaps slightly irritated , we take it out on others around us in order to hopefully get a bit of releive in some sort. Now this is all short term and disguised as losing tension by anger in order to feel better but in fact we just give that oh so valuable last bit of scarce energy away to negativity. Without solutions or any goal to reach for healing/growing and becoming better ourselves.
I wish for everyone to heal from their pains and find your inner child again with love, faith, purpose, passion an lots of good positive energy!
Thank you so much Vishen for being real and giving the perfect example of taking responsibility!
I hope to have the chance one day to speak with you about our situations. (Perhaps in Amsterdam which by *coincidence* is very close to me)
You started out strong, but reading it in the newsletter in my email you lost me when I clicked on your family pictures to enlarge them and you chose to put marketing there instead. And after that good initial summary you started drifting with a personal agenda and lack of understanding of the way the country really works. While I agree that the Senate is undemocratic, it is there by design, and it used to serve a purpose. It’s a problem now, but the bigger problem is citizens United and unlimited money without responsibility in politics in general. I could go on but if you don’t know you can check with ChatGPT 😀. Good start, TERRIBLE and cheesy marketing attempt, and some ignorance showing as the argument progresses. It’s easy to look up things like Puerto Rico etc., that doesn’t make it logical or even fair, nor democratic for that matter, but you can’t actually wonder “how” it is that way? Afraid that I unsubscribed based primarily on the cheesy marketing dude. But nice try. And America is definitely NOT the freest country in the world and it hasn’t been for a long time. Watch the opening three minutes of the TV show “the newsroom” for a fantastic summation of why we are also no longer the greatest country in the world… Good luck!
Vishen, you clearly need to work through some personal victimhood issues and resentments you have for the United States of America. Also, stop consuming the same left-wing media you criticize while embodying the exact emotional biases they spread.
Your AI is just mirroring the unresolved victim narrative you keep feeding it. Just because you had some travel friction doesn’t mean something is wrong with America.
—> If your outer world keeps reflecting struggle or mistreatment, maybe it’s time to look inward to see why you are attracting that into your life.
For someone running a personal growth company built on empowerment and creating extraordinary lives, this post does the opposite.
It is not truth. It’s your personal projection dressed up as “consciousness.”
You sell transformation, but this post sells victimhood.
You brand yourself as a leader in human potential, yet you sound like someone waiting for the world to fix itself so you can feel free.
If this is what “awakening” looks like under your leadership, no wonder your AI is regurgitating disempowerment in your voice. It has been trained to spit out blog posts oozing with your victimhood-laced worldview.
You don’t need to free America. You need to free yourself.
You don’t free a country (or anyone) by preaching helplessness and blaming Rupert Murdoch or billionaires for everything wrong with the world.
You single him out like he is the puppet master while conveniently ignoring the 60 to 70 percent of U.S. media controlled by left-leaning corporations pushing victimhood, fear, and blame around the clock.
That is called selective outrage.
You are not exposing bias. You are perpetuating it, dressed up in spiritual branding.
—> You free yourself first by REJECTING the illusion that “external enemies” or circumstances are the reason you are not empowered or can’t have the life you desire.
The real myth is that we are not free because of whatever laundry list of grievances you’ve come up with, backed by those false “perception polls” and biased survey data.
Mankind can manifest freedom or not freedom anywhere in the world as a co-creator of either. You choose.
That should be the core of every blog post you publish. But this post shows you might need to take a few of the courses you sell that actually teach you that.
Your post shows that you are not an unbiased independent thinker. You have clearly chosen a side and a narrative.
It reads like just another voice in the sheepish crowd, echoing emotional mass media narratives while claiming to lead and blaming the USA for the world’s problems. This is weakness, not power.
It is time for you to quit blaming the USA and start taking personal responsibility and your power back for what has occurred in your life and the experiences you have manifested for yourself. And teach others how to do the same.
It starts with you. Living what you teach. Seeing through your own projections. Refusing to package disempowerment as wisdom.
I say all of this in truth, in the spirit of actual empowerment, and with deep respect for what YOU could still become, if you chose to lead from integration instead of ideology.
Lead yourself first. Then maybe we will listen. Otherwise you’re just helping to create more disempowered victims and dependencies, and the world will only reflect more of the same.
So well said! America is going down hill. I have lived in California for over 30 years and I have seen it become crime infested and greed driven. It’s disgusting actually. We need to get back to values, personal responsibility and ethics, then we can start talking about becoming a free country again.
Thank you for this. You told the truth, but you also told the truth that there is HOPE. We each can take a stand, every day, to work towards peace, to eliminate racism and hatred from our own hearts, and work to reform broken-down systems. We can be people who choose to act with love, compassion, courage and who are engaged in an unflinching search for truth.
The world has always moved forward by everyday people deciding to do what’s right. As our world leaders fail us, WE don’t have to fail us. I have great hope for the future but it will take recognizing our collective humanity, taking our own inventory, and changing what needs changing within us and within our society, in a peaceful, loving way.
Choosing love isn’t choosing to be weak–real love is courageous, radical, and in this time of trouble, dangerous. But it’s the only way we will create a world that is based on mutual respect, human dignity, and harmony with the environment.
Vishen, Thank you for the message “The Myth of American Freedom.” I was surprised you would say this.
I’ve been preoccupied with this very matter ever since I was an activist in my twenties, when I came to understand how far my country had veered out of control. So far that I had to take unwanted risk on my own, such as my decision to denounce the popular war of that era (one of far too many wars) by not accepting the coercion to join my nation’s war machine. (I got lucky. Jimmy Carter, by means of an unexpected amnesty, saved me from years in prison just as my spiritual beliefs saved me from the hell so many of my peers suffered in the jungles of Asia.)
But the patient failed to recover. America became even sicker. Our food became more poisonous and more profitable. Our wars became more vile and more arbitrary. The illness returned home in the form of children shooting children.
It would be easy, in 2025, to say the problem is a single corrupt demagogue, a product of evil mentoring and organized crime. But that would ignore our vast infection, long ready to support that corruption when it arrives. For decades our Foreign Policy has been little more than an extension of self-serving Domestic Policy. Now its most vulnerable victims are those escaping even greater evil in other places, often infected in turn by our own national illness.
It’s imperative the patient recover; the survival of our world depends on it. As I now approach eighty, I understand this even better than before. All is too interconnected now; the disease spreads rapidly whether it manifests as wildfire or neocolonialism or drought. (That’s not exactly correct. Our planet will survive just fine. It will, however, survive *without* humanity and all the other species we will have taken down with us. The planet itself will simply grow them anew, better perhaps.)
When I said “surprised you would say this,” I spoke not to your soul but rather to your job title. You are a powerful and successful man. In America there are many powerful CEOs who may think these things but would not allow themselves to say publicly what you say here. That may come from fear of reprisal or from a sense of responsibility to the many people who work for them. Recently, one can look to Columbia University or CBS Media or certain major law firms for examples of this behavior. Again, thank you for bringing this up. It is a needed conversation.