Why People Trade Freedom for the Illusion of Security
Let’s be honest—democracy is frustrating.
It’s slow. It’s messy. It’s filled with gridlock and arguments that never seem to end. Sometimes, it feels like the whole thing is just spinning its wheels, stuck in place, unable to move forward.
And in moments of crisis—when people feel anxious, uncertain, left behind—it’s tempting to look for someone, anyone, who can cut through the noise and just get things done.
That’s when the strongmen show up.
They step onto the stage, shake their heads at all the dysfunction, and say, Enough. They tell you that the problem isn’t the system—it’s the people running it. That the media is lying to you. That there’s an enemy—immigrants, minorities, the elites, some vague “other” that’s been secretly pulling the strings.
And then they make their biggest promise of all:
“I alone can fix it.”
It’s a line we’ve heard before.
How Authoritarianism Takes Hold
See, nobody wakes up one morning and says, You know what? I think I’d like to live under a dictatorship.
That’s not how it works.
Authoritarianism doesn’t arrive with tanks in the streets. It arrives with speeches about restoring order. It comes wrapped in the language of patriotism and national pride. It sells itself as necessary.
And at first, it even feels good.
The debates stop. The protests quiet down. The leader speaks with certainty, and certainty can be comforting. There’s a sense of momentum, of action, of something finally being done.
But then, little by little, things start to change.
- The press isn’t just “biased” anymore—it’s the enemy of the people.
- Political opponents aren’t just wrong—they’re traitors.
- Dissent isn’t just annoying—it’s dangerous.
And so, to keep people “safe,” the rules start shifting. Just a little at first. A journalist is arrested. A protest is put down with force. A law is passed that makes it just a bit harder to criticize the government.
Until one day, you wake up, and you realize—you’re not allowed to ask questions anymore.
Why Do People Fall for It?
Because fear is powerful.
When people feel like the world is spiraling out of control, they crave stability. They want someone who speaks with confidence, who gives them simple answers to complex problems, who says:
“Follow me, and I’ll take care of everything.”
And that’s how freedom gets traded away—not in some dramatic coup, but through a slow, steady process where people willingly hand over their rights for the promise of safety.
Until they have neither.
The Only Way to Stop It
Now, here’s the truth—democracy isn’t perfect. It never has been. It never will be.
But that’s the point. It’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to be resilient.
Because democracy is not about one person having all the answers. It’s about all of us working—arguing, debating, compromising—to find a way forward together.
That’s harder. It takes time. But the alternative?
The alternative is waking up one day and realizing you don’t get a say anymore. That the leader you put your trust in now controls everything. That the freedom you once took for granted is gone.
And history teaches us one thing: once that happens, getting it back is never easy.
So, the next time someone stands in front of a crowd and tells you they alone can fix everything—ask yourself:
What are they really asking you to give up?
Because democracy doesn’t disappear overnight.
It disappears when people stop defending it.
