Opinion: Earth isn't flat and government isn't good

Have you ever run into someone who believes the Earth is flat? I was shocked to discover such people exist. Many of them also believe the moon is a hologram, gravity doesn’t exist, and space isn’t real. It’s a bewildering experience listening to them try to make their case while fending off evidence to the contrary.

To them, everything is faked. They believe it empowers government somehow to lie about the shape of the Earth. They’ve never been able to explain to me how this works, and I still see no connection.

Imagine how it would feel to be completely surrounded by people who believe this and base their day-to-day decisions on this belief.

What if they tried to force you to act as though you believed this is true, too? Could you really change your beliefs in response to their threats? Would you pretend to agree so they’d stop harassing you? I hope you wouldn’t change your mind because of the social pressure they’d use on you.

Would you get tired of people telling you the Earth is flat and refusing to listen to any evidence that pokes holes in their belief? Can you imagine being in that situation?

It’s the same feeling I get listening to people claiming political government is inevitable, necessary, or even desirable. They may as well be singing the praises of cancer and recommending we all get a fatal case of it.

The arguments they use in favor of their position all come down to some variation of government breaking your leg, handing you a crutch stolen from some other victim, then demanding to be thanked for “helping” you. This kind of help I can do without.

Yet, I understand them better than they probably imagine since I used to believe this, too. That’s right, back when I was much younger, I was a bit of a government-supremacist just like most other people still are. Only now I see why the arguments I once leaned on are as flimsy as “Flat Earth Theory.”

People who still believe the Earth is flat — I mean, that government isn’t cancer — don’t care to consider the opposing evidence, but I will.

If someone could show me proof, or even convincing evidence I’m wrong, I would consider it. All proof and evidence I’ve ever been shown is easily refuted. The Earth is not flat and government isn’t beneficial.

Farwell’s Kent McManigal champions liberty. Contact him at:

[email protected]