cpt_zeitgeist

Zeitgeist

ESSAYS • VIEWPOINT

FREEDOM ADVOCATES – DEFENDING DEMOCRACY, PROTECTING THE BIOSPHERE, ADVANCING EDUCATION

‘Know us by our Courage — not by our Fear’

Bréon is passionate about the transformative power of creativity to inspire, bring people together, and to activate positive change.  

He is an Advisor to The Mahler Foundation, which supports projects in the contemporary arts, environment and music education. 

After a life-changing visit to war-torn Ukraine in September 2022, Bréon established Freedom Advocates.

FREEDOM ADVOCATES has been formed with the objective of building awareness to the ongoing crisis that western democracies face in the 21st Century. Anti-democratic forces have gathered and are gaining in strength. The war in Ukraine is the result of a powerful strategic alliance between totalitarian regimes, who are actively hostile to the principles of democracy.

We must awaken from our slumber and prepare for the battles that are looming — lest we are in danger of repeating the mistakes made in the 1930’s. Failure to defend democracy, only emboldens those tyrannical forces that are determined to undermine the entire world order.

In early September 2022, I made my way, via Poland, to Ukraine where I would witness the devastation of this war for myself. Here was a country fighting for its survival and freedom. The plight of these people spoke directly to me and my own experience growing up in the Scottish Borders — a highly contested region between Scotland and England that had suffered conflict for centuries. Without doubt, my visit to Ukraine was to become a life-changing event.

By the end of that tumultuous month, the simmering pot had exploded not just in Ukraine but across the globe. The brave women of Iran had taken to the streets and the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ Movement had emerged. Their plight has drawn attention more broadly to oppressed women from Tehran to Kabul, as well as what is happening under the other repressive regimes around the world.

Read the full version at:

breonrydell.substack.com/publish/home

 

 

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ZEITGEIST

In a time of universal deceit—telling the truth is a revolutionary act.

George Orwell 1984

Democracy Is Under Serious Threat

For some considerable time, I have  consistently voiced my concerns that the Democratic Order is under threat. The dramatic unfolding of recent events has given clear indications that humanity appears to have arrived at this juncture. We see the rise of extreme totalitarian ideologies, financed by powerful corrupt oligarchies, ruthless corporations, with access to advanced technologies that have the capacity to threaten, intimidate and openly imprison populations in this 21st century.

Excerpts from an original essay, written and discussed at the Centre for American Studies, University of Heidelberg, Germany (HCA), February 2020.

Bréon Rydell

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STAND UP FOR UKRAINE — RESISTING RUSSIAN IMPERIALISM — an open letter by BRÉON RYDELL

On Thursday 24th Feb, 2022, Russia launched a large scale invasion of Ukraine—this was an act of war

In the 20th Century alone, how many millions were murdered by the forces of fascism? How many were slaughtered by tyrants of terror who sought absolute and limitless power?

Who would have believed that today, in Europe, the citizens of Ukraine—a democratic, independent state—would be under attack, torched by the sinister hand of a delusional dictator, who seeks to bring nothing but misery, destruction and death

Who profits from this vanity?

This is a fools paradise—

Read the full version at:

breonrydell.substack.com/publish/home

 

© 2022-2024 Bréon Rydell

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THE FREE WORLD — VERUS TOTALITARIANISM

Without freedom of thought, there can
be no such thing as wisdom

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), polymath, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

There is an urgent need to protect our freedom of thought, freedom of opinion, which is the bedrock of our democratic society, and the basis for all other human rights

Bréon Rydell, Paris, France, July 2021

We are all in this together — the challenges that lie ahead are formidable. Democracy is under serious threat. We are already in the grips of omnipotent technology— which, if left unchecked, will ultimately control everyone’s life.

Our long-term goal must aim to re-awaken the spark, the spirit, the creative light of inspiration, by simplifying our lives, by strengthening local communities, by significantly reducing our dependence on dwindling global energy reserves, and at the same time, conserving the endangered biosphere. 

Bréon Rydell
Berlin, August 2021

 

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