Fear Dressed Up as Authority: When the Freezer Door Stays Open
You open the freezer, take something out, and in the preoccupation of everyday life, you forget to close the door properly. At first nothing seems to change. The hum continues. The frost clings to the walls. The ice-cream remains firm. But somewhere deep within the structure a process has begun. The temperature is rising imperceptibly. Micro-molecules of ice are loosening their crystalline hold. Over time… not all at once, but inevitably… the interior begins to thaw. And then, suddenly, you are looking at water pooling on the floor and food that has lost its integrity. Civilisation often collapses this way: slowly, quietly, structurally. The Fear of Chaos, Dressed Up as Authority We are living through a cultural moment where the system… by which I mean the complex mesh of political, economic, and institutional forces… has lost control not just of material conditions but of moral vision. Authority now feels weaker, not stronger. Its response is not confidence, but fear dressed up ...
