During one of my political campaigns, I struck up a conversation with a woman from a former Soviet bloc country who, while recanting the horrors of communism, began to unexpectedly quiver and cry.
It was an emotional moment for both of us and, although there were a number of people at the event waiting to talk, I spent an extended period of time with the woman.
There is no better advocate for liberty and freedom than a witness to history who has been forced to live under the yoke of communism.
I think about that interaction often because it's difficult for people who have always been free to understand the deep psychological trauma caused by living under communism. We all have a "private self" and a "public self."
It's no secret that we all act and communicate differently when we are alone or in a setting with people with trust. In a free country, the decision to transition from that private self to the public self is largely within the control of the individual.
When a free man or woman is home spending time with family he or she inhabits the private self. Typically one transitions to a public self when they grab the car keys and open the front door to head to work.
There are things you may do or say while you were acting as that private self that you will no longer do or say at work, in your car, in an email, or on a business conference call.
Now, imagine living in a place where there is no distinction between the private self and the public self. Imagine a place where only the government has the key that unlocks the door between the private self and the public self.
When I recall that emotional conversation with that woman at the campaign event, who had been subjected to the horrors of communism, I realized the psychological damage that an all-powerful government was capable of when it doesn't recognize a private self.
What must it be like to live under a system where your family, friends, and neighbors are encouraged, and even rewarded, for reporting on any of your activities which could be considered subversive to the government tyrants in charge?
Having never lived in such a system, I can only guess at the psychological damage caused by living in a country where you are constantly questioning the motives of each and every person you come into contact with.
Heavy government-surveillance ensures that you are never certain that you are really alone.
To read more of the article at The Conservative Review, click HERE
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You can follow Dan Bongino on his website, at Facebook or on Twitter.
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