Somewhere along the way we forgot that without brains connected to it, the heart does more harm than good. We forgot that human beings have a certain nature, and, without the natural rewards and punishments the world imposes upon that nature, people often degenerate into a state of selfishness, immorality and hopelessness. Hope and change, therefore, will come when we put brains back into the equation. It's time to add back the brains.

The biggest problem we face in America today isn't terrorism, scarsity of resources or out of control immigration. It certainly isn't the environment or so-called global warming. It isn't even our president, the Congress or the Supreme Court. We the people, after all, elect them or they are appointed by those whom we elect. No, our government along with all the rest are merely symptoms of the real problem.

It is the reason Hollywood makes billions of dollars; people like to escape from reality. Take Titanic, for example. Even though Jack dies, you're still left feeling like Rose's life went on to be much better than otherwise for having known him. The film, after all, left you with a spunky old woman who let the fabulous diamond drop into the ocean, completing a personal circle for herself. Your last image was not of her sobbing in horror as Jack's body vanished from sight into the depths of the Atlantic. Had that been the final scene, then the film would not have been nearly as popular.

And that is the issue with which American's grapple today; they believe they can escape reality, that they can avoid consequences. That's what our government seeks to do: give everybody a happy ending. The problem with attempting to make such an escape is that human nature eventually, indeed inevitably, asserts itself.

Ask most folks on unemployment if they are in a hurry to find a job and, if you get an honest answer, you will find that they are content to stay on it until it runs out and they have to find work. If you create a situation where somebody does not have to do something, then unless it is something they enjoy doing, they are not going to do it. No surprise there.

The longer you allow a person to collect unemployment, the longer they will remain unemployed. Take this to its ultimate conclusion. Create a situation where someone can survive a lifetime without working and they will spend their entire lifetime living off the fruits of other people's labor.

Ask people why they wanted houses they could not truly afford. More importantly, ask why banks allowed them to take out such large loans. The individuals, because they wanted to escape from the reality of their circumstances and banks because government, divorced from reality itself, forced the banks to lower their standards for making loans. And thus you have a housing crisis.

Ask people if they want their Social Security or if they should invest that money for themselves. The reality is that a person who earned minimum wage their whole life (never receiving a wage increase, ever) and who invested for themselves not only the percent of their salary government forces out of their paychecks but also the matching amount government forces their employer to pay and they would retire with just over half a million dollars. That calculation assumes they invest the money in the stock market and that their investment earns only half the historical average returns of Wall Street. Half!

If they took that money out when they retire and put it all into a savings account, they would still earn more than their annual salary had been when they were working just in interest. That's not Social Security, that's both personal and perpetual security. But government fosters the fiction that socialism (by taking from others who will die early and therefore never get to enjoy the fruits of their labor or leave it to their family and giving to those of us who live longer) will give those who in fact do survive into their golden years comfort and security.

Different sources quote different possible years but the consensus is, unless there is a massive tax increase, that government-run Social Security will go bankrupt somewhere between 20 to 30 years. It perhaps could last even 50 more years if the government removes the cap on the wealthiest earners. I'm 38 and so, according to the government, I will be allowed to retire in 29 years. In the best case scenario, if I haven't prepared for retirement myself then I had better die before I reach age 87. And if you are in your early 20's then you're just out of luck. You'll pay into a system from which you will never benefit. You'll be paying for somebody else's retirement while saving for your own as well. Escaping from reality is fun, isn't it?

We could go on and on discussing all the damage government does by perpetuating the illusion that if we but trust them and give them most of our resources that we'll all be safe and happy. They want power, they don't care about people. Take the current healthcare “crisis.” You had one senator offered a sweetheart deal to get him to vote in favor of Obamacare. But if it was good enough for his state, if it were truly something that helped people, what about all the rest of the states? Why just his state? If he cared about the people he should have demanded that the entire country get that same deal. But why would he do that? Only his state votes for him. They keep him employed so he only “cares” about them.

One day we are going to finally come to a point where enough people start asking themselves what is more important: freedom or security. The answer should be obvious. Even if government actually did offer real security for issues that should remain personal responsibilities (they do not and indeed cannot) I would still prefer freedom. I'm nobody special but this same opinion was nevertheless expressed by some fine minds.

Benjamin Franklin believed that “they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Patrick Henry's famous quote is as relevant today as it was in colonial America: “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

Samuel Adams advised “If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”

Contrast these statements with everything Obama, Pelosi and Reid are pushing. Nothing they offer even hints at individual freedom. They certainly do not expect you to be responsible. The proposed healthcare legislation forces (yes, forces) people to purchase insurance. When Bush was president, liberals refused to even discuss Social Security reform if an optional part of the proposed plan included privatizing even a portion of the program thus forcing (yes, forcing) individual choice out of the hands of Americans. The proposed Fairness Doctrine, forcing (yes, forcing) broadcasters to offer “equal” time to opposing viewpoints (in reality, a blatant attempt to destroy free speech) still has much support on Capitol Hill. It is especially favored by Pelosi. These freedom-suppressing actions are only the tip of the government-sized iceberg that threatens our Titanic ship of state.

Shall we therefore lick their hands, content to accept the retirement they plan for us, the health care they feel is best for us, and hearing and seeing only what they deem proper for us to hear and see? As FDR once observed, “The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over the government.”

Our government has crossed the line, having gone from being powerful enough to protect our interests to deciding what those interests are. To reassert our own sovereignty over our government we have to solve the real problem; our willingness to allow government to play upon our fears and to nurture our illusions.

Reality is hard, you say? True, but we must remember that hands other than our own that feed us must necessarily be connected to the boots of tyranny that will eventually crush us.

Jeff O’Bryant is the author of “Up into the Hills — A Brief History of Catoosa County” and holds two degrees: a bachelor’s in education and a bachelor’s with honors in history. He can be contacted at jeffobryant@catt.com.