Of all the people I know of who “click on like” for Wikileaks, who speak amongst their peers about Mr. Assange who founded it, or of all those claiming that the truth of Wikileaks will set you free, none of them – I believe – knows what the truth is. A hard statement, I know, but you know that I mean no disrespect.
Reality of Wikileaks is a funny one.
I have observed the world since I was fourteen. I’ve read books, newspapers and magazines. I’ve listened to radio and watched documentaries. I’ve talked with people in café’s and participated in discussions wherever I’ve been able to find anyone of my own kind.
Of my kind is meant as “a person who observes the world and forms an opinion”.
The first time I realized that Wikileaks existed was in the winter of 2008-2009 when certain information about the banks in Iceland was leaked into Wikileaks and published there. Some journalist discovered – or where pointed to – it and wrote about it.
Consequently I entered the website, more out of curiosity about its form than about its content. I wasn’t so much into the details and content of modern corruption. I already know enough for myself to have a general idea about how things work. I’m more concerned in my life about what to do with what I know. I’m interested in finding a way or a path in this world to use my knowledge in some positive and creative way.
I haven’t been much into this website since then, as I was a little bit disappointed in it. I have no real reason to criticize its form and content per se. It is fine as it is and I presume that many around the world use it to find out information and open their eyes.
Of course I was a bit surprised when the media storm hit the fan a couple of years ago. Wikileaks published that they were in the process of storing and publishing a huge quantity of information from the United States and in particular information about the war in Afghanistan.
How would they receive such information, was my first response.
For months the media was in a frenzy.
Wikileaks went on to publish their documents and the US authorities began their process of retaliation, as would be expected. Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, became of course a target of the US but lucky for him; a political target. This has been his war ever since. To stand up for the right of the public to know what’s going on. Period.
Of course he has the public opinion on his side, or doesn’t he? There are sides to this coin, at least three. I should perhaps say that there are sides to this cube.
People can know anything they want, reading Wikileaks or by observing, reading, asking and discussing. Whether Wikileaks exist or it doesn’t, you can find out any information about the corruption of modern times if you want. What do you want? Where does your information come from? Does it matter to you if the war in Congo is exterminating whole villages or if one man is arrested for spying? Does the food on your table matter more to you than the lives of innocent people?
Majority of people who “click like” on Wikileaks and complain to their peers that Assange is now a wanted man, doesn’t really care what Wikileaks stands for in this matter. People follow the tone of the media. What’s next on the news? What’s next in current affairs of fashion or any other social circle? The same majority has probably not spent more than an hour in total, searching for information in the databanks of Wikileaks.
Making a stand, and standing up for something you believe in, requires dedication, courage and a clear opinion. An opinion you respect as much as you respect yourself. The opinion you stand for will define you. What do you stand for?
Assange seems to me to be a man on the run because of his own desire for publicity rather than making a stand. Yes of course he makes a stand for people’s right to know what is going on in our world, in our society. He has no choice, but he’s on the run nevertheless. In some ways I would respect him more if he’d proudly take the stand, and the fall, for what he claims to believe in than simply being on the run for his life and disregarding those who’ve stood by him.
Not that I wish to tell him what to do. I’m not in his situation and I don’t know what I would do in his situation. It is clear to me by observing his actions, that he seems more concerned about his own skin than his values. There are many who have stood up for him and lost a great deal because he wasn’t able to stand up for his obligations to people who risked their own reputations, and money, for his sake.
If you don’t know what I mean by this statement, then please use the opportunity: You know how to Google for information. You know how to find out. You have the tools. You don’t need Wikileaks to do it for you.
The Wikileaks information the USA wants destroyed comes from a soldier in their own army who by personal reasons leaked sensitive information from his army to the public, endangering his fellow soldiers and disregarding his oath to the army and state he belongs to. He is a dishonorable man by all accounts.
Oaths mean something or they don’t. Whatever the information contains and whether we are outraged by it or not it doesn’t change one fundamental fact. He betrayed his fellow soldiers, his oaths and what his uniform stands for. Whatever we might feel about the information he leaked.
The soldier – or officer – in question committed an act of treason. As it happens he leaked sensitive information about a war which is unpopular in his home country. The same population would have demanded his execution in the Second World War, when his country was under direct attack. There is no leeway given to a soldier who is under oath and serving in an army. Treason and spying is the same no matter what the war is.
Would most of the people who demand that he be set free have the courage to stand up against a whole nation? Gandhi did. Was Gandhi so different from you?
Every person I know of has values. We know that standing up for something requires that we know a bit about ourselves and a bit about why the values are important. Very few people really care about Wikileaks. That website isn’t really publishing anything new. Most of the information it publishes can be attained easily but not many care about it. Not many wake up in the morning and check this website to find information about corruption in the third world countries or the abuse of power in Europe. The concept of this site has more to do with some childishly written articles in modern media and how it creates a spin.
Modern media is childish in many ways and in this frenzy the immaturity of the media is easy to see. But do I care, no. I don’t care about Wikileaks. I don’t need the information it contains. I already have books, magazine articles and websites with information, sources I’ve accumulated for over thirty years. Information I’m actively processing and I’ve always stood up for what I believe in, through my actions and life’s choices. Do I care if people like it or not, no. I care about something else entirely.
I care about people taking the time to switch off the current soap opera on Television. I care about people reading, researching and getting to know a bit more about the world they live in. I care about people making use of the abundance of time, available in the modern technical world; to discover what their values really are. I care about people discovering their internal Gandhi.
Most important I pray that more and more people wake up from the illusion of freedom we all share. That more will wake up and make a stand for values, any values, to show that they are alive and that their lives have a meaning.
