(a) If you think in terms of some "gargantuan, all-powerful, near-omniscient monster" you call "government" or "state," in the face of which individuals are essentially helpless, then it may seem absurd to claim that the power of tyrants is tenuous.

(b) If you believe that some of the noises and scribbles that emanate from the mouths and keyboards of tyrants... if you believe that these noises and scribbles constitute "the law" (so-called), which needs to be "reformed" or "repealed" before you can be free, then, indeed, it may seem absurd to claim that the power of tyrants is tenuous.

(c) If you think that any poor individual is helpless in the face of the tyrants' guns, then, indeed, it may seem absurd to claim that the power of tyrants is tenuous.

(d) If you believe you have no practical choice other than being in a profession, business, or job that's inextricably trapped within the tyrants' political/economic system, then, indeed, it may seem absurd to claim that the power of tyrants is tenuous.

But what if all these beliefs are false?

However that may be, there are many people who somehow, to a greater or lesser degree, escape from the tyrants' tentacles. Often these people know little or nothing about any freedom philosophy. They simply find resourceful ways to "beat the system." During the past three decades I've lived in several cities around the world. Everywhere I've lived I've found people "outside the system" and people willing to pay me for my services (mostly computer programming and systems design), without subjecting me to "the system." Particularly with the expansion of the Internet, and all the money-making opportunities it presents, it's becoming easier and easier to earn money without operating within any tyrant "jurisdiction" that matters.

Ten factors are very important:

(a) Different freedom activists have different personalities, knowledge, skills, resources, and situations. You as freedom activist can choose the most appropriate range of freedom strategies for you. And you have a degree of control over, and can change your personality, skills, resources, and situation in order to become more flexible and widen the range of freedom strategies practically available to you.

(b) You seldom have to "beat the system." Almost invariably, you only have to deal with individual bureaucrats, who tend to behave largely in predictable ways. Most of the time, it's not too difficult to persuade them to leave you alone and go after easier targets.

(c) Bureaucrats are not always the brightest nor the most competent. They are often lazy. They also have limited resources. Mostly they go after the "easy pickings" -- like lions going after the weakest prey.

(d) In general, bureaucrats need information about you before they do anything to harm you. If they are not provided with any information about you, it's extremely unlikely that they will attempt to harm you or interfere with your life.

(e) You don't have to think "all or nothing." You can "compartmentalize" your life. In one compartment you work as a university professor, a chemical engineer in a large multinational corporation, etc. In another compartment you do something "on the side." The Internet makes this relatively easy to do.

(f) The power of tyrants depends largely on their "return on violence." They "invest" in violence (or its threat) for which they receive a "return." Generally, the return they desire includes fear, obedience, providing information, and paying taxes. In their excellent book The Sovereign Individual: How to Survive and Thrive During the Collapse of the Welfare State, James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg make a strong case that, as technology advances, the tyrants' return on violence decreases. (From the tyrants' point of view, they have to "invest" more and more terror and violence to achieve the same "return" of fear, obedience, providing information, and paying taxes. But this also "wakes up" more people and pushes them in our freedom direction.)

(g) There are all kinds of "holes" in tyrant systems. Some tyrants -- particularly those in "tax havens" -- deliberately create "holes" (e.g., corporations that don't have to report anything nor pay any taxes) to attract business to their "jurisdictions."

(h) Meanwhile the quantity and the quality of freedom support services are increasing. You can get a sense of this from the materials and links on this website.

(i) In general, it's more profitable to operate "outside the system." So we "outsiders" enjoy competitive advantages over those who haven't yet extricated themselves from tyrant systems.

(j) Some tyrant institutions, particularly in the currency and banking area, are becoming visibly more tenuous. This expands the opportunities for alternatives "outside the system."

The upshoot of these ten factors is that, for determined freedom activists, it's relatively easy to organize their lives and affairs such that the power tyrants have over them as individuals is extremely tenuous. (This is in contrast to the general population who sheepishly go along with "the system." In respect to them, tyrant power remains very potent.)

SEIZE YOUR FREEDOM, BABY!