Liberland – A Viable Social Experiment?
Recently, my social media feeds have been lighting up with discussion about a fascinating micronation called Liberland. As Matthew Humphries of Geek.com reports, “With the advent of modern communication and means of travel, it seems unlikely there is any area of the world left unclaimed by one nation or another. But such land does, or in fact did exist within Europe, and one man has just made his claim to it and created a brand new European nation.”
Liberland claims to be a sovereign state and already has an official website, flag, motto (“To live and let live,”) Facebook page with over 100,000 likes at the time of this writing, and coat of arms. And now, 160,000 people have applied for citizenship in the new micronation that is pledging to defend individual rights for all of its citizens, maintain a low tax burden, and become a haven for liberty-lovers everywhere.
Sidenote: Just as I was writing this article, Google Maps approved my addition of Liberland. Wow – how social media makes news move quickly!
However this nation of Liberland ends up, its existence poses an interesting question to freedom-lovers everywhere: How can we most effectively promote liberty at home and abroad?
Thankfully, here in the United States, we don’t have to found an entire new nation to stand up for our rights!
Liberland’s example should inspire us to continue to winsomely communicate the message of freedom to our friends, family, and neighbors. We’ll be keeping tabs on developments within and outside of Liberland as this story progresses.
