The Albertina in Vienna is once again showing the famous field hare picture painted by Albrecht Dürer in 1502. But only for a short time, then the watercolour will disappear back into a dark cellar. The light doesn't do it any good, they say, the picture could fade with time. However, I have my doubts that this is the real reason. Doesn't the real reason lie in the trueness of the picture? The special, indeed the spectacular thing about the picture is not that it is so old, but that it is so true to life; that the brilliant enlightener Dürer dared to paint the world not as it is supposed to be, but as it is; that Dürer viewed and captured the world with such a unique lack of prejudice – which is what the art experts say.

And it is precisely this lack of prejudice toward the truth – so I suspect – that is the real reason why the hare has to disappear again so quickly. Otherwise, in time people could be infected by Dürer's view of the truth and suddenly see the world as it is and not as they are being led to believe.

Then they would suddenly realize that what is presented to them as democracy or ‘rule by the people’ is the exact opposite, namely the rule of the people by an extremely small elite. Through Dürer's lens they would suddenly no longer recognize themselves as the proud sovereign, but as miserable subjects.

Then they would suddenly realize that taxes, described to them as a noble act of solidarity, are something completely different, namely simple theft by an arrogant gang of robber barons who act with the intent of stuffing their own pockets and making the robbed realize that resistance is pointless.

Then people would suddenly realize that what is touted to them as the ‘rule of law’ is in reality institutionalized injustice; that the ‘law’ according to which the state allegedly acts, is enacted by the state itself and has no other purpose than to make sure it gets privileges, such as the aforementioned right to tax; and that, if one wants to defend oneself against it in court, it is the state itself that pays the judges.

Then people would suddenly find that the climate change currently being debated around the world is not a problem, but a rather trivial fact, comparable to the fact that the earth revolves around the sun; and instead that the debate itself and the excitement it generates has the sole purpose of expanding state bureaucracies, strengthening their power and making their subjects feel that they are in need of protection.

Then they would suddenly realize that the so-called ‘money’ monopolized by the states is not money at all, but nothing, that it will sooner or later collapse as a reliable means of payment and value preservation, and that until then the states and their courtiers will continue to use it massively to buy things.

Then people would suddenly realize that wars, streams of refugees, misery and poverty are obviously related to the fact that all countries of the world are governed by states, thus that these are obviously the problem.

No, this truth, this Dürer-like lack of prejudice, must not be allowed to happen. Quick, off to the dark cellar with the field hare!

Translated from eigentümlich frei, where the original article was published on November 9th 2019.