How To Build A Fortress

Sun Tzu says, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”  

We know Big Tech. We know their terrain, their weapons, and their objectives. They are masters of the public square, using algorithms to divide, distract, and sell our attention.  

They will not know us.

Sun Tzu also says, “The ultimate in disposing one's troops is to be without ascertainable shape. Then the most penetrating spies cannot pry, nor can the wise lay plans against you.”  

This is why a key component of our campaign is to reject the enemy's battleground. We will not build our movement on the public, surveillance-driven platforms of social media. Their algorithms are designed to create dissociation and isolation, and we will not use the enemy's tools to dismantle the enemy's house.

If our fortress is going to be a community, we must build it on a foundation of trust. We must do this the old-fashioned way: grassroots, face to face, arm in arm. When we gather online, it will be within the private, protected walls of our own fortress; a space we own, governed by our values, free from the noise and manipulation of the platforms we seek to replace.  

This is a call to wake up. To get out of isolation and find one another. To prioritize our well-being and the well-being of our neighbors. A rising tide lifts all boats.  

Before we can build better technology, we must build a better community.

Our fortress needs building and our weapons need sharpening. The first step is to connect. Talk to a friend about this idea. Share this essay. Begin the conversation. That is how we cultivate the strength that will guarantee our success.