9. Time out from tyranny

In the second part of his monologue on time—recorded on New Year’s Eve—Omri Preiss argues that democracies face a stark choice between defending the free world and allowing autocracy to prevail. This, right now, is a decisive moment for free and open societies.Reflecting on how modern freedoms are historically very recent, Omri traces liberty’s development from ancient empires through religious authority, limited aristocratic rights, and finally to broad democratic rights in the last century. These freedoms have not been around for very long, and yet they are now widely taken for granted. We must recognise, first of all, that they are dangerously easy to lose. And second, that rising authoritarian leaders and movements, often cloaked in populist rhetoric, are actively trying to dismantle the democratic institutions that support them. The main takeaway? Democracy is not an abstract issue. It’s something that directly shapes people’s lives, and defending it requires urgent, active engagement to prevent freedom from becoming just a brief “blip” in history (or, indeed, a momentary time out from tyranny). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thistimetomorrowpod.substack.com