You know how kids will try to annoy you to get attention? And the more you react, the worse they get.

If you acknowledge that they have the power to annoy you, they become little tyrants. And their parents would probably see it as an overreaction to rip their finger off the next time they poke you.

There’s really nothing you can do to stop them from poking you and still come out of the situation with your dignity. To physically force them to stop would be a massive overreaction. And to tell them to stop, poke them back, or appear annoyed will only encourage them further.

You just have to ride it out. They’ll eventually get bored, much quicker than you could be rid of the little brat by engaging.

Unfortunately, little tyrants sometimes grow into big tyrants.

Some become stalkers.

And victims have to use the same method to get rid of them.

Of course, simply ignoring them is not enough. Since the situation could become violent, you actually have to be prepared to “rip their fingers off” if they keep poking you.

But according to Gavin de Becker in The Gift of Fear, most of the time, strictly cutting off all communication is the best tool you have.

The Gift of Fear is a book about how to recognize and respond to psychological tricks that bad people use against their victims.

To get a stalker or crazy ex out of your life, you have to cut them off completely, de Becker says.

”He views any response as progress. If you call the pursuer back, or agree to meet, or send him a note or have somebody warn him off, you buy another six weeks of his unwanted pursuit.”

Even sending the police is not a good idea, unless the stalker has committed a serious crime that he or she will be arrested for. Same goes for a court order that may just infuriate the stalker, and escalate the harassment.

Telling the stalker over and over that you don’t want to hear from him means he gets to talk to you over and over. Sending others to threaten him will give him a sort of satisfaction, and could escalate the danger.

And of course, seeking revenge might mean you end up in prison.

This is basically the same way we need to respond to an abusive government that inserts itself into your life.

Granted, the government will be more persistent than the kid poking you. And you can’t defend yourself against them like you can with an abuser.

But if we ignore the government for long enough, it will go away.

Okay, not the IRS notices. That won’t go away. They will arrest you and throw you in a cage.

I’m talking more long term.

If we adopt the technology, products, and services that make the government obsolete and redundant, they will eventually go away, or take a form that is less creepy and more consensual.

They can’t get to us if we are empowered, self-assured individuals and groups. If we have the tools to ignore them, they won’t be able to force a response.

The internet, cell phone video cameras, communication, and other tech tools have helped us shine a light on the government’s dark deeds. It is like getting a surveillance system to deter the stalker. It shows the world the abusive arrests, the false flags that get us into wars, and the fact that our alleged “enemies” aren’t so different from you and me.

I think in competing governments will become less and less oppressive in order to attract citizens to their jurisdictions. It is easier to move than ever before, and certain countries like Estonia are on the cutting edge of modernizing government services. And I think we will see more and more options to choose governments that are a better fit for our needs.

I think cryptocurrencies will eventually hand control of finances and money back to individuals.

And I think we need to stop allowing public schools to indoctrinate children and teens. Homeschooling, or partnering with other parents to form a homeschool cooperative, is a step that every concerned parent can take.

I’m serious when I say America would be better off ending public schools immediately and permanently. You can read my 7 reasons why here.

But getting violent or rallying around electoral “us versus them” politics will only encourage the government.

Let’s make them as little a part of our lives as possible.

I don’t know what kind of timeframe we are looking at to be completely rid of these tyrants.

But tomorrow I’ll discuss the three basic steps we can all take to reduce the impact of this crazy threatening stalker we call government.