Demystifying the State by Wendy McElroy Mystification is the process by which the commonplace is elevated to the level of the divine by those who have a vested interest in its unassailability.
Government is a perfect example of mystification at work.
Government is a group of individuals organized for the purpose of extracting wealth and exerting power over people and resources in a given geographic area. A nation must have learned to respect a king, before a king can exercise any authority over them. Such patriotic concepts have the ability to rouse feelings of awe and reverence in the population. These reactions are ingeniously channeled to support the government, and in turn help create the mystique of legitimacy which governments need to survive. For the libertarian, it is always illegitimate to initiate force against nonaggressors.