sequestration
noun

- the act of taking temporary possession of someone's property until they have paid money that is owed or obeyed a court order

- removal or separation; banishment or exile

- a withdrawal into seclusion; retirement

- segregation from others; isolation

- confiscation or seizure

- the trapping of a chemical in the atmosphere or environment and its isolation in a natural or artificial storage area

Cambridge Dictionary, Dictionary-Com

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WORD ORIGIN

The word sequestration comes from the Late Latin term sequestrare, meaning "to place in safekeeping" or "to remove or separate". This Latin verb was derived from sequester, meaning "a trustee" or "mediator" — a person responsible for holding disputed property until the resolution of a conflict.

The Latin sequester traces further back to the word sequi, meaning "to follow", which is also the root of many modern English words like "sequence" and "consequence".

In medieval Latin, sequestrare came to refer to the legal practice of separating or isolating property or individuals, which later evolved into broader meanings like “removal” or “separation from use” (such as in government budget sequestration or environmental carbon sequestration).

By the 15th century, the term entered Middle English as sequestre, particularly referring to the act of seizing property legally. Over time, its meaning broadened to encompass other forms of isolation, such as placing people into quarantine or the sequestration of assets.

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UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL

The age-old tactic "divide and rule”, employed by rulers and strategists throughout history, operates on a simple yet profound principle: a unified force is formidable, but a fragmented one is easily controlled.

Ancient Rome mastered this art, not just in conquest but in governance. The Romans ingeniously divided their vast empire into smaller, manageable provinces, each with its own local administration. This structure allowed for efficient control while preventing any single region from amassing enough power to challenge the central authority.

The digital age has brought new dimensions to this ancient strategy. Social media platforms like Facebook, while connecting us globally, create echo chambers that reinforce existing beliefs and biases. This digital segregation not only boosts engagement but also makes populations more susceptible to targeted advertising and manipulation.

As mentioned in a previous (24th September) OWAD about Digital Rights Management, the music industry has long relied on separating artists from their work through complex copyright arrangements. However, blockchain technology is now emerging as a potential disruptor, allowing artists to tokenize their creations and sell fractional ownership directly to fans. This decentralization threatens traditional power structures by reuniting creators with their work and audience.

Interestingly, the human brain itself seems to employ a form of divide-and-rule. Recent neuroscience research suggests that our decision-making processes involve competing neural networks, with the strongest coalition ultimately determining our choices.

Mmm… does mean we have no free-will (volition)?

Paul & Helga Smith

Source:

Competing neural representations of choice shape evidence accumulation in humans
https://elifesciences.org/articles/85223

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SYNONYMS

appropriate, arrogate, attach, banish, barricade, block off, bottle up, box in, cage, clap in irons, cloister, close off, closet, commandeer, confine, confiscate, cordon off, corral, cut off, detach, detain, disappear from sight, divide, divide and rule, divorce, draw back, encase, enclose, enisle, exclude, exile, expropriate, fence in, fragment, hedge in, hem in, hide, hide away, hold aside (back, captive), impound, insulate, isolate, keep apart (at arm's length, under lock and key, under wraps), lock away (out of sight), lock up, maroon, out of the public eye, partition (off), pen, put aside (away, behind bars, in chains, on ice, under lock and key), quarantine, remove (from circulation), requisition, retire, safeguard, seclude, section off, segregate, separate, SEQUESTER, set apart, shield, shut away (in, off), shut the door on, shut up, split off, squirrel away, stow away, take aside (away, out of circulation), tuck away, wall in, withdraw, zone off

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Noise SEQUESTRATION using noise-canceling headphones might fail if we can still hear our own thoughts.”

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