How can a [assumingly benevolent] state survive without using propaganda, censorship, and surveillance today, when all the other states, as well as malicious parties within itself would inevitably deploy propaganda, censorship, and surveillance against it?

This is a genuine question. I would love propaganda, censorship, and surveillance to be non-existent but I can't really see a viable alternative. That would be cool if we could make the people immune to propaganda by means of education but I'm sure there will always be plenty of people who would remain easy to manipulate.