We are in a time upon the planet in which those who hold power are too often men and women of poor character, those willing to lie and manipulate the gullible in order to gain or retain high seats of power. These men and women are bullies and cowards, the venal and the unscrupulous; they are without integrity or honor. And the tragedy is, that so few recognize them for what they are, because we have forgotten what makes us worthy of the place we hold upon the planet. Instead of the heroic, we celebrate the cunning; instead of cheering for the honorable, we applaud the devious; instead of the person of integrity and ethics,  we choose the amoral and immoral; instead of the principled man or woman, we look to the unprincipled, the unethical; instead of the irreproachable, we choose the reprehensible.

It may be that we have forgotten what makes a person worthy of respect, worthy to lead, worthy of admiration. So let us once again examine the virtues that make us worthy of our inheritance.

None of these virtues are easy to achieve; they require daily practice and every day of our lives, we must choose to act in such a way that we before people of nobility, honor and integrity. Each day, you will find yourself in a position where you must choose for or against the way of honor and nobility. And each day, you must seek out and join with those who share these attribute sof honor- for a man is known by the company he keeps, and with each friendship, with each word and deed, with each choice, you will tell the world who and what you are.

It will challenge you on every level to pick the way of honor, because in venal times, venal men and women are admired and lauded, and the righteous and noble are derided, called fools, laughed at and ostracized… but courage and strength of will, determination and knowing you stand with the worthy, will help you Stand.

There are 30 primary attributes to acquire and express in your life. These are

Courage, Valour- strength in the face of pain or grief; bravery in the face of great danger; .to do what is right, to speak out against oppression, to stand against those who would do harm in word or deed to another, even at the risk of personal loss.

Duty– a commitment to responsibility; to others, to country, to the world, to humanity.

Veracity, Trustworthiness– to be able to be relied on for honesty; accurate regarding facts; to speak the truth even when the consequences would be bitter, to be honest within yourself about your motivations, to be honest in your dealings with others.

 Honor, Integrity– adherence to principles considered right and just; knowing and doing what is morally correct, acting with rectitude.

Fortitude, Endurance–  courage in the face of pain and adversity; ability to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving in or giving up; to endure under hardship without bitterness.

 Sacrifice–.  the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy; .to strive to give of yourself to others and to humanity, to put the right and good above our own desires or needs.

Respect– having due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others; for other people, for others’ property, for the rights of others, for the earth and for yourself. To respect the principles of social justice and human rights. In learning respect for Self and others, a strong code of personal morality would follow based on the Law “Do No Harm”. To be aware of personal actions that showed disregard for the earth or for another person and correct those actions.

 Self-improvement– To always search for truth, for the right action; to always go one step further than you thought you could; to take risks for a purpose that would allow growth, progress…to retain an open mind, knowing there is much to learn yet.

 Diligence– careful, persistent effort; to stick to something once it is begun; to retain a strong work ethic.

 Conscientiousness–  be diligent and meticulous in your work, ensuring your duty or work is done well and thoroughly.

 Independence– to be free of external control; to be autonomous, to live in honor even when all others are falling; to depend on your own power, skills and resources; To take nothing as “fact” until it has been personally explored and examined. To think for oneself and not just accept whatever is declared the “truth”. To be self-reliant and able to stand alone if necessary, but willing to be interdependent with the human family and other living things.

Civility, Chivalry– to be courteous and polite in behavior and speech; to show gallantry towards the vulnerable, to treat others as you would wish to be treated. To show consideration for the needs, feelings and fears of others. To retain a sense of civil manners towards all people. To be aware of the rights of others and of how your behaviors might affect them. To be thoughtful towards others, cordial and sincere in your interactions with all others.

 Compassion– to show consideration for, and awareness of, the misfortune and suffering of others; to act in kindness. To attempt empathy with others and an understanding of their lives. To be able to see each feeling person and creature as separate from yourself, yet sharing the same ability to feel physical and emotional pain. To show no neglect or cruelty towards the vulnerable, the helpless or towards animals.

 Tolerance– to reject bias, discrimination or separation. To acknowledge differences without using differences to deny civil/human rights to another. To seek what we hold in common rather than how we differ. To study many cultures, many beliefs so as to understand them.

 Self-control, Self-Restraint– the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires, especially in difficult situations; self-discipline and mastery of the Self; to be in control of one’s emotions, actions, or desires. To acknowledge those emotions and desires without the need to always act on them, especially if they could cause harm to another or harm to self.

 To leave others be.  To accept each person as you find them, allowing them to be who they are. It is reasonable for each of us to find and follow our own path. So long as no harm, oppression, force, or cruelty is exercised against another, what a person does and how they live is their private concern. Who you associate with, and how you act and speak, is the measure you take of yourself.

 Intellectual Curiosity– to be open to wonder; to ponder the world, the heavens, all life around you. Be interested in learning about other cultures, other people, other tribes, other customs. To be driven by the longing to know, to understand. If you have no interest in the history, the present or the possible future of your world and all things living upon it, you are dead inside. To choose willful ignorance is to diminish yourself in the eyes of the worthy.

Orderliness, Cleanliness- your environment of Self,  your personal environment, the environment of your room, your home, your yard, your neighborhood tells the world a lot about who and what you are as a person. Slovenliness often reflects the inner Self.

Contentment- to be satisfied with the material goods you have while seeking always to improve the Self. The pursuit of wealth, power and status should never take precedence in your mind and heart. Many a powerful and wealthy man has been deemed unworthy of the respect of others, and has been covered in shame; many a poor man has proven to be worthy of respect and honor from all men. “All men need enough to sustain life and thrive;  no man needs so much that others must do without in order to fill that man’s grasping hunger for wealth and property.”

Cooperation- be self-reliant but respect your work with others, see your task as a single effort made by many. Be neither boastful nor falsely modest. Know your strengths and be ready to offer them; know your weaknesses and be prepared to submit them to another.

 Encouragement- it is easy to make other people feel small, to lift yourself higher by making others smaller- but that is neither the words nor actions of any person who would be worthy of respect or honor. The worthy person helps others grow in confidence, to reach their best potential, to reach higher than they thought they could.

Just- to be just does not simply mean to act in fairness, but to be able to discern the facts and circumstances of a situation and apply wisdom to a solution that is unbiased, equitable and impartial.

Approachability- people can sense a welcome from another; they feel comfortable in the presence of someone who exhibits an amiable nature and is hospitable to all who enter his or her home, hall or presence.

Generosity- a generous person shows concern for the well-being of others; he or she is benevolent and giving, is ungrudging in sharing with others. The altruistic behaviors of the worthy man or woman shows consideration and beneficence towards others and an unprejudiced, unselfish humanitarian nature.

Gentleness- too many false believe that machismo and ruthless brutality determines manliness or denotes a bold woman, but true strength is gentle. The worthy person exhibits tenderness and calm; he or she inspires trust and confidence and is not afraid to show open tenderness towards those he or she hold sin their affection or those who are afraid and need reassurances.

Gratitude- no person creates their world alone, the worthy understand they owe much to many; they exhibit a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

Humility- does not mean to grovel before others, but to act in such a manner that shows reserve; the person of humility refrains from bragging and lets his or her actions and words speak for them; they do not give offense with pretentiousness and boasting.

Idealism- in a world and time of despair and corruption, the worthy are visionary and insightful, they hold to a belief in respect for individual rights and freedoms; they hold that all persons can be trained to be better people and should be given opportunities to rise to their best abilities and dreams. They hold a vision for the future in which imagination and wisdom work together to support a better world, yet never lose sight that such visions call for hard work and individual responsibility.

Loyalty, Fidelity- those who would be called worthy of respect show faithfulness and commitment to each other and their community, they stand unwavering with their comrades, friends and cause. Their allegiance is a bond that cannot be broken; their vows and pledges to others are unchanging and endure all hardships.

Authenticity- let everything you are, say, speak, and do be the Truth

Study these 30 attributes. Examine your adherence to them. Explore how you can best express and uphold these attributes within yourself and within your friends. “Good men associate with good men, bad men with bad.”

And when you can look within yourself and say “These I strive to be”, you will be worthy of the company and respect of worthy men and women.

 

 

© 2019

The True Warrior

We see them everywhere today- the men in masks, the men sporting uniforms with old insignias of doomed fascism and thoughtless populism; men waving guns in the air, chanting whatever slogan feeds their false sense of “power”, fed back to them by toxic “leaders” who use such gullible, weak men to gain power and control over people, political parties or nations. The men so easily led by cunning and vicious political candidates, false prophets and religious charlatans, and unworthy men seeking power over the group or tribe. The men who see themselves as warriors for their cause or group, as they proudly march together down streets held open for their demonstration by police, and point themselves out to their fellow “warriors” and family members. The men who band together and play war games on weekends, bragging amongst themselves how they are the “protectors of freedom when the government collapses” (or sometimes against the government)- ideologies vary, character seldom does.

“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.”  Confucius

But here is the Truth: these men are not warriors; they are frightened boys who yearn for a return to a time when they were given power they did not merit, authority they lacked the wisdom or self-restraint to yield and privileges they had not earned. They have done nothing to be worthy of power or authority and few have exhibited the excellence of character that might lead to any special honor, position or recognition. They claim privileges based on either the color of their skin, where they come from or to whom they were born, the language they speak or the god they worship- none of which give any man or woman the right to special consideration, place or privilege. ). In reality, these frightened, frustrated men are the very men people would have to protect themselves against in the event of chaos… because these are the men who have not understood the meaning, purpose or function of the True Warrior- they see themselves as worthy of holding power, having control over others, being the lawmakers and law enforcers, yet never question their own natures.

These men are not free. Indeed, they fear freedom so much that they require a higher voice of authority to hold themselves in check- they lack the self-discipline and self-restraint to choose the better way of their own volition. A true warrior holds himself or herself to a higher standard of self-restraint and proper conduct than the enslaved, who are prisoners of their baser instincts or their immaturity.

“A warrior takes responsibility for his acts, for the most trivial of acts. An average man acts out his thoughts, and never takes responsibility for what he does. “     Carlos Castaneda

Responsibility. The True Warrior knows that he and he alone is responsible for every word he speaks, every action he takes, every moment of influence he has, every deed he undertakes. He knows that his success or failure, his rise or fall, his thriving or declining, is his own responsibility. Yes, outside influences can challenge a warrior’s position in life, his finances, his place in class levels designed by artifice and false values- but nothing in life outside himself can define him to the world: his own words and deeds tell the world what he is as a man and a human being. Every man shows his nature to the world; the warrior’s nature stands apart from the dross, he speaks and acts with honor and accepts responsibility for every word and action; he takes upon himself responsibility for how his words and actions influence the words and actions of others. The man who acts and speaks irresponsibly and sees his  words and actions seduce others into evil or cruelty, spite or viciousness,  is not a warrior, however much he will shake his fist and cry “I am a man” to the sky; he is a frightened boy who wants to blame everyone and everything for his fear.

“There’s more to being a warrior than killing. A true warrior the best warrior isn’t cruel or mean. He doesn’t claw an enemy who can’t fight back. Where’s the honor in that? “
Erin Hunter

 Kindness. The True Warrior understands that kindness is strength; he is steadfast in his compassion towards the weak and the frightened, the needy and the vulnerable. The true warrior recognizes that his strength is why he can be kind; he looks upon all those around him as his charges. Like the leader of the wolf pack, he protects and guards, he sets the example of proper speech and conduct.

 “Every great warrior must learn to endure and overcome the adversities of life.”
Lailah Gifty Akita

Endurance.  The True Warrior endures the vicissitude of life with stamina and stoicism. He does not weep or moan about his condition but sets about determining how he can make the best of a situation, what he can learn from it, what skills or knowledge he can gain from his present circumstances. The warrior teaches himself to endure and learn.

“To be a warrior is to learn to be genuine in every moment of your life.”
Chogyam Trungpa

Authenticity. Trustworthiness. A True Warrior can be trusted to be honest not just in words but in his actions and thoughts. His very life is an example of honor. His words will be grounded in veracity; they will be reliable and accurate. His actions will be legitimate and lawful. His thoughts will analyze and assess until truth is discovered. And when the warrior understands and comprehends the full truth, he does not cling to comfortable lies and deceptions, but steps into the truth, ready to embrace it.

“Whatever you are physically…male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy–all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.”  Cassandra Clare

Courage.  The True Warrior shows boldness and determination when faced with the challenges and struggles of life. Courage does not mean to be ready to attack your enemy at every turn; it means to be willing to confront each moment, each situation, each day with a willingness to do what must be done, even if there is fear.

Fortitude. The True Warrior shows strength of spirit and courage when faced with pain or grief. This does not mean to withhold tears, but to not let grief overwhelm your nature. Tears can express love, profound gratitude, a deep humility of spirit- tears are not the measure of a man. The determination to endure in life with honor and courage is the measure of a man, measured against the struggle he has endured.

“If you are a warrior, decency means that you are not cheating anybody at all. You are not even about to cheat anybody. There is a sense of straightforwardness and simplicity… That makes it very beautiful: … therefore a sense of genuineness comes through. That is decency.”
Chögyam Trungpa

 Morality. The True Warrior shows a decency of character, word and action; his life is shaped around virtue rather than vice. He rejects the false morality of the hypocrites and fanatics who are obsessed with the sexual acts of consenting adults, but holds to the morality of honor, justice, integrity, veracity, fidelity, and rectitude. The moral warrior is straightforward, free from pretense, deceit or treachery.

“When they … come for you… Wear your strength like armour, fight like a beast. Do not let them tell you that you belong to them. Be fearless. ….And when you are done, tell the world that you belong to no man. That you are a lady, a warrior…and you belong only to yourself.”   Zaeema J. Hussain

 Gallantry. Which brings me to this important point. When it comes to being a warrior, there is no gender. Outside of a common (though not absolute) greater physical strength in the male form), which a person can lose overnight or in a rash moment or to an accident, there is no difference between men and women of noble spirit and disposition or temperament. Though history often forgets, diminishes or dismisses the stories of the women warriors amongst us, those who persevere in courage, determination and moral strength against vast odds (including from society, churches, the law, custom, and so on), they break through and defy treasured prejudices and assumptions. It can be challenging to acknowledge that physical form has nothing to do with the warrior spirit and the inherent quality and excellence of a person, but this recognition must become part of achieving the warrior spirit. There are few enough True Warriors in the world; the warrior knows the value of his allies, partners and Companions.

Courtesy. Recognizing women can be warriors too, does not mean courtesy is discarded. Warrior women are not competition for the male warrior; they are an alliance of quality and nobility. Courtesy entails respect, civility and politeness to all, not because they are “less than” but because the giver of the courtesy is measured by his or her own character and their treatment of others. Nobility calls to nobility, honor to honor. The True Warrior exhibits courtesy and manners to all he or she meets.

“The hardship of the exercises is intended less to strengthen the back than to toughen the mind. The Spartans say that any army may win while it still has its legs under it; the real test comes when all strength is fled and the men must produce victory on will alone.”  Steven Pressfield

Self-discipline. Self-mastery. Resolution. The True Warrior trains himself to master his will, to overcome his weaknesses. He shows determination to overcome all obstacles and calls forth self-restraint in all things. In every aspect of his life- skills, knowledge, choices he might make, the True Warrior shows thoughtful self-discipline.

“Fighting isn’t all there is to the Art of War. The men who think that way…are mere vagabonds. A serious student is much more concerned with training his mind and disciplining his spirit than with developing martial skills.”  Eiji Yoshikawa

Honor. Self-restraint. The True Warrior understands what is right, knows the right thing to do, and does it. He does not twist with every wind that blows, leaning first one direction than another, nor does he kneel to any master in exchange for favor, power or status. The warrior first determines what is right, then stands firm. The True Warrior represents and symbolizes the best and finest attributes of humankind; he or she is prepared to fight if necessity demands, but prefers not to fight- the True Warrior understands the all too real cost of war to the individual, the nation and the world.

 A warrior of light who trusts too much in his intelligence will end up underestimating the power of his opponent.      Paulo Coelho

 Modesty. The True Warrior is reserved; he lacks the pomposity so often found in the arrogant; he does not hunger for praise and applause from the crowds. The True Warrior is not arrogant; though he takes pride in his reputation, he does not wear his pride to demean or diminish others, nor does he demand reward or notice.

“Fate whispers to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’
The warrior whispers back, ‘I am the storm.’ Unknown”

While a storm can destroy, it can also cleanse. The True Warrior is the storm of honor, justice, compassion and righteousness. He stands as an example to all around him. The warrior sets himself to a high standard and lives to it. In this way, he lives as an example to all ages, all people. He says “Yes, we can reach high, higher than some would have you believe- and in reaching, we can build a better world.”

© 2019

 

Toxic Theocracy

Over the globe, we are seeing the rise of religious extremists worming their way into seats of power. In the US, we have seen this rise dramatically since the election of George Bush Jr, during the terms of Obama, and as a core force to get Donald Trump, one of the least qualified persons to ever sit in the President’s chair, elected.

The problem is that theocrats- in whatever religion- MUST keep trying to force their will onto free people- they hate freedom- especially for women- more than almost anything else. And in the US GOP and the Trump travesty, they have found their path to power.

Over the past two years, we have seen the SCOTUS being turned into a rubber stamp for conservative extremism, have seen the civil and human rights for PoC, LGBTQIA people and women attacked on both the state and federal level, have watched as environmental protections were stripped, as species protections gutted, and watched the rise of anti-science and anti-intellectualism. This has not only been tolerated by the Trump administration, but encouraged, aided and abetted by it. One can only assume that either the man is truly one of the most ignorant men to sit in the WH, a puppet of more cunning men with private agendas, or is colluding in an intentional tearing apart of the US from the inside out, and the end of its secular Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Indeed, we are watching as state by state, religious extremists are imposing an insidious, treacherous ideology of theocracy on the US and its people and it laws. We are watching as the Trump administration, in giving high seats of power to these religious extremists, is selling out our birth right as a freethinking nation of independent people to theocrats and dominionists who would impose Biblical law through the high courts of the land and through public policy dominated by false prophets who use their fake religion as a hammer against those who refuse to kneel to their perfidious ideology.

While the religious extremists have been trying to win influence in modern government since the 1950s, the GOP sealed its deal with these fanatics back in 1979 when Reagan cosied up to them for votes- JUST as Trump did and is doing now. But the religious fanatics had a long-term plan, and they kept moving more and more and more of their people into local, county, state and federal positions through organized voting- school boards, city council, commissioner positions, state offices, and so on- they “trickled up” into power.

The liberals, progressives, Dems and others have been so busy NOT forming a cohesive plan, NOT voting en bloc, NOT voting strategically, that it will take a miracle to make things turn around- and I don’t see too many miracles happening in politics.

In terms of politics, the strength of religious fanatics and of conservatives is that they will sacrifice their individuality to win a long term game; the weakness of a free people- the truly spiritual people, the liberals, the progressives, etc- is that they will NOT.

The evil of the GOP is that it is willingly colluding with ignorant, despicable, spiteful fanatics using their twisted interpretation of a bible, in the tearing down of the wall of separation and the Establishment clause, willing to destroy the human and civil rights of girls and women, and eager to destroy the equal rights of LGBTQIA citizens in order to get a solid vote from a contemptible, deplorable group of fanatics.

And the pitiable Dems play catch up on issues they don’t know how to address because they think people cannot or will not be able to handle the truth of these issues (such as global warming, the rise of theocrats, the issues surrounding global economics and finances, the truth about what the extremist right is doing, etc), they have failed to form a rational plan for the future they can present to voters to rally them, and they can’t pull moderate voters together

It could be said liberals and progressives are their own worst enemy, like trying to herd cats, but the Dems need to stop trying to herd them and instead, call them in with a solid plan for the future: cats will come when called if the person calling is trusted and worth coming in for…the Dems have yet to bring that person forward this time around.

And the far left needs to stop having fantasies about socialism and face the truth: if they do not all get behind a rational, intelligent freethinking candidate, we will see another 4 years of this extremist right GOP, and that will, for all practical purposes, destroy what is left of the US as secular, free nation of proud people: it will be turned into a wasteland of desolation, a future of desperate people bent under the yoke of the wealthy few and crawling on their knees to their  theocratic tyrants.

2019

Evolving Strangers

We often look out at the world today and wonder why there are so many instances of kindness and so many examples of cruelty. We look at some of the horrific things people do and we ask “Why?” We are told to recognize that anything that can be found in the most evil person is also a reflection of ourselves.

I don’t agree, and I believe telling people we are all capable of incredible cruelty creates a mindset that pushes us into tolerating or excusing the intolerable and inexcusable. Creating a mindset that tells us we are all capable of unspeakable cruelty and callousness compels us towards allowing the monsters to remain in our midst, preying on the vulnerable and defenseless.

I believe when many of us look upon evil we are seeing not a reflection, but a past. Not a possibility for all of us, but a genetic difference. Not a human characteristic, but an aspect of our distant past that we no longer all accept or even are.

The function of evolution is adaptability. At some point in time, callousness contributed to our survival. We were vicious in order that we and our small families and tribes might survive. We huddled in caves, fearful of the night, frightened by thunderstorms, cautious towards strangers of our own kind and the predators that lurked behind each tree or turn in the path. We evolved to “win” in such an environment and winning meant callousness, viciousness and cruelty.

Centuries passed. Using our adaptations, we thrived in every environment, conquering everything around us, bending all others to our will. We were the apex predator, the top survivor.

And then, something changed. Survival no longer meant viciousness could create a winning scenario.  Cooperation and collaboration became the best strategy for survival.  Evolution is not stagnant. It is not ended. Evolution is not “survival of the fittest” but survival of the most adaptable, the most fit to survive. There is a great difference between these approaches. And we are at a crossroads when we must look at which evolutionary path we will celebrate and support.

While psychologists and sociologists are trying to convince us that we are all capable of great good and great evil, it might be time to explore another possibility: that we are actually a species still undergoing evolution, a species dividing from within itself.

Most of us find it easier to accept that we are capable of cruelty and callousness towards each other and other species than to accept that we may not be the same as our neighbor after all.  Because we do not want to think there may be real differences, because we want to think that even the worst person can become better “if only he or she understood”, we reject the possibility that we are not alike,  that we are not all capable of the same cruel acts or that  that some people are cruel because they simply lack any capacity for empathy,  or worse, that they derive satisfaction from the evil they commit, a sense of godhead from the cruelty they inflict. For some psychologists, these persons are identified as sociopaths or psychopaths, and no doubt there are such persons who exist. But it is telling that recent studies show that psychopaths can be safe in society depending on nurture.

So are psychopaths and sociopaths just a product of bad genes, bad nurturing or environment, or is it possible they are a product of a no-longer-viable genetic evolutionary path? Is the Dark Tetrad of personalities (sadism, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) inherent in all of us, or are they unique to a select DNA from the past? Are these fed by nature or nurture? Are they gaining a foothold, or weakening their hold as we evolve?   Are these the remnant traits of ancient humans that were once needed for humans to survive as a species? And what does that say about the mass of humanity who are capable of callousness, who lack awareness of the suffering of others and other animals? I will return to this question in later blogs.

This is not to say that many people cannot be driven to cruel acts, or driven beyond sanity to participate in cruelty. Any mammal can be driven to fight back, can be broken by continual stresses; many people can be broken or worn down through social pressures to conform to political or religious systems that demand a person be cruel to conform or face punishment, and it is these behaviors that we tend to study and focus our efforts on towards understanding.

But we may well be looking at the wrong people- we might do better to study those who always resist,  who have the self-strength and control not to be broken, who refuse against all pressures to participate in cruel practices, those who are neither influenced by, nor succumb to, extreme pressures to conform when callousness is demanded. We should be studying those who steadfastly, no matter the threat of punishment or death, refuse to yield to cruelty, refuse to participate in barbaric practices or callous actions.

Because it is only by studying those persons that we will begin to understand where evolution might be taking us, and what we might become.

We tend to think of evolution as something happening only on a physical level, but nothing in evolution makes that a rigid law. Is it possible that evolution can also take place on a deeper level? It may well be that on a deep level, we are no longer a single species, but a species separating from within, some remaining in the primitive past, some at a modern evolutionary stage where they can be bent towards cruelty or led to kindness, and others evolved beyond the mass of humanity to a different understanding of themselves, other living beings and their interdependence on the whole.

I am not speaking of the attempts to make racial differences denote superiority or inferiority, nor am I speaking about eugenics- the deliberate attempt to improve a group of people. Organic beings are not just a fixed accumulation of cells- we are a tripart organic entity: body, mind and spirit. As such, there are many levels upon which evolution can work. I am speaking of the inexorable process by which a species slowly adapts to its changing environment on multiple levels.

If evolution within the species is taking place, where might it lead? What impact might it have on the larger mass? How long a process might this be and what might the impact be on the future? And what might we become in the process?

One of the failures of humanity today is the failure of those with wealth to understand what is owed to those who created that wealth: the men and women who labor, often with minimum reward or thanks, to create and maintain that wealth, and often with little hope for themselves or their children to have an opportunity to share in the riches of their labor. We have failed to instill in those who have wealth the concept of noblesse oblige- that privilege entails responsibility.

But noblesse oblige means more- it demands that those of high rank, of wealth or birth who would claim privilege must also act nobly, that they are constrained to honorable behavior; that they have an obligation to be of generous and responsible behavior.

Noblesse oblige demands that those who would rule act with honorable behavior; it demands that those who are privileged are entailed a responsibility to those below, entailed the responsibility to manage that wealth in such a manner that those below were also taken care of in a decent level of comfort and security.

How does this tie in with the problems of today? We have, all of us, from all walks of life, bought into the false belief that riches are more desirous than any other obligation to family, neighborhood, community or state not because they create a potential for good, but because they buy luxury and put us in a position above others.
We have bought into the idea that nothing is more important than Self and self-gratification, that having more means we will be happy, that looking out for number one somehow “wins” and that “every man for himself, winner take all” is a proper exercise of living, whether in religion, politics, community, or even family.
Once we see wealth for the luxury it brings as the end goal, we cannot, even with the best will, see the poorer ranks as worthy of respect, deserving of that which the wealthy expect for themselves, or even having a right to the basic needs of life: food, shelter, water, clothing, and health.

In Europe, during a similar time of wealth division and the adulation of the rich, people reached a point where they felt it was “perfectly reasonable” to ask a man to stand at a door for hours with nothing to do with his mind but wait for the moment when the “aristocracy” wanted to go through a door. The doorman’s task was to stand patiently, for hours, waiting to anticipate opening and closing a door for the lord or lady of the manor. The sheer waste of a human mind never shocked the people who hired him. It was, after all, “at least a job”- they were so important they were entitled to ask this based on their wealth and rank. Those claiming to be “aristocrats” had forgotten that the word aristos originally meant the best, and only later was corrupted to imply the rich, the well-born.

This corruption is why today many of the wealthy, or those who have reached a certain level of rank or achievement by whatever means, feel entitled to special treatment, entitled to being held apart from their fellow man, simply because they have wealth or status they have inherited, fallen into or as a market result created from the labor of many others. And because of this, they feel that achieving or  maintaining that level of rank or lifestyle holds no obligation to those beneath them, and no obligation to provide for, or succor those “below”. Thus we see politicians, preachers and pundits calling for a reduction or dismissal of social programs to aid the poor and vulnerable, the aged and infirm.

France had seen this sense of entitlement grow to preposterous proportions, grinding the working class into poverty and ignorance, ignoring even their basic human needs. The people rose up in revolution. It was that revolution that sparked the idea that all men, from all ranks of life, not only deserved a chance to thrive, but had a right to the opportunities to do so, that each man had the right to his own personal liberty.

But this revolution also brought to light what the upper ranks had forgotten: noblesse oblige. It was the duty of the wealthy to take care of those below them, to address their needs, to see that they had enough food, that they had shelter and gainful work that fulfilled the spirit of man. Why? Because the labor and sacrifice the working classes gave, directly or indirectly, created the wealth of the upper ranks.

Noblesse oblige was taught to the children of the true nobility; they were taught that, while they might enjoy fine things and a level of luxury, these were bought at the labor of the workers. That, because of this, an obligation was created on the upper ranks to see that those below them had their needs met and had opportunities to learn, expand their hopes, reach their highest potential.  Noblesse oblige demands the wealthy, the nobility and the aristocracy create opportunities for those below, offer them quality education equal to that given their own children, and ensure that no one is left behind to starve, die of exposure or be driven to a sense of uselessness in their society.

Each person, no matter their economic level, can decide to become an aristos- the best, the noblest. From these people, a true aristocracy can be shaped, and from that aristocracy, a better world can be built. It will not be easy- the way of the aristo is hard; it is to be misunderstood, to be called weak, to be rejected by those who would have power and privilege without having understood its obligations and debt. But each individual, you included, can make the decision today to begin the journey to join the aristos of the world.

Do you have what it requires?
What choice will you make?

 

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge” Issac Asimov

Knowledge is important, because it encompasses the arts, our human history, science, our accurate understanding of, and comprehension of, our land, our nation, our planet, our universe and how things interconnect and are interdependent.

Some people seem to think that we no longer need knowledge, because machines will do our thinking for us, and still others seem to feel that “belief” is more important than accurate knowledge. But machines are only as good as what we build them to do. And in understanding how machines work, we can also understand how to change machines, make new machines, build machines that suit the different needs different populations might have.

While beliefs can comfort or inspire, it is also true that beliefs can lead to dogmatism and oppression, to fanaticism and the rejection of knowledge if it conflicts with beliefs, because ultimately, belief is limited by the fears, ignorance, limitations, and desires or needs of the individual shaping or interpreting or espousing a set of beliefs.

We are at a point in time in which we must teach critical reasoning, logic, the Socratic methodology of examining ideas; we must help each person to either enhance the empathy they already feel or teach them how to respond with kindness instead of sarcasm, mockery, bullying or cruelty. There will always be forces trying to return us to the caves and tribalism, but we can counter that with seeking a higher learn and uification in our diversity.

And yes, we can also teach values, but we better ensure the values we are teaching will give us compassion, judgment and discernment, kindness, and so on- because SOME values are destructive… it’s a complex thing, human needs and nature…

I still maintain that the knowledge of the past and learning old ways of understanding has value, because the knowledge of those who came before us is often based on what they had to know, not just what they wanted to know. So yes- we still need to teach children how to think, teach them old maths, reading comprehension, geography, history, biology, botany, we need to teach them about plumbing, farming, electricity, construction, hygiene; we need to help them develop hobbies outside of their video games, Blackberries, Google, Instagram, and other electronic distractions from real life-  a people too dependent on what is, is not prepared for what may be… because the future is not guaranteed. Creating a people capable of living in the machine/technology/AI world and also capable of living in a self-sufficiency mode strikes me as a deeper wisdom…

I’ve met children who have every technology available to them, but don’t know what a lamb or duck is- and are afraid of them.
I’ve met children and adults who don’t know how to use a hammer and nails.
I’ve met children who have great wealth but know nothing about the world, or how to live in it without that wealth and easy privilege.
I’ve met children in all  classes who pursue money and “nice things”, but have no awareness that pursuing the respect and trust of others is more important than “nice things”, and will stand them in better stead.
I’ve met wealthy children who hardly ever read a book, working class and the working poor children who are being left behind and middle class children who simply don’t think books are of any worth.
I’ve met children and adults who can’t identify words, can’t identify important historical figures or why they are important, can’t identify nations or oceans on a globe, don’t know how their own government systems work, dont know how scientific methodology works, don’t know how to cook for themselves, don’t know how to repair their clothing, and can’t identify plants in their own yard.
I have met too many children and adults who “know the price of everything and the value of nothing”.
We have a multi-generational rush to ignorance, and ignorance makes people easy to frighten and easier to manipulate and compel.

Yet…
I’ve met children who don’t have computers, but can create their own electricity by using what they find around them.
Children so poor they go to bed hungry at night, but can build bridges to cross streams.
Children who cross dangerous barriers to obtain, or willingly face punishment to read, a book.
Children who survive on a daily basis using the knowledge of living they have obtained, all while trying to maintain a set of values that uplift rather than tear down.

I’ve listened to theocrats, anarchists, fascists, communists, tyrants, presidents, despots, preachers, radio pundits, TV evangelicals and talking heads all discuss how the “system” needs to be replaced, revised, revamped, or removed so we can start over- they chatter on abut how public education needs to be replaced with religion over secular thinking (freethinking), that too much knowledge is a dangerous thing- but tearing down and trying to start over could result in far worse scenarios, considering how little so many of those who would be kings know, how manipulative and cunning they are, how hungry for power,  how few ethics they have, how little integrity…… what education and training we have now could do with some reform, refining and re-tuning, but what we have now has frequently kept some of the monsters among us in check.