It is now known that the banks who received such beneficial handouts recently have spent $1.6 billion of that on executive pay and perks. This further underscores my claim that our recent financial and economic situation is not due to some failure of economic or computational skill on the part of the financial leaders, but on a failure of their character...that failure is, in a word, greed. This penetrating analysis is hardly new; but the question remains: why have the steps taken to solve the economic crisis not addressed the source of the problem, viz., the greed and flawed character of the leaders? There was no accountability required when the money was blithely given to these financial leaders; but when manufacturers asked for assistance, they were taken to task for how they made the trip to Washington even though they were asking less than one tenth of what was freely handed over to the Wall Street gang with no reservations whatsoever. It is a well-known phenomenon that we rarely see those faults in others which we, ourselves, have; and this means that the blind eye cast by Congress towards the financial pillagers is owing to the fact that they, themselves, are pillagers too. They can easily gloss over the misdeeds of the Wall Street crowd because Congress is guilty of the same misdeeds as they are...and the corollary is that they suffer from the same flaw in character, greed.
Nor are we helped by the press, whose voice is conspicuously absent in political debates; especially when they think that the ideological options that are open to people are exhausted by the positions that they, themselves, anoint. We need a good stout dose of the very tonic once prescribed by Vince Lombardi for his new team, the Green Bay Packers; we need to become brilliant on the basics. The basics of running a profitable business, the basics of moral character, the basics of civic mindedness, and the basics of authenticity to the religious propensity inherent in Life. We have failed miserably in each of these areas, yet we return to the same methods we have used to find answers; how crazy is that? We started a "no child left behind" initiative and never funded it; we recruit the best of our young to fight in war but abandon them when they come home injured and broken; we spout patriotic themes, yet when looking for a leader we promote the party rather than the country. Our national elections have long ceased to be about what's best for America and are now just a shoving match to see which party gets to spend the treasury. Thinking has become anathema, critical analysis has become treason, and the loyal and honest opposition can be held in a military jail outside the country for no reason at all.
Rule is not about power, it is about optimization; to treat it as though it were about power gives us the very thing we've got...and how has that been working for us?
Monday, December 22, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Fourth Estate
It is commonly known that the clergy, nobility, and commoners make up the first three estates originally noted by Louis XVI of France in the late 1700's; the press has been named as the fourth estate, a declaration attributed to Edmund Burke. In spite of the prominent position granted the press by Burke (he claimed that they were greater than the other three together), the role of the press is somewhat anomalous and incongruent in our overall system of checks and balances. The separation of powers in our form of government is designed to promote balance and oversight; each branch of government, as it were, "watches" the other branches to make sure they do not overstep their bounds. Seemingly outside this structure, the press has long prided itself on its ability to play the role of impartial observer and, in some cases, to be the advocate of those who have no voice. Ingredient in this role is the presumed ideal of Truth or Justice, depending on the story at hand; however, when the press abdicates this role and abandons these ideals, who watches them? Who keeps them in check when there is patent bias in their coverage? What recourse do the people have if the press, among themselves, decide on who is to lead a city, a state, a nation? To whom do the people turn if important concerns are left unaddressed or, worse, underaddressed, promoting the appearance that the story has been covered thoroughly and in its entirety? To what bar can the public appeal if commonsense positions are never given a voice and the proponents of those views are marginalized? If the fourth estate controls the media how can dissent against them ever be raised?
The Pulitzer Prize in journalism is ostensibly given to those journalists who are true to their calling; indeed, the past winners of this prestigous prize carry well that standard. However, of late, journalism has followed rather than led; the press (and I include tv and radio journalists as well as those of print in this) has abandoned its ideals, it doesn't think for itself, so against what standard does it compare that upon which it reports. It should be seeking out that which benefits all Americans when covering political figures; it should be the truly impartial savant its ideals tout. Isn't this the purpose of the editorial; isn't the editor supposed to be the conscience of the paper; I should think that rather than checking to see "which way the wind is blowing," the fourth estate should be "kicking up a little dust" of its own. I don't see "in your face" journalism with the once heralded "hard hitting facts"; I don't see thoughtful insightful editorials, putting forth good ideas; I don't see much research in the reporting, research, that is, that spans more than a few years. The western world is more than 2000 years old, this can't be the first time many of the problems facing us now have appeared; but if we don't learn from the past, as it is often said, we will repeat it. Shouldn't the fourth estate be contributing by holding up present situations to the light of the past? If they keep doing what they have done, how can they expect different results...or maybe they don't want different results...maybe they don't care about solving the problems...maybe all they want is to have problems to report on.
How can we, as a public, address this issue and help to solve this problem; the fourth estate is clearly walking a tightrope between having a job and helping the country; the model for news has been "if it bleeds it leads," meaning that the public wants that and so they can either keep their job by giving the public what it wants (shades of the Roman Empire) or step up to the plate and do some courageous reporting. This may be a good time for legitimate heirs to the fourth estate to call the assumption upon which the current model is based into question and leave the other to go the way of all flesh. I, for one, do not want dumbed down "news" that panders to the prurient interests of the hoi poloi. I want to be challenged in thought and deed; I want to be introduced to higher values, goals, and ideals; I want insightful analysis of current situations and I want to be shown how to connect the dots between cultures. Why is no one in the press critical of "political correctness"? The only political party that has a whole body of scholarly literature reaching back to the very founding fathers themselves never gets equal time or coverage...as they say these days, what's up with that? There are no questions raised about the fundamental assumptions grounding the two main political parties; it's a tug-of-war between the two main parties into which the press jumps now on this side, now on that...but never with the founding fathers. Did you know that there are serious questions about whether the 16th ammendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was ever legally ratified? Yet where is this story every April 15th? The fourth estate gets to decide which stories are "newsworthy" and which are "wacko," they then portray them in their respective "lights" so that the public never comes to question what it should question. This tactic is used by the intelligence services and is known as a strategy of dis-information; it is meant to garble the truth in such a way as to make it unbelievable. If you want something unbelievable, try this: the mixture of two poisons makes table salt. Nothing is more strange than the truth when it is compared to how we think things are.
Should it be the case that some member of the fourth estate happens upon these humble remarks, no doubt some hackles will be raised because everything that the fourth estate has done right would be conspicuously absent to that reader. If you are that reader, then now you know how we feel.
Thank God for blogs and youtube!
The Pulitzer Prize in journalism is ostensibly given to those journalists who are true to their calling; indeed, the past winners of this prestigous prize carry well that standard. However, of late, journalism has followed rather than led; the press (and I include tv and radio journalists as well as those of print in this) has abandoned its ideals, it doesn't think for itself, so against what standard does it compare that upon which it reports. It should be seeking out that which benefits all Americans when covering political figures; it should be the truly impartial savant its ideals tout. Isn't this the purpose of the editorial; isn't the editor supposed to be the conscience of the paper; I should think that rather than checking to see "which way the wind is blowing," the fourth estate should be "kicking up a little dust" of its own. I don't see "in your face" journalism with the once heralded "hard hitting facts"; I don't see thoughtful insightful editorials, putting forth good ideas; I don't see much research in the reporting, research, that is, that spans more than a few years. The western world is more than 2000 years old, this can't be the first time many of the problems facing us now have appeared; but if we don't learn from the past, as it is often said, we will repeat it. Shouldn't the fourth estate be contributing by holding up present situations to the light of the past? If they keep doing what they have done, how can they expect different results...or maybe they don't want different results...maybe they don't care about solving the problems...maybe all they want is to have problems to report on.
How can we, as a public, address this issue and help to solve this problem; the fourth estate is clearly walking a tightrope between having a job and helping the country; the model for news has been "if it bleeds it leads," meaning that the public wants that and so they can either keep their job by giving the public what it wants (shades of the Roman Empire) or step up to the plate and do some courageous reporting. This may be a good time for legitimate heirs to the fourth estate to call the assumption upon which the current model is based into question and leave the other to go the way of all flesh. I, for one, do not want dumbed down "news" that panders to the prurient interests of the hoi poloi. I want to be challenged in thought and deed; I want to be introduced to higher values, goals, and ideals; I want insightful analysis of current situations and I want to be shown how to connect the dots between cultures. Why is no one in the press critical of "political correctness"? The only political party that has a whole body of scholarly literature reaching back to the very founding fathers themselves never gets equal time or coverage...as they say these days, what's up with that? There are no questions raised about the fundamental assumptions grounding the two main political parties; it's a tug-of-war between the two main parties into which the press jumps now on this side, now on that...but never with the founding fathers. Did you know that there are serious questions about whether the 16th ammendment to the Constitution of the United States of America was ever legally ratified? Yet where is this story every April 15th? The fourth estate gets to decide which stories are "newsworthy" and which are "wacko," they then portray them in their respective "lights" so that the public never comes to question what it should question. This tactic is used by the intelligence services and is known as a strategy of dis-information; it is meant to garble the truth in such a way as to make it unbelievable. If you want something unbelievable, try this: the mixture of two poisons makes table salt. Nothing is more strange than the truth when it is compared to how we think things are.
Should it be the case that some member of the fourth estate happens upon these humble remarks, no doubt some hackles will be raised because everything that the fourth estate has done right would be conspicuously absent to that reader. If you are that reader, then now you know how we feel.
Thank God for blogs and youtube!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monsieur Soixante
The eccentricity of Babylonian cosmos
Dims not the roaring fire we know to be the Flame of Life;
Nor does the sacred day in which that Flame first drew its breath
Revere itself sufficiently upon its anniversaire.
What darkness dares approach this Light of Life; what foul misdeeds come near
To test the penetrating rays in search of friendly shadows?
None would dare, except those bred of Light themselves; indeed, the Unfed Flame.
But they approach without the fear that darkens every soul who
Would arise within this Flame of Life and seek the Mastery there.
Such glorious, healing, soothing Light; unknown upon the darkened face
Of this once quarantined and exiled world until "En arche en ho logos" (Εν άρχμ ήν ό λόγος)
Broke the curse of silence holding frozen all things True and Good and Beautiful.
Now dawns a day, The Soixante's day, a day of birth for all things new;
When vows are taken once again and promises are made to see a promise through;
To see the end from the beginning, awakening sans time; a beating, throbbing, vibrant heart,
That leaps up to the Flame it loves; embracing what it's not to be the thing it is.
Yes, it is that day, The Soixante's day, who holds his Life so dear
That he would deign to forfeit it that he might keep it near, so near, he daren't even speak of it.
The Silence sleeps in peace again, its rhythmic breath itself a Flame
Of Love arising from a broken cup whose chards are scattered 'round the plinth
Of such a weary altar; base indeed this table was that hosted once the Light,
But now in abject poverty of soul it fain would take its flight
Away from all that held it firm (illusions can be strong) but cannot raise its wings.
Indeed, the fault, repentance, and the strength to turn away belong, each one, to the Flame;
The Light, the Love, the Wisdom, too, are One, The Unfed Flame.
I AM, I AM, I AM, by all God's Love I know I AM that Flame of Life
And Love; yet 'tis not who appears that is that Flame, but I AM.
Dims not the roaring fire we know to be the Flame of Life;
Nor does the sacred day in which that Flame first drew its breath
Revere itself sufficiently upon its anniversaire.
What darkness dares approach this Light of Life; what foul misdeeds come near
To test the penetrating rays in search of friendly shadows?
None would dare, except those bred of Light themselves; indeed, the Unfed Flame.
But they approach without the fear that darkens every soul who
Would arise within this Flame of Life and seek the Mastery there.
Such glorious, healing, soothing Light; unknown upon the darkened face
Of this once quarantined and exiled world until "En arche en ho logos" (Εν άρχμ ήν ό λόγος)
Broke the curse of silence holding frozen all things True and Good and Beautiful.
Now dawns a day, The Soixante's day, a day of birth for all things new;
When vows are taken once again and promises are made to see a promise through;
To see the end from the beginning, awakening sans time; a beating, throbbing, vibrant heart,
That leaps up to the Flame it loves; embracing what it's not to be the thing it is.
Yes, it is that day, The Soixante's day, who holds his Life so dear
That he would deign to forfeit it that he might keep it near, so near, he daren't even speak of it.
The Silence sleeps in peace again, its rhythmic breath itself a Flame
Of Love arising from a broken cup whose chards are scattered 'round the plinth
Of such a weary altar; base indeed this table was that hosted once the Light,
But now in abject poverty of soul it fain would take its flight
Away from all that held it firm (illusions can be strong) but cannot raise its wings.
Indeed, the fault, repentance, and the strength to turn away belong, each one, to the Flame;
The Light, the Love, the Wisdom, too, are One, The Unfed Flame.
I AM, I AM, I AM, by all God's Love I know I AM that Flame of Life
And Love; yet 'tis not who appears that is that Flame, but I AM.
Healthcare, Education, and the Prison Population
The prison population can be profitably considered to be 3yr olds without the benefit of proper nutrition [read healthcare] and education. Note that I say "and" because they go together.
Perhaps the greatest civilization, other than our own, in our documented history, is the Roman Empire; and a major part of its success, I believe, is owing to a saying taken over from Thales by Juvenal who, in his Satire X, remarked: orandum est ut sit sit mens sana in corpore sano. "It is to be prayed that the mind be sound in a sound body." Thales expressed this sentiment more sanguinely by saying that the happy man is one : ὁ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὑγιής, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν εὔπορος, τὴν δὲ φύσιν εὐπαίδευτος or "who is healthy in body (σῶμα), resourceful in soul (ψυχὴν) and in nature (φύσιν) quite teachable (εὐπαίδευτος)."
The words I have included in parentheses are, respectively, soma, psyche, physis, and eupaideutos. Except for the last word, the others might seem somewhat familiar; from the first we get our word somersault; from the second we get psyche, psychology, etc.; from the third we get physics or the study of nature; and the final word is a compound word with the root word paidea, from which we get pediatrics or the branch of medicine devoted exclusively to children.
The connection between mind and body has long been known; however, the full relationship and all that it entails has gotten only spotty recognition at best. I believe the reason for this is that most inquiries into this relationship fail to take into consideration that the nature of the relationship between the four major facets of personality changes over time as a function of the growth of the individual, physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially. For instance, a single instance of nutritional imbalance will affect a child much more readily than it will an adult; but the mind and feelings of a child are much more powerful, owing to their clarity, than those of an adult, whose mind and feelings have become "clouded" and, perhaps, "jaded" over the years. This is the meaning behind, and the reason for, the exhortation that "ye must become as little children." The clarity of thinking and feeling that comes naturally to a child can be effectively cancelled or neutralized by the weight of poor instruction, lack of loving attention, and malnurishment. The higher activities of the mind and feelings are liberated only once the body's needs are met, as Maslow has shown us. If these great gifts somehow break free in the face of these detriments, they evince the tell-tale signs of incompleteness; they shine, but with shadows in their light.
Foundations are usually of a different stuff than the edifice that sits upon them; similarly, what is needed in the early years is quite different than what might be needed later on. If we are to have an informed electorate, they must be educated; if they are to benefit from the education, their more basic needs must be fulfilled; their most basic needs include nutrition and loving attention; loving attention and nutrition are optimized when the time that parents spend at work produces enough income and free time to spend with their children. I do not know what this ratio is; but there is one and we need to find it.
The target age group is 0-3; their nutrition, education, socialization, and loving nurture can be easily supported; from 3-5 a different tack is needed because their bodies need different things as do their minds and emotional bodies. Around 5 their sense of right and wrong emerges and needs to be shaped; their bodies continue to clamour for attention and exercise and true emotions come on stage. These continue to develop through the teen years until adulthood. An adult is one who has gained the mastery at every stage, learning how to still the body, the mind, and the feelings and knowing when to call upon the strengths of each.
We are quickly coming upon the time when the "greatest generation" is being eclipsed by the "baby boom generation" and this largest generation has done precious little to ensure that ensuing generations are equipped, in terms of personal mastery, to face the problems we have not solved; indeed, we have multiplied the problems. It is probably the case that the very talent, insight, and commitment we need to solve these problems is in jail. I would like to think that it is still not too late to make changes so that our nation ceases being a prisoner factory and becomes a beacon of abundance and self-actualization.
The first priority is making sure that the 0-3 yr. olds have all that they need to get to 5; the second priority is to establish the teachers now who will be teaching them at 5; concomitantly, corporate greed has to take a back seat to family survival. What we have been doing is not working; we have been favoring big business with tax advantages and incentives since Coolidge told us that "the business of America is business," but big business has bankrupted the family and filled our prisons. We would be wiser to have listened to Leo Burnett when he said that "what's good for people is good for business." (my emphasis)
We must start by protecting the most valuable elements of our society, viz., our children, and do all and only those things that ensure their survival and continuance.
Perhaps the greatest civilization, other than our own, in our documented history, is the Roman Empire; and a major part of its success, I believe, is owing to a saying taken over from Thales by Juvenal who, in his Satire X, remarked: orandum est ut sit sit mens sana in corpore sano. "It is to be prayed that the mind be sound in a sound body." Thales expressed this sentiment more sanguinely by saying that the happy man is one : ὁ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὑγιής, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν εὔπορος, τὴν δὲ φύσιν εὐπαίδευτος or "who is healthy in body (σῶμα), resourceful in soul (ψυχὴν) and in nature (φύσιν) quite teachable (εὐπαίδευτος)."
The words I have included in parentheses are, respectively, soma, psyche, physis, and eupaideutos. Except for the last word, the others might seem somewhat familiar; from the first we get our word somersault; from the second we get psyche, psychology, etc.; from the third we get physics or the study of nature; and the final word is a compound word with the root word paidea, from which we get pediatrics or the branch of medicine devoted exclusively to children.
The connection between mind and body has long been known; however, the full relationship and all that it entails has gotten only spotty recognition at best. I believe the reason for this is that most inquiries into this relationship fail to take into consideration that the nature of the relationship between the four major facets of personality changes over time as a function of the growth of the individual, physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially. For instance, a single instance of nutritional imbalance will affect a child much more readily than it will an adult; but the mind and feelings of a child are much more powerful, owing to their clarity, than those of an adult, whose mind and feelings have become "clouded" and, perhaps, "jaded" over the years. This is the meaning behind, and the reason for, the exhortation that "ye must become as little children." The clarity of thinking and feeling that comes naturally to a child can be effectively cancelled or neutralized by the weight of poor instruction, lack of loving attention, and malnurishment. The higher activities of the mind and feelings are liberated only once the body's needs are met, as Maslow has shown us. If these great gifts somehow break free in the face of these detriments, they evince the tell-tale signs of incompleteness; they shine, but with shadows in their light.
Foundations are usually of a different stuff than the edifice that sits upon them; similarly, what is needed in the early years is quite different than what might be needed later on. If we are to have an informed electorate, they must be educated; if they are to benefit from the education, their more basic needs must be fulfilled; their most basic needs include nutrition and loving attention; loving attention and nutrition are optimized when the time that parents spend at work produces enough income and free time to spend with their children. I do not know what this ratio is; but there is one and we need to find it.
The target age group is 0-3; their nutrition, education, socialization, and loving nurture can be easily supported; from 3-5 a different tack is needed because their bodies need different things as do their minds and emotional bodies. Around 5 their sense of right and wrong emerges and needs to be shaped; their bodies continue to clamour for attention and exercise and true emotions come on stage. These continue to develop through the teen years until adulthood. An adult is one who has gained the mastery at every stage, learning how to still the body, the mind, and the feelings and knowing when to call upon the strengths of each.
We are quickly coming upon the time when the "greatest generation" is being eclipsed by the "baby boom generation" and this largest generation has done precious little to ensure that ensuing generations are equipped, in terms of personal mastery, to face the problems we have not solved; indeed, we have multiplied the problems. It is probably the case that the very talent, insight, and commitment we need to solve these problems is in jail. I would like to think that it is still not too late to make changes so that our nation ceases being a prisoner factory and becomes a beacon of abundance and self-actualization.
The first priority is making sure that the 0-3 yr. olds have all that they need to get to 5; the second priority is to establish the teachers now who will be teaching them at 5; concomitantly, corporate greed has to take a back seat to family survival. What we have been doing is not working; we have been favoring big business with tax advantages and incentives since Coolidge told us that "the business of America is business," but big business has bankrupted the family and filled our prisons. We would be wiser to have listened to Leo Burnett when he said that "what's good for people is good for business." (my emphasis)
We must start by protecting the most valuable elements of our society, viz., our children, and do all and only those things that ensure their survival and continuance.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Religion
This is the name we give to the socialization of a certain kind of consciousness; it is a consciousness that, in its purity, is a divine consciousness. However, owing to our propensity to identify with everything but ourselves, we seldom expend the effort needed to drive inward to make this discovery. Accordingly, when that with which we have identified is slighted in some way, we take it as a personal affront; and if it is attacked, well, that is taken as grounds for violent retribution because it is taken as an attack upon our person.
The cure, of course, is to discover that which is the "I Am" of each of us by laying aside everything we have identified with and getting a firsthand experience of that singular consciousness; then we will discover true devotion because the other is simply idolatry--the giving of our attention to something that is not our Life.
The cure, of course, is to discover that which is the "I Am" of each of us by laying aside everything we have identified with and getting a firsthand experience of that singular consciousness; then we will discover true devotion because the other is simply idolatry--the giving of our attention to something that is not our Life.
The UN resolution
For the fourth year in a row, the United Nations will rubber stamp a resolution pushed by Islamic countries that combats what they consider defamation of religion. Apparently unbeknownst to the Islamic supporters of this resolution, this amounts to creating an "open season" on all Muslims for everyone to whom Islam is itself a defamation of religion. It may be that the supporters of the resolution think that their's is the only religion worthy of the name, hence, the only one that cannot be defamed with impunity. However, there are many who hold their own religion in the same high esteem. If this resolution had any global or international statutory authority and power, any non-Islamic country could systematically punish or kill the "offending" Muslims on the grounds that their lives were a living defamation of their national religion...after all, wasn't this what the Crusades were all about? I'd like to think that we've progressed somewhat beyond that.
Blogs
As my subtitle suggests, I'll be using this space as a venue for clarifying my own thinking; a kind of sounding board for ideas and views that I, or others, might entertain. I also leave the possibility open that I might ramble or reminisce; write poems, broadly construed, or prose, fiction or non. So, here goes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
