song of the day: No Myth (Michael Penn)
word of the day: Sodality (1, companionship, fellowship, a society, a confraternity, an association 2, a religious guild or brotherhood)
monk of the day: Mike Tarrolly (former manager, long time friend, marketing wizard who conceived "The Take-Away" promotion strategy)
alright, i was on a rant yesterday. but i stand by what i said. however, i would like to underline the fact that this is not a partisan issue for me. it is not that i am a liberal who hates conservatives. i truly, sincerely, in my heart of hearts believe BOTH parties, in their HEALTHY forms, play indespinsible roles and bring much to the table. as with any apparent "opposites", they're actually complementary, but again, the critical qualifier is "HEALTHY" form. what we have, in general, (and it goes without saying that everything you read in this blog is my opinion) are two PATHOLOGICAL forms of left and right, and yes, to be honest, the right is currently without a doubt the more dangerously, insidiously ill. have you ever spent time in close quarters with a clinically deranged lunatic? you have if you live in the United States. there is quite literally a mass hallucination under way. at any rate, i'm not going to rant today, i'm not going to rant today. i just want to offer a snippet of what i'm getting at here. today i'll do a sample of the conservative healthy / pathological, and tomorrow i'll do the liberal.
Conservative Perspective:
Assets, Merits (HEALTHY FORM) Liabilities, Detractions (PATHOLOGICAL FORM)
*Is a value-directed perspective that *Taken to an extreme, this impulse can
understands and acknowledges the become rigid, exclusive, and
importance of religion and spirituality fundamentalist. In the concomitant
in peoples lives, and as part of the seizure of fear, adherants may imagine
cohering gel of society. It forms and concoct foes and adversaries where
unbelievably important communities there are none, and aggressively pursue
based in faith which provide support an either / or, with us / against us
and connection for people who would binary-ISM which it applies in all social,
not or could not find it elsewhere. political, and cultural domains,
This is incredibly powerful in helping undermining and marginalizing its own
people attain stability, order, and public, and alienating it from the World
purpose to their lives. community.
*A conservative approach to *Greed and power-lust can hijack these
economics and finances creates affairs, circumventing national and
security and often prosperity. The international law to feed an insatiable,
possibility for an increased quality of insane hunger for unchecked and flatland
life rises for the entire population when expansion and growth. Power-lust
national economy grows. With this masquerades as democracy, corporations
important economic foundation at home, and the military industrial complex
we can be more helpful abroad to others manipulate and distort the public sense of
in need. religion and patriotism into a fear-based
shell game that conflates dissent and sacrilege,
keeping people chronically distracted while
professional criminals plunder humanity.
*An authentic, sincere conservative *Taken too far, this perspective can become
approach to social issues truly DOES cold or unwilling to help, or via ulterior motives
know the difference between idiot attach contingencies on its willingness to assist
compassion and true compassion, and (we'll help you, but you have to be the way
is able to do the difficult but most loving we want you to be, do what we want you to
thing by expecting and requiring people do, and do not deviate from our prescribed
to provide for them selves, take initiative version of "right")
in their lives, and be valuable, contributing
members of society. It recognizes the
danger in collective "enabling" and
strives to keep our society strong by
calling for people to actualize their
potential and not merely syphon from those
around them.
*A conservative approach to national defense *It's terribly easy for this fact to be exploited
does keep us strong, independent, and for nefarious purposes by those who benefit
safer in the World. We cannot forget or financially and strategically from war, conflict,
underestimate the value of a strong military and strife. Witness our current situation...
in a World with such a wild, unpredictable
mix of memes and technology. In a day and
age when very, very advanced technological
weaponry is at the disposal of some very
confused and undeveloped minds and hearts
its essential we not forfeit our opportunity
to continue the (interior) evolution of civilization.
Although we hope and imagine a future where
armies and war will be antiquated, we realize
it will be many centuries at least, and for
the foreseeable future we have to remain
strong enough to prevent the collapse of
freedom.
