The Oppression of the Individual

Margaret Thatcher famously declared in 1987: “There is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families.” Revolting to think she is idolized, as that hyper-individualistic worldview has brought ruin for 500 years.

Don’t Hear Anything Bad About This One

While I do not know that I necessarily ascribe to the “Messenger” aspect of the Baha’i Faith, its “oneness of religions”  stance is appealing.   Bahai’i core principles:

Oneness of humanity and dignity of every human being

Freedom from prejudice

Equality of women and men

Spiritual solution to economic problems

Commitment to education and the search for truth

Harmony of faith, reason, and science

Highest moral standards

Improve the material, social, and spiritual life of each community

One of their proverbs stood out for me:

“Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner.”

I sure fail at that one now and then and need to do better!

The Game Is On

I couldn’t be bothered, the game is on.

I don’t have time for that, the game is on.

That’s so boring; besides, the game is on.

You’re right, the game is on.  It’s late in the third quarter and you’re behind by a lot.  Only extraordinary effort on yours and your teammates’ parts will avert defeat.

The game? It is your very future, your very freedom, and your descendants’.

Great Nations Do Not Impoverish Their Intellectuals

Tenured professors continue to get early retirement buy outs.  Not only are they costing the university money with their higher salaries, but they are a “bad” example for the newbie profs who are already, or about to be, getting shortchanged.  That is, no retirement program other than the false one available to most private sector employees these days, and lower wages.

The independence of intellectuals, so needed for society, was under siege before. 

And now, another wall has been breached. 

Tough Guys? It's Relative

Men’s vulnerabilities are complex.  Some men can take enormous pain and deprivation, but give them a flu bug and they shrivel in incredible weakness and intolerance.

Bother That

Does it bother no one that we prosecuted and jailed—at hard labor—Japanese for waterboarding?  That we apparently courtmartialed an American soldier in Vietnam for doing it?  And yet today we say when we did it last decade “it wasn’t torture,” or “it was justified,” or “well, maybe it wasn’t exactly right, but we certainly aren’t going to prosecute anyone for it.”

As conscience dims, a dark state fills the void.

Something we should remember whenever our desire for “safety” and “security” from possible terror attacks tempt us to give up who and what we truly are and should be.  Isn’t it better that hundreds, maybe thousands, of people POSSIBLY be put in danger rather than all of us lose our collective American soul?

Fish In A Barrel Satire

The congressman going to jail for money laundering and hiding his “business’s” profits?  He will be replaced by the prosecutor who didn’t try to bring an indictment against the cop who killed Eric Garner.