The Way I See It - The State

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Wed, Nov 04, 2009, 7:00 am  //  Ham Hayes

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Rousseau in 1753, by Maurice Quentin de La Tour
Father of Statism?
Source: Wikipedia
Few of us advocate for the suppression of the human spirit. In fact we would be shocked if others characterized us as miserly, mean spirited or oppressive. Yet today we find ourselves in a social, political and cultural dialog where in many quarters those characterizations are being directed toward those who hold different views. Sometimes the vocabulary reflects an “either/or” mentality and perhaps indicates a growing intolerance. One of our cherished American beliefs is that our country offers safe harbor to people who hold a wide range of differing beliefs and cultural practices. At this time, that may be more myth than truth. Control by the government appears to be increasing. And there is a corresponding decrease of influence from our religious and spiritual traditions.

The Religion of the State, or Statism, now dictates our society’s moral authority. For over 200 years, Western society has been undergoing a transformation. This transformation is marked by the systematic isolation and eradication of religious influence from the body politic. It is also marked by government, i.e. the State, providing the code of morality for society. Political and social revolutions, the rise of National Socialism, Fascism, Communism, and indeed modern western democratic societies can trace their genealogy back to 18th and 19th century philosophers and the basic premise that moral authority comes not from God, but man. The intention of those who advocate increased government control can be well meant. That’s what we wish to believe about our own government. Other 20th Century societies, Germany, Russia, China, and Cambodia among others, went another way, the way of genocide to eliminate opposition to the new priesthoods of those societies. And all of their State "priesthoods" believed they were morally justified in their actions.

Today, we can understand the reasons for the French Revolution and the overthrow of a monarchy backed by religious authority. One only has to visit Versailles, palace of the last French kings, to see the unparalleled decadence of the French monarchy. When built by Louis XIV, that palace cost France one-half of its gross domestic product. That is like our government spending 7 trillion dollars today on a really nice house for the President and his staff. In the evolution of humanity, we see the revolutionary events and the thinking behind them as part of a dynamic that breaks through the old toxic thought forms and opens the planet up to truly new thinking. In that era, Mankind needed to be freed from ego-based religious institutions. The corrupt human institutions that usurped control of access to God and authorized “divinity” to kings had to go.

Belief in the State is the ultimate political expression of rationalism. It is the political end of scientific thought. This dynamic has been running since the Renaissance. The dynamic was meant to break the worldly enslavement of the spiritual world by mankind’s ego. Recently, Statism has been somewhat successful in breaking this enslavement, but not completely. The “not completely” is due to the premise by Statism that there is no spiritual world at all, and science can be legitimately opposed or used for the State’s purposes. Where that leaves modern society and science is at the mercy of Statism’s relativistic moral authority. And having been almost completely marginalized by the State, spiritual wisdom traditions are now largely ignored if not harassed.

This is the source of stress in our political and social institutions. We have seen the rise of the State and had hope in its promises. What has actually happened over the last century has mostly resulted in broken promises, a continued inability to solve problems, and great harm done to our fellow Man. Some track record. And that record combined with marginalization of our spiritual traditions has left us with great uncertainty about what is right and wrong. We seem to have constant and challenging arguments with each other about the course of action we need to take to solve complex societal issues. Too often we seek to make the other person or group “wrong”, often because the only things we have to fall back on are discredited or non-relevant beliefs. The other results of this situation include the feeling of loss of power, a rise of cynicism and finally non-participation by many of us.

Continued separation between the State, Spirit and Science will not serve us. We will continue to wander in our political and social turbulence and continue to fail in solving pandemic addictions to everything from drugs to political power. In the past, we have relied on religious institutions, government and science to tell us what to do. That doesn’t work. The solution to our dilemma lies within us. We are capable of integrating the three principles, fusing the wisdom of each. What that will take from each of us is personal involvement and personal responsibility combined with the understanding that we are all connected. It is not "either-or" and we’ve got a lot to lose if we don’t.

David Camp  //  Wed, Nov 04, 2009, 10:47 am

Anonymous Robot World

Hiding behind a laptop (filled with righteous zeal)
we spray pseudonymous opinions into the void.
Watching porn, clinically categorized; voting against the homo’s (they’re Sinners!) - What? My homo-hatred is public? We can’t have that!

Who likes to be hated? There’s plenty to go around - no shortage of folks concerned with motes and deliberately ignorant of beams.

Enabled irresponsibility, forever juvenile. Looking for a reason to dismiss the other.

The sickness is deep, the reality broken, the replacement unhealthy. Live in this pretend world as the real world dies.

The Way I See It - Mud resurrected

Wed, Jul 28, 2010, 4:39 am  //  Ham Hayes

It is time we gave “mud” back its good name.

0 comments

The Way I See It - En Garde

Wed, Jul 21, 2010, 4:42 am  //  Ham Hayes

“We have lots of robberies.” As I reported last week, that was the apocalyptic statement by the investigating officer to our recent plight in St.…

0 comments

Greed: The Shadowy So-called Non-profit Taecan

Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 11:53 am  //  Tip Johnson

For-Profit Non-Profits - Pulling the Plug on Services

0 comments

The Forsaken Constituents of Lummi Island

Mon, Jul 19, 2010, 11:20 am  //  Tip Johnson

Taxation without representation

3 comments; last on Jul 28, 2010

Libraries are still very valuable

Fri, Jul 16, 2010, 8:18 pm  //  John Servais

The New Spice Man tells us why libraries are useful and valuable. This applies to all libraries.

0 comments

Three Port Executive Finalists Withdraw

Fri, Jul 16, 2010, 1:30 pm  //  John Servais

In a surprise development, the Port of Bellingham is starting over again in their search for an executive director. Position now vacant for over a…

1 comments; last on Jul 18, 2010

Book Review:  Whole Earth Discipline

Fri, Jul 16, 2010, 4:44 am  //  Guest writer

Eric Hirst reviews this October 2009 book by Stewart Brand of Whole Earth Catalog fame. Stewart is critical of several mainstream environmental stances.

1 comments; last on Jul 19, 2010

The Way I See It - From Russia with Love

Wed, Jul 14, 2010, 5:17 pm  //  Ham Hayes

Ham's final post on his travel comments from Russia.

0 comments

Climate and transparent process

Wed, Jul 14, 2010, 11:52 am  //  John Servais

The Atlantic Monthly has an article on Climate gate that every Enviro true believer should read. Some healthy skepticism is very needed.

1 comments; last on Jul 17, 2010

Oil Spill - What is not reported

Mon, Jun 28, 2010, 1:17 pm  //  John Servais

BP oil spill video taken on a private plane flight over the Gulf of Mexico. The spill is worse than our media are telling us.

0 comments

Never Enough? Enough is Enough!

Mon, Jun 21, 2010, 4:40 pm  //  Tip Johnson

Wherein the absurdity of the Lummi Blockade is explored in yet more excrutiating detail

1 comments; last on Jun 22, 2010

Please sign the anti-whaling petition

Thu, Jun 17, 2010, 11:31 pm  //  John Servais

Let's help get one million signatures on the anti-whaling petition.

1 comments; last on Jun 20, 2010

The Way I See It - Heart and Gut

Wed, Jun 16, 2010, 4:56 am  //  Ham Hayes

Our society is out of its mind. Well, maybe not quite completely, but it needs to be.

0 comments

Public support saves Fairhaven Library

Tue, Jun 15, 2010, 11:36 pm  //  John Servais

Library Trustees reversed themselves from last week and spared closing the Fairhaven library.

6 comments; last on Jun 17, 2010

DOWNWARD BOUND - with Hippie Jim

Mon, Jun 14, 2010, 11:34 am  //  Kamalla Rose Kaur

Wherein Hippie Jim addresses a growing need in our modern age

0 comments

How to close a library

Mon, Jun 14, 2010, 4:44 am  //  John Servais

Yes, the city powers have decided to close the Fairhaven Library. Only strong citizen objections can change it.

0 comments

Apparently You Can Always Get What You Want

Fri, Jun 11, 2010, 3:08 pm  //  Guest writer

Marilyn Olsen is today's guest writer. She submitted this the day after the Library Board meeting.

0 comments

The Way I See It - A long way to go

Wed, Jun 09, 2010, 8:35 pm  //  Ham Hayes

Success often comes in small steps spread over time. A recent article from the local Seattle office of the FBI underscores one of those moments,…

0 comments

Barry Buchanan running for Mayor

Tue, Jun 08, 2010, 9:45 pm  //  John Servais

Barry Buchanan, city council representative from Bellingham's Third Ward, has filed papers to run for Mayor.

0 comments

The Dumbest Meeting Ever

Tue, Jun 08, 2010, 9:31 pm  //  Tip Johnson

I mean, come on!

3 comments; last on Jun 09, 2010

Fairhaven Library to be Closed

Tue, Jun 08, 2010, 12:13 pm  //  John Servais

Bellingham Library Board of Trustees decided today to close the library for cost cutting reasons. Branches are low priority. Formal vote next week.

2 comments; last on Jun 08, 2010

The Way I See It – The Return of the Grail: Seek Truth. Speak It.

Wed, Jun 02, 2010, 4:22 am  //  Ham Hayes

The unfolding story through time and space in France

3 comments; last on May 19, 2010

Five Minutes

Tue, Jun 01, 2010, 7:33 am  //  Tip Johnson

Oil Addiction: All Day Every Day

0 comments

Shame on Israel

Mon, May 31, 2010, 7:43 pm  //  John Servais

Israel is becoming a rogue state. It is showing a disdain for International law and world opinion.

13 comments; last on Jun 03, 2010

From a Political Junkie: That Anti-Incumbent Feeling

Mon, May 24, 2010, 4:34 am  //  Riley Sweeney

Riley Sweeney examines the primaries in PA, KY and AR and what it means for 2010.

6 comments; last on May 25, 2010

Re-Legalize Cannabis and End an Un-American Prohibition

Sun, May 23, 2010, 11:37 am  //  Guest writer

David Camp writes on Prohibition and the American Way

3 comments; last on May 28, 2010

An Affair to Remember

Mon, May 17, 2010, 3:42 pm  //  Guest writer

Sharon Crozier attended a meeting with Congressman Rick Larsen.

2 comments; last on May 20, 2010

From a Political Junkie: Marriage, Values and Culture

Mon, May 17, 2010, 4:55 am  //  Riley Sweeney

Riley Sweeney discusses the discomfort of religious and cultural differences among friends

1 comments; last on May 17, 2010

From a Political Junkie: The Golden Age of Radio

Mon, May 10, 2010, 4:44 am  //  Riley Sweeney

Riley Sweeney asks for plot ideas for a local radio drama

0 comments

The Story Of My Life

Sun, May 09, 2010, 1:58 pm  //  Kamalla Rose Kaur

Kamalla's connection with other Northwest news

0 comments

Craig Mayberry Announces Candidacy for the 42nd District State House, Position 1

Wed, May 05, 2010, 9:34 am  //  Craig Mayberry

Craig Mayberry announces he is running for the State Legislature.

2 comments; last on May 06, 2010

The Way I See It - Flights of Fancy

Wed, May 05, 2010, 4:24 am  //  Ham Hayes

Ham is preparing for another fun filled trip by air.

1 comments; last on May 05, 2010

 

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