5.31.2004
Before anybody starts blaming those above for the actions of those below, perhaps peruse this.
I believe that there is something that is fundamentally flawed with all humans that brings this sort of behavior out. Some people blame their upbringing, their culture, or their commanders. Others blame a condition. I agree with this latter group. Not a condition of the mind or of circumstance, but of the soul. They (and I) would call it sin. That is not a popular word these days. Despite the obvious logical flaws, we have beome a pluralistic and relativistic world. Many would dispute my use of the s-word, but there is still something deep within us that knows - instintively, deeply, preconciously knows- what is right and what is wrong and I think we all know it when we see it. We see it when priests start chasing little boys, when rock stars start chasing little boys and when little boys grow up to be men who start chasing other men. We see it when the rich and powerful leverage the rules to maintain their riches and power. We see it when the poor think that their problems will be solved if they co-opt the riches and power they simultaneously denounce.
Everybody claims that these sorts of behaviors are ingrained in us in varying ways and degrees so deeply that to deny them is to deny our humanity. But these arguments hold no water. Indeed, to deny them IS our humanity. Because alongside the proclivities and tendencies and "genetic predisposiitons" (if there in fact are such things) lies something that reveals to us that these things are wrong. As CS Lewis said, if you don't believe in an objective, absolute truth, just listen to someone having an argument. Every position is based on the assumption and presupposition that the opposing party has violated some known, common law. There would be no argument without it. So, we can either use these activities to say that nothing is actually right or wrong - a position even its proponents can't and don't entirely buy- or we can realize that there is some sort of objective truth out there. And that we can know it. And that this realization and knowledge propels us to DO something about it. To modify our own actions to conform to this obvious standard. And to try to impel others to do the same.
And everything hinges on that point.
I believe that there is something that is fundamentally flawed with all humans that brings this sort of behavior out. Some people blame their upbringing, their culture, or their commanders. Others blame a condition. I agree with this latter group. Not a condition of the mind or of circumstance, but of the soul. They (and I) would call it sin. That is not a popular word these days. Despite the obvious logical flaws, we have beome a pluralistic and relativistic world. Many would dispute my use of the s-word, but there is still something deep within us that knows - instintively, deeply, preconciously knows- what is right and what is wrong and I think we all know it when we see it. We see it when priests start chasing little boys, when rock stars start chasing little boys and when little boys grow up to be men who start chasing other men. We see it when the rich and powerful leverage the rules to maintain their riches and power. We see it when the poor think that their problems will be solved if they co-opt the riches and power they simultaneously denounce.
Everybody claims that these sorts of behaviors are ingrained in us in varying ways and degrees so deeply that to deny them is to deny our humanity. But these arguments hold no water. Indeed, to deny them IS our humanity. Because alongside the proclivities and tendencies and "genetic predisposiitons" (if there in fact are such things) lies something that reveals to us that these things are wrong. As CS Lewis said, if you don't believe in an objective, absolute truth, just listen to someone having an argument. Every position is based on the assumption and presupposition that the opposing party has violated some known, common law. There would be no argument without it. So, we can either use these activities to say that nothing is actually right or wrong - a position even its proponents can't and don't entirely buy- or we can realize that there is some sort of objective truth out there. And that we can know it. And that this realization and knowledge propels us to DO something about it. To modify our own actions to conform to this obvious standard. And to try to impel others to do the same.
And everything hinges on that point.
< 23:19 >< /j >
