The difference between Conservatives/Leftists, Legalism/Nonconformity or Compliance/Rebellion can cause such division that it is almost impossible to maintain a civil society anymore. How do we find our way through the division without becoming something of an overbearing, intolerant oaf who rejects anyone with differing opinions?
I have been re-reading my favorite book by my favorite author, “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis. Last night, I came across a seemingly prophetic section dealing with today’s political climate in the chapter, Two Notes. This chapter is an expansion of the previous chapter dealing with how God changes mankind into ‘Sons of God’ from who they are in the fallen, sinful state in which they were born. Mr. Lewis is explaining why God didn’t make man ‘Sons of God’ from the start instead of “bringing them to life by such a difficult and painful process”.
He, of course, answers the question with several facts and possibilities. I say, ‘of course’, because for anyone who has read C. S. Lewis, you would know that he likes to cover all bases (and he likes to make you think!). The first fact is that God did create mankind as ‘Sons of God’ in that they were prefect. He also created them with free will, and there is the rub. We chose poorly, thus the need for the “difficult and painful process”.
Mr. Lewis continues the discussion by answering another question posed to him, “All Christians are agreed that there is, in the full and original sense, only one ‘Son of God’. If we insist on asking ‘But could there have been many?’ we find ourselves in very deep water.” I heartily suggest that, if this peaks your interest, you read this wonderful book. I will just say that he delves into some interesting ideas that have been discussed by philosophers to try to explain the unexplainable.
After discussing these possibilities, he closes the chapter by making a statement about falling into the trap of choosing between two errors of thinking: Totalitarian and Individualistic. Warning – the term ‘Individualistic’ is NOT the same as American Individualism. He is using it to describe something he had discussed in the chapter; and if I tried to explain it, I’d have to copy the whole chapter! Better you read it for yourself.
Here is the section I feel relates to our current political landscape:
I feel a strong desire to tell you – and I expect you feel a strong desire to tell me – which of these two errors is the worse. That is the devil getting at us. He always sends errors into the world in pairs – pairs of opposites. And he always encourages us to spend a lot of time thinking which is the worse. You see why, of course? He relies on your extra dislike of the one error to draw you gradually into the opposite one. But do not let us be fooled. We have to keep our eyes on the goal and go straight through between both errors. We have no other concern than that with either of them.
A great book. I also recommend G. K. Chesterton’s trio of books on Christianity. His take on arguments is golden. I believe the human mind operates efficiently by using categories and contexts to avoid having to apprehend every situation encountered starting from scratch. You make assumptions. But this mode of operation can lead us into arguments that have no foundation. An example would be the science vs. God argument. If you step back and look at it, the two things are so different that putting them together like opposing teams is nonsense. They never cross paths. To make such arguments requires keeping to categories and contexts just as if you were competing in a sporting event and having to follow the rules. So the errors being sent in pairs by the devil are often mistakes of this kind. They are errors of category and context.
The Great Deceiver- the ego. Were we able to put pride and judgment aside, imagine how simple the quest for Truth would be. Childs play so to speak. United we stand(in search of Truth) divided we fall.
One day I walked out of Half Price Books with a volume that contained Mere Christianity and two others and then proceeded to spend about two years immersed in reading Lewis and Chesterton. Thankfully, at the time I was tipping bridges and quite often had six to eight hours/day to read. Even on a busy day on a drawbridge you still have a lot of free time.
There are so many passages that I wish to return to to review them and refresh my mind… but can’t remember where to find them. I think it is about time to reread a bunch of those books and this time tab them with post it flags.
CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, JRR Tolkien, Russell Kirk, Francis Schaeffer, Malcom Muggeridge, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Wendell Berry, Whittaker Chambers and a Catholic Canadian author named Michael D O’Brien are amongst my favorite writers who make me think critically. And Ray Bradbury, Robert A Heinlein and Clifford D Simak for sci fi.
Muggeridge is great, Fulton Sheen can be good too.
Critical thinking is called for when issues arrive that have nuances that bear examination. Things ‘too close to call’ on a first, cursory examination. Issues that have perhaps different aspects but taken as a whole are much of the same cloth. Hence the term ‘critical’ as applied most closely to the definition.
The current popular or “VIRAL!!!” differences in the political landscape present in the US requires not the slightest bit of critical thinking.
One path leads to the preservation of the country as imagined, founded, and codified in our chartering documents.
The other is the reign of Pol Pot in Cambodia. With 5th avenue glossy PR.
Like I said, this requires no critical thinking.
Man had free will BEFORE the fall
rabbit tobacco, Absolutely. That is what caused the fall; choosing to sin using their free will.
All of us who can think critically and think for ourselves are going to be in a lot of trouble if the shit hits the fan. We may have to go underground to keep knowledge alive like the Irish monks who saved civilization from the barbarians or the living books who memorized whole books in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. I will not go down blind and stupid and totally ignorant if it ever comes to that. I hate book burners of any kind Nazi or otherwise.
TIME TO SECEDE
Hurry, while we still have a few states to secede to.
“When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
Dichotomy is reality.
We live in a binary world.
Life – Death.
Light – Darkness.
On – Off.
Good – Evil.
Pain – Pleasure.
Work – Sloth.
Producer – Parasite.
(more, of course, but pointless to continue)
Most of these things we tend to obscure through our hubris or through our enormous ability to self-deceive.
For reasons of politics we choose to confuse the realities and substances of, say, Soviet Socialism and National Socialism (I mention these two because they are those most often brayed about) and so we, consequently, perceive them as the opposites from which we must define a middle course. Thus, we must, by definition, obtain a muddled sense and a redefinition, of both “Liberty” and “Freedom” which inculcates limitations, or, if one prefers, compromises.
This is exactly how we arrive at each others’ throats.
“I want you dead.”
“I don’t want to be dead.”
“Well … let’s compromise … I’ll kill you later.”
“Uhh … OK.”
Or:
“I want the fruits of your labor.”
“I don’t want to give you the fruits of my labor.”
“Well … let’s compromise … I’ll take HALF the fruits of your labor.”
“Uhh … OK.”
Resentment grows.
More is demanded.
The appetite for power is insatiable.
The cycle continues.
izlamo delenda est …