7 June 2009
FEAR PARALYZES-REASON LIBERATES
RELIGION IS FEAR-SCIENCE IS REASON
As we dig deeper into the meaning and purpose of Humanistic Equalism: Philosophy for Ethical Government, keep this in mind: Time flows, or moves, in only one direction-forward.
Everything, absolutely everything in the known universe operates, that is proceeds, adheres to, one process. It is the process of birth, stabilization, decline, and death. This process is the signifier of change. Change is the actual observable experience of this process. Change is the consequence, or result of cause and effect, which is the natural law that underlies, drives, literally every aspect of what we call life. That is being alive, living. And finally, change is the natural expression of time. In other words, as a result of cause and effect nothing remains the same from moment to moment. Therefore, change is always occurring and cannot be stopped.
If we accept these statements to be true, and they are, then we face a perplexing paradox. The paradox is that in spite of knowing full-well (and I do believe that every human being, on some level, does know) that change is inevitable, a fact, a certainty, we-humankind- resist change even at the cost of our own life. Why?
This conundrum has perplexed me for decades. Why has humanity throughout civilized history wasted so much of it's physical energy and intellectual power trying to stop that which cannot be stopped? This puzzle is one of the primary reasons behind the creation and development of Humanistic Equalism: Philosophy for Ethical Government, which brings us back to point of this blog.
The primary premise from which the logic of Humanistic Equalism Philosophy for Ethical Government flows is that if the sole reason for a government to exist is improving the lives and condition of all citizens by establishing, then guaranteeing absolutely equal status, privileges, and rights for all, it will be an ethical government.
So far in this review at the beginning of the second year of publishing Shift of Power, I have emphasized the Humanistic element. I contend that meaning, or purpose of life, as far as we are concerned, is about only one thing: human beings. Human prosperity, human experience, and human happiness. The first law of nature is life, that is, to survive, to live, to stay alive. Thus, it is for human development and improvement society and government should, indeed must, exist.
The second law of nature is equality, or, as I have defined it within the context of my work, absolutely equal status, privileges, and rights for every citizen. Equal, or equality, is not synonymous with fair. Fair is a subjective concept that flows from, is a product of equal. Equality is a principle. To put it another way, fair treatment is relative and subject to interpretation, while equal is either the same, or it is not. Equal and equality is constant. As such, if government functions treating every citizen, private and corporate, equal, then it must be fair. Within the context of my work, Equalism (here-to-fore unknown), arises by adding the suffix "ism" to the root word equal.
This next bit is somewhat technical, so please bear with me. The suffix "ism" means action, process, or practice that implies doctrine, theory, or system of principles. In the case of this political philosophy, Equalism is narrowly defined as a doctrine, or theory regarding the improvement of human life that is animated by the principle of equal, or equality with respect to the function of government. It contains a system that describes the process to actively apply the theoretical principles of absolutely equal status, privileges, and rights for all citizens. Now, what does this mean in plain language?
After nearly fifty-seven years I have concluded that every human being inherently, naturally desires to be secure, happy, and treated as equal. Even the most ardent conservative, and the most dogmatic liberal must agree to this. What I mean is, I am convinced that human beings, every human being on earth, comes into this life with this desire. This is our natural condition, it is intrinsic to our nature, it's in our DNA. Of course, human history will testify that we have pursued fulfilment of this desire by mostly negative means, that is, fear, hatred, discrimination, and war. Human history is the story of coercion, force, conquest, and oppression. I submit that the source of these means and methods is religious orthodoxy and I argue in my work that religion's influence and entanglement in the function of government is the source for the failure of all states, nations, and empires.
Until we, human beings, act and govern exclusively and expressly for the purpose of improving and advancing the human race; and until we institute a governing process whereby EVERY citizen is regarded as having absolutely equal status, privileges, and rights our species, indeed civilization, cannot advance. There is no doubt that technology, communication, science, medicine, and all of our material existence will continue to develop. Our society, our social condition, the way we treat each other however, will remain just as it is this very moment.
Society today, that is, the way people treat each other and the way governments act and function have not changed noticeably in over five thousand years. The truth is humans are just slightly less barbaric than our cave dwelling ancestors. We may be more sophisticated, more subtle, more politically correct in our barbarism to each other, but we are barbaric none the less. I realize this is a strong statement that most people immediately reject as asinine and absurd. I wish it were not true. I encourage readers, once your outrage subsides, to simply take some time to seriously reflect and think about the news of any given day. If what happens around the world, and in your home town everyday is not inhumane and barbaric behavior, then the formal dictionary definition of barbarity, barbarism, barbaric must be changed.
Until next time, Give Peace a Chance.
James B. Tinsley, B.A.
REVOLUTION ACTION ALERT: Please speak out vigorously, forcefully, and loudly as often as possible to demand that Congress and President Obama enact SINGLE-PAYER HEALTH CARE and eliminate all useless fraudulent corporate for-profit health insurance. You can start by checking out singlepayeraction.org and ralphnader.org.
Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Thursday, May 15, 2008
HUMAN RIGHTS SUPERCEDE THOSE OF ANY SO-CALLED GOD
15 May 2008
A special post: BLOGGERSUNITE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Although I had intended to continue a series of postings concerning the absence of absolute equality and the lack of adequate affordable health care in the United States, which is, in my opinion, a clear demonstration of America's own Human Rights failure. I am compelled to deviate from that and contribute what little I can to the effort of Blog Catalog and Amnesty International, along with thousands of other concerned citizens and people around the world to elevate awareness of the ongoing and inexcusable Human Rights violations being committed on every continent and by every nation on earth.
Nearly all of the topics listed as the focus of today's event, and those listed on the Amnesty International web page are the deceptive fruit upon the branches of one huge ugly tree whose trunk extends from a single root germinated from a seed planted at the beginning of Human civilization. I am, of course, talking about the poisonous tree of Religion, the unnatural worship and subjugation by people to some supposed being, intelligence, or power that is believed to be infinite and supreme.
"But wait," says the religionist, "My religion, my God, my Christ, the Allah or Buddha I believe in, is the source of all that is love and mercy, forgiveness and redemption, salvation and hope." Even those that do not necessarily "believe," "practice," or "support" any particular doctrine or creed still cannot bring themselves to denounce or deny the the existence of some power, some thing, that is beyond or greater than humans ability to comprehend and understand. Very few people in the world can face the facts and admit that, as far as we can discern, there is no greater force or higher intelligence than human force and human intelligence. Yet, it is true. There is absolutely nothing in the entire universe more valuable than a living human being. The fact is that everything people regard as having value is made valuable because of and by human beings. Without humans even a God is worthless.
The fundamental perception and general belief is that corrupt governments, cruel dictators, authoritarian military juntas or ego maniacal tyrants are responsible for locking up someone for their political expression, or for reporting on the neglect and abuse of groups or whole segments of a country's population. Most people believe that it is a president or congress, prime minister or parliament, supreme council or renegade revolutionary that conducts war on terrorism, profiles certain racial, ethnic or sexually oriented individuals or organizations, targeting them for arrest and torture in places like Guantanamo prison, Palestine, Pakistan, Iraq, Manhatten, or Texas. Many believe that it is greedy multi-national corporations, ideological think tanks,or resource seeking empires that give arms and support to killers, thugs, and thieves in order to suppress the desires of locals or oppress popular movements for reform and justice.
But corrupt governments, pseudo-aristocratic legislators, military rulers, dictators and tyrants; corporations, think tanks, empires and thugs are only a symptom of the real disease. They are physical manifestation, the sores of the leprosy, the bloated stomach of starvation; the gang rape of a young child. The actual source of the infection, the virus, the germ or act of defilement; the true progenitor of the plague that is the experience of all abuses and violations of the basic rights of every living human being is belief in some infinitely wise, powerful and beneficent God or power or force who is superior to and independent of nature.
Famine is not caused by some enraged and revengeful deity, sickness is not produced as punishment, no God has ever intervened in behalf of the weak and innocent. There is a vast difference between religion and justice, worshipers of the same God take delight in cutting each other's throats, and no God at any time interferes with the order of events. The civilization of humanity and the recognition and acknowledgement of the rights of humans has, throughout history, increased just to the same extent that religious power has decreased.
In support of the real ends of life: absolute equality, liberty- of thought, action and expression; that every human being be granted the same rights as every other human being, and to render some small service to the cause of human rights, progress and happiness I submit these remarks and commit my energy and time. It is better to love humans than to fear God. Give Peace a chance.
James B. Tinsley, B.A.
A special post: BLOGGERSUNITE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Although I had intended to continue a series of postings concerning the absence of absolute equality and the lack of adequate affordable health care in the United States, which is, in my opinion, a clear demonstration of America's own Human Rights failure. I am compelled to deviate from that and contribute what little I can to the effort of Blog Catalog and Amnesty International, along with thousands of other concerned citizens and people around the world to elevate awareness of the ongoing and inexcusable Human Rights violations being committed on every continent and by every nation on earth.
Nearly all of the topics listed as the focus of today's event, and those listed on the Amnesty International web page are the deceptive fruit upon the branches of one huge ugly tree whose trunk extends from a single root germinated from a seed planted at the beginning of Human civilization. I am, of course, talking about the poisonous tree of Religion, the unnatural worship and subjugation by people to some supposed being, intelligence, or power that is believed to be infinite and supreme.
"But wait," says the religionist, "My religion, my God, my Christ, the Allah or Buddha I believe in, is the source of all that is love and mercy, forgiveness and redemption, salvation and hope." Even those that do not necessarily "believe," "practice," or "support" any particular doctrine or creed still cannot bring themselves to denounce or deny the the existence of some power, some thing, that is beyond or greater than humans ability to comprehend and understand. Very few people in the world can face the facts and admit that, as far as we can discern, there is no greater force or higher intelligence than human force and human intelligence. Yet, it is true. There is absolutely nothing in the entire universe more valuable than a living human being. The fact is that everything people regard as having value is made valuable because of and by human beings. Without humans even a God is worthless.
The fundamental perception and general belief is that corrupt governments, cruel dictators, authoritarian military juntas or ego maniacal tyrants are responsible for locking up someone for their political expression, or for reporting on the neglect and abuse of groups or whole segments of a country's population. Most people believe that it is a president or congress, prime minister or parliament, supreme council or renegade revolutionary that conducts war on terrorism, profiles certain racial, ethnic or sexually oriented individuals or organizations, targeting them for arrest and torture in places like Guantanamo prison, Palestine, Pakistan, Iraq, Manhatten, or Texas. Many believe that it is greedy multi-national corporations, ideological think tanks,or resource seeking empires that give arms and support to killers, thugs, and thieves in order to suppress the desires of locals or oppress popular movements for reform and justice.
But corrupt governments, pseudo-aristocratic legislators, military rulers, dictators and tyrants; corporations, think tanks, empires and thugs are only a symptom of the real disease. They are physical manifestation, the sores of the leprosy, the bloated stomach of starvation; the gang rape of a young child. The actual source of the infection, the virus, the germ or act of defilement; the true progenitor of the plague that is the experience of all abuses and violations of the basic rights of every living human being is belief in some infinitely wise, powerful and beneficent God or power or force who is superior to and independent of nature.
Famine is not caused by some enraged and revengeful deity, sickness is not produced as punishment, no God has ever intervened in behalf of the weak and innocent. There is a vast difference between religion and justice, worshipers of the same God take delight in cutting each other's throats, and no God at any time interferes with the order of events. The civilization of humanity and the recognition and acknowledgement of the rights of humans has, throughout history, increased just to the same extent that religious power has decreased.
In support of the real ends of life: absolute equality, liberty- of thought, action and expression; that every human being be granted the same rights as every other human being, and to render some small service to the cause of human rights, progress and happiness I submit these remarks and commit my energy and time. It is better to love humans than to fear God. Give Peace a chance.
James B. Tinsley, B.A.
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