Post by albanus.britanicusyahoo.com on Oct 3, 2011 0:24:04 GMT -5
Hierarchy and other ideas.
Eunomia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunomia_%28goddess%29 who is of course the Greek goddess of Good Order, or government under good ie just laws.
As an aside for those that do not know, Good Order had two other aspects or more poetically sisters that the Greeks put with her: Justice, Dike, and Peace, Eirene. Order, Justice, Peace: sounds like a good combination to me. (The Greeks truly are a never ending well -- even today they show the way in rebelling against the world system of pirate banking. But at all odds.)
Am I the only one that finds these three things desirable for their own self? As final ends to be sought as ends not means to further ends? While one must be able to war savagely and viciously without pity, who really does not desire peace and quite and tranquility over war and brutality? And so too with justice and order? Surely peace can become an excuse for cowardess, and justice legalistic and cold, order nothing but blind acceptance of what has been, but they need not, and this is not a valid reason to toss out the ideal. Surely that the ideal will take constant work and a will to hope against hope is good in that it sets the collective mind to a task that while it can almost be perfectly perfect can neve quite be perfectly perfect.
I am a firm believer in the power of hope, and purpose. Hope is the state in which man wills good to come against all reason and odds, and oddly enough what you seek you often shall find. And purpose says, "this is what you are for, now get to it."
Now back to hierarchy. It seems to me that humans are basically leaders and followers, alphas and betas as the terms are today. This is not good, bad or otherwise, it just is. The universe has ordained it to be so, and so it is. Further I think that history shows -- real history not Marx's and Engel's rewrite -- that in so much as the alphas behave with a minimum of justice, good will and fairness the betas are willing to follow them just about into anything. That is not only is there natural hierarchy there are conditions under which it can be better and worse for all parties involved. Thus when the leadership rules without justice, and disregards right, is it just to replace it, even by betas, as they are not forgotten in the eyes of justice. This is because in the end the rulers rule is predicated upon the interests and goodwill of the ruled.
My personal sense is that rank and station with in a hierarchy should be based upon merit and service to the 'polity' with some popular checks upon the ruling class but not outright mob rule -- except in those desperate times when rulers will not heed justice; then there is nothing left but the throws and blows to settle matters; sad but fact.
Basically a blend of merit not birth based aristocracy and limited direct democracy, but minus the money influence and minus the business influence.
A nation is not a five and dime shop, and an inn is not a nation. A nation is essentially an extended family in its essense that conducts its affairs on a grand scale. Business being but one of these affairs and not the most important over all, it should be second to the well being of the nation as a whole, this organic wellness, being in its essense the first cause of the state.
And I am no Marxist. I denounce Marx and all his followers, in point of fact, I draw upon the Psalms, Proverbs and the Gospels more than any other source for my sense of justice, right, wrong, and hope. And in The Book, there is a passage (Psalms 82:3-4) that says: 'Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: ride them out of the hand of the wicked.' If you have the means to carry this out it is not a suggestion to my mind. Hence it is only a matter of how, where and under what terms. Our society has the means, but lacks the will.
We are civilized, industrialized, First World People and we damn well should be able to feed, house, clothe, and put to work ALL Of our adult male citizen body in such a manner that they can support a family that will ensure that we are remain a prosperous civilized nation, else change we make ourselves needs to come and now -- that is my view.
What are your views?
Eunomia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunomia_%28goddess%29 who is of course the Greek goddess of Good Order, or government under good ie just laws.
As an aside for those that do not know, Good Order had two other aspects or more poetically sisters that the Greeks put with her: Justice, Dike, and Peace, Eirene. Order, Justice, Peace: sounds like a good combination to me. (The Greeks truly are a never ending well -- even today they show the way in rebelling against the world system of pirate banking. But at all odds.)
Am I the only one that finds these three things desirable for their own self? As final ends to be sought as ends not means to further ends? While one must be able to war savagely and viciously without pity, who really does not desire peace and quite and tranquility over war and brutality? And so too with justice and order? Surely peace can become an excuse for cowardess, and justice legalistic and cold, order nothing but blind acceptance of what has been, but they need not, and this is not a valid reason to toss out the ideal. Surely that the ideal will take constant work and a will to hope against hope is good in that it sets the collective mind to a task that while it can almost be perfectly perfect can neve quite be perfectly perfect.
I am a firm believer in the power of hope, and purpose. Hope is the state in which man wills good to come against all reason and odds, and oddly enough what you seek you often shall find. And purpose says, "this is what you are for, now get to it."
Now back to hierarchy. It seems to me that humans are basically leaders and followers, alphas and betas as the terms are today. This is not good, bad or otherwise, it just is. The universe has ordained it to be so, and so it is. Further I think that history shows -- real history not Marx's and Engel's rewrite -- that in so much as the alphas behave with a minimum of justice, good will and fairness the betas are willing to follow them just about into anything. That is not only is there natural hierarchy there are conditions under which it can be better and worse for all parties involved. Thus when the leadership rules without justice, and disregards right, is it just to replace it, even by betas, as they are not forgotten in the eyes of justice. This is because in the end the rulers rule is predicated upon the interests and goodwill of the ruled.
My personal sense is that rank and station with in a hierarchy should be based upon merit and service to the 'polity' with some popular checks upon the ruling class but not outright mob rule -- except in those desperate times when rulers will not heed justice; then there is nothing left but the throws and blows to settle matters; sad but fact.
Basically a blend of merit not birth based aristocracy and limited direct democracy, but minus the money influence and minus the business influence.
A nation is not a five and dime shop, and an inn is not a nation. A nation is essentially an extended family in its essense that conducts its affairs on a grand scale. Business being but one of these affairs and not the most important over all, it should be second to the well being of the nation as a whole, this organic wellness, being in its essense the first cause of the state.
And I am no Marxist. I denounce Marx and all his followers, in point of fact, I draw upon the Psalms, Proverbs and the Gospels more than any other source for my sense of justice, right, wrong, and hope. And in The Book, there is a passage (Psalms 82:3-4) that says: 'Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: ride them out of the hand of the wicked.' If you have the means to carry this out it is not a suggestion to my mind. Hence it is only a matter of how, where and under what terms. Our society has the means, but lacks the will.
We are civilized, industrialized, First World People and we damn well should be able to feed, house, clothe, and put to work ALL Of our adult male citizen body in such a manner that they can support a family that will ensure that we are remain a prosperous civilized nation, else change we make ourselves needs to come and now -- that is my view.
What are your views?