A casual observer sees displays of stupidity in politics every day. But when the emotions in a crowd get out of control, we can have....
Mob Rule
The 20th century experienced much madness. One such gripped Nazi Germany during the 1930s.
Some resisted the devolution from a democracy with rule of law into a police state under a tyrant. But it was not enough to stop the escalation into World War II.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident was one of the resistors. He was arrested as part of a failed plot to assassinate Hitler, imprisoned, and hung in April 1945, weeks before Germany surrendered to the Allies.
But he wrote of the evils of stupidity in his letters from prison while waiting execution:
But the timestamp from 0 to 86,399 seconds is critical for many technical operations. Such is the case for operations on a Mission Control Team that tracks satellites.
In S*T*C, one of main characters, Sam Clark, with her co-workers John McHenry, Tan Ho, and Enrique Rodriguez, get a tour of the Mission Control Complex on their first day on the job.
Their lead Paul Coleman, also known as PC, introduced to them to the timestamp:
Sam pointed to the large red neon display reading 1984.040:76879 with the lowest digits incrementing.
“And what do those numbers mean?”
“It’s a fancy clock.” PC explained, “Nineteen eighty-four, the year. Forty, the Julian day. That’s February ninth, since it’s been forty days since the New Year. After the colon there, 76891 is the time in seconds.”
PC looked at his watch. “Which is…approximately 2122 in military time. For us civilians that’s 9:22 at night.”
Sam looked puzzled. “But it’s going on 1:30 in the afternoon.”
“Ah!” Paul raised a finger. “But it’s almost 9:30 p.m. in England. And all our times are recorded in Zulu time.”
“Zulu?” Enrique piped up. “Man. I loved that movie. A classic with Michael Caine—”
PC grinned. “Zulu is the phonetic alphabet term for the Zth time zone. It’s the same as Greenwich Mean Time. GMT. Or Universal Time. UT. All the scientists as well as the military use it. Close to shift change…that’s four o’clock in the afternoon here…Pacific Standard Time…the clocks all roll over to quad zero. Or 0000z.”
PC pointed to the red clock. “And that clock will roll over from 040:86399 to 041:00000. A new day.”
“Why 86—” Tan had forgotten the rest of the digits in the five-digit number.
John chimed in, “Because there are 86,400 seconds in a day.”
“But, ah! Except when we have to adjust for the leap second.”
Then PC looked to the senior PA ensconced at an F2 console. “Ned?” he asked. “Will you explain what y’all are doing here?”
“Good question, PC. What am I doing here?”
Then Ned Gaubert gave a quiet sigh and turned around with his mouth askew. “This is called a pass. And it’s not what we make at girls.”
“Good thing.” Sam returned a sidelong smile. “I’m married.”
Smith, S K. S*T*C (pp. 35-36). Kindle Edition.
For a feel of the times, 1984-1986, especially for women breaking into space programs, please feel free to check out:
This musical had won many awards including 8 Oscars.
It was set in 1930s Germany. The story followed American Sally Bowles, singer in the Berlin Kit Kat Klub, and Cambridge student Brian Roberts, who is completing his German studies.
Both Brian and Sally were complex characters, wrestling with their inner demons, during the rise of the Nazi party in the background of their pursuits for pleasure and meaning.
There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, when he looked up at the dark night sky, wrote these words..
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
Psalm 19:1-2(NIV)
And David's son, Solomon, also expressed this proverb in his wisdom writings:
By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding He set the heavens in place;
by His knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.
Proverbs 3:19-20(NIV)
In the late 20th century, Carl Sagan brought science and astronomy to the people in his series, Cosmos (1980). Before he slipped the surly bounds of earth, Sagan was moved by the photo of our home (above). Taken almost 4 billion miles away from Earth from Saturn. Known as...
The Pale Blue Dot
As the probe finished its primary mission, Carl Sagan had requested NASA to take one last picture of Earth as it was leaving the Solar System. That became the iconic photograph the Voyager 1 space probe had taken of Earth on February 14, 1990. A pale blue dot, the Earth's apparent size is less than a pixel among bands of sunlight.
Definitely awe struck, Sagan's tribute expressed a more humanist philosophy. As well as overwhelmed by our seemingly insignificance in the vast universe. All the politics of our short lifespans seem petty. Nothing. {reference: Carl Sagan gave us an incredible perspective on our planet }
Again, David has his words of the greatness of the universe and the smallness of humans and life on earth with the Divine perspective in mind.
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is Your Name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
You have established a stronghold against Your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which You have set in place,
what is mankind that You are mindful of them,
human beings that You care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of Your hands;
You put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:1-9(NIV)
The Pale Blue Dot ... in Psalms and Proverbs.
It makes the Politics of the Earth pale in comparison to the vastness of space....
And beyond, the Greatness of our Creator.
But in His greatness, He cares for all His creatures and put mankind to care for the handiwork of His creation.
Hee Hawwas my Dad's favorite show, second only to Gunsmoke. I clearly remember the lament from their Gloom, Despair, and Agony on Me segment, such as seen below:
Even 40 years ago, they all were "first world problems." Though this Hee Haw segment is humorous, it expresses a tinge of sadness, dissatisfaction in this life.
Dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and such are maladies throughout the ages. As King Solomon said -
... there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (KJV)
Crowns and Frowns
As the wisest man and greatest fools in some estimations, Solomon knew something about this gloom, despair and agony on me.This king had "everything" in this life from riches; his unfettered search for knowledge, wisdom, and meaning in this life; wanting more and getting more. Yet this king lamented his "first world problems" as so stated below:
14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1 (KJV)
What a Gloomy Gus!
This dissatisfaction is not new for "the man under the sun."
In the clip below unhappiness is seen as a malady of the modern age:
Timeless Truths explores, June 15, 1215 AD - a watershed year. And we still feel it effects in 2015. What happened 800 years ago?
In 1215, failed foreign policies and heavy taxation spurred an uprising of powerful English barons against King John. Under duress, this successor to his brother Richard I, the Lion Heart signed a document which put all future monarchs under the rule of law.
The principles placed limits on what our government can do. Thus governments were to be in chains of their Constitution, not the people in chains to their government. Politics shifted from a government of men to a government of laws.
And below is a lesson as to how the Magna Carta influenced the American government:
As US President Abraham Lincoln echoed the Declaration of Independence, which was echoed by John Locke, which echoed the Magna Carta:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
....
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
The picture above is a stained glass rose window in the Christ Church Cathedral, High Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, depicting the Fruit of the Spirit. And St. Paul listed these virtues -
In this third part of English, Literature, and Musing (ELM), the Fruit of the Spirit are virtues cultivated in many of the protagonists in English literature. And such classics are a rich source of material for films. For example ... After the successful trilogy - The Lord of the Rings (2001,2002, 2003), a trilogy of its prequel The Hobbit is now playing on the big screen (2012, 2013, 2014).
In this world, evil seems so strong. To fight against it, many look for a champion of great power - like a Superman. Yet, the theme of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings is that it is not the great powers that hold evil in check, but the ordinary folk.
This scene was not in the original book, but it seems faithful to the theme of The Hobbit. And I agree with the comments of the poster of this clip on YouTube - In my opinion this is one of the greatest lines I've heard in all of cinema.
And that testifies to the power of the story as well as the power of everyday acts of kindness and love of ordinary folks!
One of my friends works at Starbucks. She told me always assuming positive intent was their company's philosophy when servicing customers. And it's a good one. This attitude can serve us well when interacting with all kind of people we come across in life. [reference: Accentuate the Positive | Miss Woodhouse's Musings]
At times, quick judgments must be made. At first, they may service us well as a filter - to see trouble coming and avoid it. But left unchecked, quick judgments with limited information can morph into prejudice. We don't know the whole story. And sometimes our judgments on someone else are a reflection on ourselves, as noted here -
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans 2:1(NIV)
Ouch!
This clips makes a good point - Seeing the Good in Others:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13(NIV)
And Love demonstrated as always assuming positive intent is a Timeless Truth.
We may wonder about the person making that claim. Are they joking? Are they insane? Did someone make another wild end of world prophesy - and it's tomorrow.
The sun will come up, tomorrow. We know it. And if it doesn't? Well, our universe will have undergone a cosmic disaster - such as the sun or the earth exploding - that no one will be left alive to care.
The point?
When our worldview is well grounded in facts and tested in reality, we do not feel threatened when it is challenged. But we may feel threatened if we really are not sure. And when unsure, we may fall into the trap of digging in our heels to defend our worldview even if that means silencing any dissenting view.
Our way is the right way. And everyone had better agree with us - or else!
In Robert Pirsig's book - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance(ZAMM), Chapter 13 makes this point. In the persona of Phaedrus (the title character in Plato's dialog between Socrates and Phaedrus), the author describes a time in 1950's Montana when extreme right wing politics was king. He likens the era to that of Dallas before the assassination of JFK.
In the late 1950s, the counterculture of the beatniks was emerging, soon to be followed by hippies, who would challenge the establishment and the military industrial complex. During this decade in transition, the state actively opposed and suppressed dissenting viewpoints, especially in the institutions. And this interference affected free speech as well as the integrity of its state colleges.
The Church of Reason
In his academic life, Phaedrus put forth the concept of the "Real University" or the "Church of Reason" - which was not constructed of brick and mortar - but a state of mind. The goal of these universities or churches was the search for truth.
Faith in reason was Phaedrus' passion as a college professor. And catching glimpses of the fanaticism of his former self, Persig admits he really felt insecure and had his doubts about his beliefs at this time. (It's a long story - so read the book.)
But this malady is not isolated to college professors. It spreads itself across many disciplines and philosophies. It is no mistakes that in religion and politics, we find the most egregious examples of intolerance. Hence, may come the advice, don't talk about religion or politics.
Why not? They are my favorite subjects!
Intolerance and Insecurity
In 1950s, Persig felt the blowback of the insecurity of the right wing. And, 60 years later, many feel the same kind of intolerance stemming from the insecurity of the left wing.
There are numerous examples in the media. Just check out the feeds in the news and comments in social media. Any dissenting point of view point, you can bet, is met with ad hominem attacks. The over-reaction to dissent is not to educate the dissenter. It is meant to intimidate, if not destroy a brand or character.
As I type, many graduation ceremonies have been celebrated in brick and mortar high schools and universities. And speakers offer their wisdom as students move on the university of life.
In a graduation speech made last year, Dr. Condoleezza Rice challenges the students to have an open mind and seek out dissenting positions of passionately held beliefs.
This point is made at time 3:20 in the clip below:
"As you search for your passion try different things - try difficult things."
* Seek out people who are different than you are * Let them challenge you and inspire you to grow * Nothing wrong with holding your own passionate opinions * When you feel absolutely sure you are right, * find someone who disagrees with you * they may have ideas worth considering, too * Goal of education - * Not an effective confidence in everything you know * But a humble appreciation for everything you do not know
Dr. Rice has it right. She has some clear guidance as to how to avoid the trap of the insecurity of intolerance.
Seek those who challenge you. If you are secure in your worldview, those views will stand. If not, it's a lesson in the university of life. And most of all, it's a remedy for intolerance - intolerance fed on insecurity.
Again, I'm going out on a limb here, but I venture Phaedrus would approve.
called US women into the workforce, doing "men's work" such as munitions and other heavy jobs during World War Two.
And 70 years ago as a nation, we were united in the effort to defeat Hitler, who was bent on world domination and genocide, and Hirohito of Japan - Hitler's ally - who approved the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Ramping up to fight - and win - another world war after the decade long malaise of the Great Depression truly was an example of the resiliency of the American spirit and a showcase for American Ingenuity.
After winning that great victory of World War Two, many Americans espoused the sentiment (as we have for years) -
Likewise, we seemed united in the race to the moon.
More than 40 to 50 years ago, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union was in full swing. And this Space Race was a must win for political reasons as well as advancements in science and technology. Beating the Soviet Union on this front was imperative ... and we did it!
And as we pass another anniversary of that day - July 20, 1969, Americans landing on the moon was a crowning achievement of American Ingenuity in the 20th century.
Looking back, some have called most the 20th century - the American century (reference: THE AMERICAN CENTURY)
But in the 21st century, many pundits see America in decline and conclude ....
America is * no longer * the greatest country in the world.
Below is a clip from the opening scene of the HBO series -The Newsroom. Television anchor, Will McAvoy, played by Jeff Daniels, answers a sorority girl's question - Why is America the greatest country in the world?
His no spin answer - which so many blogs laud him for -
It's not the greatest country in the world ... that's my answer.
(caution - there is some strong language if you play the clip.)
;
About 3 1/2 minutes into this clip, the anchor seems to mourn for what we Americans used to be. And here are a few nibbles -
We stood up for what was right ... we reached for the stars ... acted like men ... we aspired to intelligence ... we didn't scare so easy ...
He ends his rant ...
First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. ... Enough?
Ouch! What a downer. But this clip from our pop culture reflects the sentiments of many. Can we reclaim being great, or better yet, being a noble nation, again?
Ironically, a more optimistic view of the American people comes from "the other side of the pond" by two Englishmen.
I love Stephen Fry. He is an British citizen who unapologetically loves America. And he did a mini-series in 2008, based on his book - Stephen Fry in America, in which he talks about in part of the interview.
Sometimes it takes an outsider to see more clearly and objectively what is really going on in this country. And this resident alien expresses his opinion that our national emotion is optimism ... even during these times when so many of us natives are discouraged.
Only in America?
Yes. It's something wonderful.
Stephen Fry's theory is that the source of America's greatness can be found in the gene pool, those who left the Old World (like three of my grandparents) or other oppressive regimes and came to America - by choice. Their driving force?
There can be something better ...
... let's risk it!
... let's try it!
and
We Can Do It!
That entrepreneurial spirit to be unleashed is the stuff that makes ...
American Ingenuity!
And as long as we nurture the indomitable optimistic spirit and a climate of freedom which fosters achievement - other than squashing it - America will continue to be a great country. Otherwise, we will slide down the slippery slope of mediocrity and self-loathing into the dustbin of history as many pundits say we will.
May that never happen ... at least, on my watch.
This is the first part of a new thread - American Ingenuity (AI) - which will highlight the indomitable American spirit ... and may the posts continue as we face trying and challenging times ahead.
