INTRO AND VOCAB #3

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Le pire imbécile se croit le plus sage- apprentimarcv
Ne traitez personne d'imbécile – Jésus

The greatest fool thinks himself wisest - learnermarkv
Call no man a fool. Jesus

Chapters

• 0:08 Weapon dissidence
• 3:30 Peace dissidence
• 6:11 Cooperatives and conspiracies
• 7:50 Peace mentality
• 8:51 Peace technology
• 11:56 Carnivore, herbivore, omnivore
• 18:25 Summon miracle
• 20:18 Everyone is a Learner

Transcript

WORLD WAR COVID
From WeaponWorld to PeaceWorld
Learner, begin

INTRO AND VOCAB #3  

After thousands of years of crushed dissidence, progressive organizations are Balkanized, which means chopped to pieces and rendered vestigial. Many social activists worsen their political impotence through exclusive identity politics, mutual ostracism, special interest bickering, petty private grievances and nit-picking ideological puritanism. As a result, much more pragmatic, disciplined and cohesive weapons elites defeat them in detail.

Rejecting holistic transformation, weapon dissidents opt for endless hairsplitting, moral compromise and existential despair. Indifferent to genuine peace and progress they believe beyond their grasp, they turn into conformist adherents of a “loyal opposition.” They are emotionally invested in token resistance against a robust weapon state that thrives from their trifling resistance. Too bad for those who challenge their patchy conformism!

Recall that body builders push and pull their muscles like taffy against resistance. In roughly the same way, weapon states grow stronger by exploiting their weapon dissidents. Thus, the clichéd yammering of the average weapon dissident makes his weapon state stronger, subtler and more difficult to pull down. 

Occasionally, a breakthrough peace movement manages to dissolve its weapon state. This lopsided relaxation of weapon technology is usually fatal for the society involved, given the prevalence of hungry outsiders armed to the teeth. So success at peace was never encouraged in the past. Today’s fashionable “community activism” is a carry-over of thousands of years of ineffectual (indeed, inversely effective) weapon dissidence. 

My mailbox bursts from a flood of rival solicitations for my paltry charity, each appeal more heart-rending than the last. Nothing more is sought than a check that magically disappears with the promise to support some worthy cause, probably with more solicitation mail and its bureaucracy. 

On the other hand, our institutions suck fortunes from our weekly pay packets to deploy the means, justify the motives and develop further opportunities for mass murder. The beneficiaries of thousands of years of successful propaganda, weapon managers plan massive projects and carry them out. Their international transactions and expenditures are holistic, pseudo-voluntary, free spending and for the most part independent of outside influence.

During the Franco-Prussian War, the leadership on both sides of the fight had more in common with each other, during their minuet of death, than with their own info proletariat lined up for massacre. 

Those who disapprove of their goals will be marginalized into a political minority equally voiceless and trivial (by definition, not by numbers), no matter how numerous they are or how sensible their proposals, thanks to our historical incoherence and hysterical paralysis.

After thousands of years of defeat, rejection and Balkanization (and the rare, absolutely lethal success), standard-issue weapon dissidents are divisive, elitist, holier-than-thou, miserly, exclusive, reductive and atomistic. They satisfy themselves with empty dramatics, ritual bonding in adversity, moralistic self-indulgence and existential despair. Thus have we honored our long tradition of defeat. Most of us would rather keep it that way indefinitely. Why trouble ourselves with really    transformational power? The prospect frightens me too. So what? As if we had any other choice but successful transformation at this point in history.

Thus – every hour on the hour – the media announce more weapon triumphs and peace tragedies. Progressives will never master the political mainstream until they rally around a hyper-complex platform of inclusive, cooperative and mutualistic reforms under the control of local progressives who are expert in these domains. In other words, until Learning is established planet-wide.  

Some text – perhaps this one or something better? – may catapult to world power its international, interdenominational and interethnic adherents of every age, sex and class. Much more likely than you might think. Like other hidden truths, it is just a question of time and numbers: the time it would take to broadcast this understanding and the number of those who understand.

Pre-empted by psychopaths who always sucker punch first and cave in soon after, the innocents may be packed off to extermination camps. Like all those whose life was cut short in the past, our passionate lives and agonizing deaths may go up in smoke as cosmic archetypes. Nuclear war likewise, wholesale. 

The organized resistance of massed Learners will block that outcome. As during WWII (sic), Nazi wannabes who seek extermination will be stopped by the overwhelming majority of those conscientious. In post-massacre Rwanda: coward bully genocides became militarily helpless. Like vampires caught out in daylight, weapon mentality cannot survive exposure to the truth. 

Three world heroes: Stanislav Petrov, James Blunt and Vasili Archipov, set their careers and bodies between the world and its annihilation by thermonuclear war. How many more Smiths, Joneses and Duponts did so without being recognized? 

This transition could prove as abrupt as the U.S.S.R.’s perestroika. Modern-day leaders – suddenly checkmated by the exhaustion of “inexhaustible” energy supplies and/or orthodox power structures – could abandon their posts all at once. In the absence of an organizational framework like the one in Learner, this transition could turn horribly destructive ― simply put, the mafia takes over the world and the worst political horrors roll out like clockwork. Does that bring current events into focus?

Independent ideologues and anonymous polemicists are hard at work at this task, each bringing different insights and talents to bear. But it is almost impossible for us to broadcast our findings ― especially among weapon dissidents. Paradoxically, they are more closed to new ideas than weapon managers who will adopt novel improvements (reluctantly but assuredly) into their robust and self-confident management schemes. The shaky ground progressives must tip-toe across does not allow them such open-mindedness, at least until they’ve grasped and steadied that ground for that purpose. Let’s hope the dissident community allows its best ideas to be disseminated, as opposed to the current practice of mutually assured ineptitude. Otherwise, worse ones will take their place. 

As our civilization polarizes between luxuriant minorities and restless majorities, as reason and rights fade from public discourse, raw greed becomes the final arbiter. But even shifty greed must find a rightful place. Well-regulated cooperatives of plenty will welcome private enterprise – that wellspring of innovation and abundance – provided in the meantime every citizen obtains withdrawal from their primary misery, based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs ; not to mention outpourings of public and private moral conscience.

Despite their inflated privileges, info elites are just as vulnerable to false beliefs – both self-inflicted and out-sourced – as info proletarians. To secure dependable benefits for themselves and their dearest (as opposed to rickety perks they have to defend at gunpoint), info elites must find new ways to generate sustainable abundance and adopt harmless rituals that redirect fearful aggression, destructive diligence and bad ideas. 

Among the tools info elites adopt to manage their partisans, greed is second only to fear. Learners won’t tempt them away from their conspiracies of greed until our shared vocabulary and purpose outsmart their hysterical avarice. Learner doctrine must be clear, concise and immune to prejudice, cupidity and panic. There must be a plan or a series of plans most people will adopt because they see in them a better chance to benefit cooperatively (or merely survive, for lack of anything better) regardless of their original beliefs and status. 

The belief is obsolete that ordinary folk can be punished into better behavior. Rewards work much better. The more penalties imposed, beyond a necessary minimum, the more resistance ― automatically. Weapon managers alone benefit from this tailspin of coercion and defiance.  

Peace mentality sustains our souls. Like a spiritual physicist, Gandhi found its nucleus was the fusion of Truth and Non-violence. Our souls sparkle around this nucleus like electrons around a vast atom. Every moment every day without cease, a still, small voice whispers “Love fearlessly” at celestial amplitude from across the cosmic void. We just need to listen and obey.  

Even though peace mentality burns brightly in idealistic young minds, it sputters in middle age and often gutters out in unlucky souls. Almost everyone would pick peace mentality over the weapon variety on an even playing field. However, our opportunities to practice peace are as fleeting as our weapon practices are diverse, forceful and tempting. Given so much negative conditioning, only an enlightened few approach the mastery at peace. 

Peace technology pays its own freight and that of its weapons evil twin. Despite countless obstacles imposed by weapon priorities, peace mentality trucks on. It transcends life and death, much less the shameless narcissism of disinfo politics.  

Peace technology includes:  

• our flight from misery (above and beyond any Constitutional “pursuit of happiness”); 

• our run at abundance, health, human rights and sustainable agriculture; 

• our worship of nature and supernature; 

• our quest for learning: play, entertainment and enlightenment; 

• our pursuit of: 

   o   Peace enforcement, 

   o   Sound philosophy, 

   o   Valid enterprise and 

   o   Useful professionalism, as well as other life-affirming activities. 

Without such exemplary modifiers (in italics), we needn’t consider these things valuable in and of themselves. After all, they easily revert to organized bullying, wordy nonsense, greed satiation and naked elitism: giveaway signs of weapon mentality. 

Peace mentality has one categorical imperative: raise the children well. Everything else takes back seat to this effort or impedes it. They say, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” Raising a healthy child requires everyone’s cooperation. The goal is not to raise many children indifferently; that is a weapon requirement. Peace management would demand that every child be cocooned in optimal surroundings. Their health and Learning would take absolute priority, as would the civil rights of their mother. 

“Young children all know love for their parents. And when they grow up, they all know respect for their elders. Loving parents is Humanity, and respecting elders is Duty. That’s the secret. Just extend it throughout all beneath Heaven.” Mencius, translated by David Hinton, Counterpoint, Washington, D.C., 1998, p. 240.

It seems obvious that every social good flows from cherished children growing up to become good citizens. Logically, we might conclude that the opposite is also true: that bad citizens proliferate when more children are abused. At gut level, we delight in the happiness of children, suffer heartache when they come to harm, and sigh intense relief when they are delivered therefrom. We needn’t be parents to feel such things, nor particularly sensitive. 

If you believed in reincarnation, you would have to be crazy to support any social habit that did not pamper every child without exception. Otherwise, you’d be signing a warrant calling for your torture during future incarnations. Totally bonkers… Another reason to uphold this belief.

Those who resist this empathy are deeply disturbed, as is our whole society since it flouts this basic truth. We let children perish by the million, let billions more grow up to be stupid adults through malnutrition, neglect and chronic abuse. 

We should make good these lethal scandals. Such travesties would be unthinkable on PeaceWorld ― unheard of since a barbarous past (our present). Any instance of them would trigger government meltdown and a complete overhaul of leadership. Ex-leaders would withdraw in disgrace from public service, paralyzed with shame. 

Today’s weapon leaders are not likely to live up to such peaceful ideals. The best of them might, under ideal circumstances. Once we’ve convinced ourselves, they must be likewise convinced or replaced. 

A political homily drones on in my mind. Humans cleave to three broad categories of political behavior. Regardless of other allegiances, we fit in among Ex-Herbivores, Ex-Carnivores and Omnivores (oft-reincarnated herbivores and carnivores who’ve learnt the futility of their old ways).
 

Ex-Herbivore: “Hey, there’s plenty of good grazing out here. Grass ain’t brain food, so let’s make babies and munch away ― what we do best. 

"We live in the present. If we get an itch, we scratch it. Our universe is in that scratching. Anything more ― it’s just too complicated for us. 

“Gee, our carnivores are pretty scary. They hunt us, kill us and eat us. But they do chase off other carnivores that might be worse. Who knows; things could be worse. Anything that really scares us, well, our blind stampede will make it disappear, won't it? Why bother to vote? Just let us be happeeeee.” 

Ex-Carnivore: “Behold this beautiful body of mine, strong, lean and hungry. My mind ticks over, lethal and remorseless. I live in the future when my darkest needs will finally be satisfied. 

 “I am an expert at magical thinking. As long as I carry out a precise series of steps in exact order and with perfect timing, I may feast indefinitely, which must be paradise and proof of my status as the Chosen One of God. No-one can stop me, and I’ll kill anyone who tries. If I fail, it will be from lack of self-perfection. No matter how many times I fail, I must succeed in the end or die trying.” 

This obsessive-compulsive condition is experienced by a lion at his hunt, a hierarch during his cult devotion (bloody or otherwise), a tycoon during his stock transactions, a science doctrinaire performing laboratory tricks or an author ruminating his prose.  

“My reincarnations have been more or less rewarding in these settings and others. My universe is centered on the sacrifice of prey and my self-perfection in so doing. Nothing else matters, and neither God nor I need have mercy for anyone less obsessed. My sires taught me how to use this money, these fancy institutions and novel gadgets to satisfy my hunger. Anyone slower, weaker and more ethical than me is fair game. Anything I can claw down is mine to dispose of as I please. If I don’t claim it, some hungrier carnivore will.

"End of discussion; it’s time to pursue happiness. 

“I know! Let's run for Congress!”

Omnivore: “Salads are fine in their place. My peers and I can neutralize any piddling carnivore at will. It’s fun ― plus what’s left is good eats.

“We coordinate the past, the present and the future to improve our personal success. We’re not so much interested in anyone's pursuit of happiness ― that’s their business. We are interested in accelerating their flight from misery: a political duty ex-carnivores keep neglecting in favor of their exclusive pursuit of happiness. 

“Under the impulse of natural selection, we evolve to learn. The more complex our information universe, the more we owe it our success. The exponential growth of this wealth could distract ex-herbivores and divert ex-carnivores until they’ve grasped the fundamentals of Learner civilization. 

“After five thousand years of bloody compromise, we’re just hitting our stride; that’s exciting! Our information potlatch promises to supplant the rigors of the stalk and the rights of spring. Everyone merits abundance and security: the best, most obvious way to secure our own. 

“You, fated ex-herbivore deprived of imagination! Look past your cud. 

“Hey you, shifty ex-carnivore! Your aggression betrays your weakness. Go ahead, make your next lunge. It will fail, sooner or later, as it has always done in the past. 

Both of you! Rejoin us on PeaceWorld!”

But this is mere EZ listening. Learners will take a close look at the physiology of social behavior and public responsibility. They will find clearer details of human motivation. 

“Paul MacLean tells us, ‘We are the possessors of a triune brain – not one brain but three, each with its own way of perceiving and responding to the world.’ Richard M. Restak, The Brain: The Last Frontier (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979). In ascending order on the phylogenic scale, they are: (1) reptilian (central core), (2) paleomammalian (limbic system), and (3) neomammalian (cerebral cortex). The first of these, the reptilian, is the most primitive; MacLean has also labeled this the “R-complex.” It is comparable to much of the brain found in [fish and] reptiles. And it includes the hypothalamus. Surrounding the reptilian R-complex is the next level, the limbic system which is associated with the brain found in early mammals... 

“In effect, we appear to have been ‘pre-wired,’ at least partially, by the reptilian brain to be ritualistic, to be in awe of authority, to develop social pecking orders, and perhaps even to develop obsessive-compulsive neuroses ... 

“We appear to have been pre-wired in the case of the limbic system as well, to respond emotionally to threats to self- or species-preservation …”

Dennis J. D. Sandole, “The Biological Basis of Needs,” Conflict: Human Needs Theory, John Burton, ed., Macmillan Press, Ltd., 1990, p. 71. 

Of course, the scientific community has gone to great lengths to naysay this theory, asserting that non-mammals have other brain structures that serve the same purpose. They cite cephalopods and birds (though not reptiles) that display surprisingly advanced mental capacities.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=one-world-many-minds. But this theory is still  useful to illustrate political priorities.

Once our models of human awareness improve somewhat, better evaluations of human motivation and better treatments for violence-, greed- and fear-driven deviants may help us love one another better ― at last!

Debra Niehoff reviews criminal correction in her mindful book, The Biology of Violence, The Free Press, New York, 1999, “Picking up the Pieces”. Herself the victim of a brutal crime (as I was, at gunpoint but less brutally; and you too, no doubt, just as often in this age as sorry as those in the past), she downplays violence as a criminal deterrent and suggests more thoughtful methods of behavior modification. Her research reveals that police terror and penal brutality do not so much suppress criminality as increase it. This is the constant aim of weapon mentality: boosting crime and aggression. 

We live on WeaponWorld dominated by man and bereft of God’s Peace, mutual welcome and care. Why not re-establish the PeaceWorld of God? The One I believe in abhors war and loves peace. God will reward faithful Learners eager for peace as genuine offspring and saints. That reward will translate into miracles.

Let’s say you were neither a rock bed atheist nor overly devout – often just as closed-minded – and sought to verify the existence of God solely for your own satisfaction. What better way to do that than to transform WeaponWorld into PeaceWorld and witness God self-reveal in a shower of miracles of approbation? After all, we would do what God had always wanted us to do, instead of what God forbade – in defiance of aberrant commands by weapon fundamentalists and ideological liars for thousands of years: “Kill, lie, rob your neighbor, despise him, and pray in public. We order you to obey the commandments of mere men even though they’re forbidden by God.” 

Those miracles would be God’s substitute for our perfectly scientific, perfectly orthodox, perfectly serial disasters. We could pour into PeaceWorld all the sanctity left pent up in our heart, and benefit from miracles of wisdom and loving kindness. Learners could become brothers and sisters on PeaceWorld ― beyond our capacity to imagine it.

We would be acting our part in a play, except all the props, costumes and lighting would conform more closely to peace and improve over time. What’s more, the play’s sponsors, cast, crew and audience would have changed their mind – that WeaponWorld was not so hot – and all of us would be better off on PeaceWorld.

Imagine that! 

Every Learner could assume – with more liberty, zeal and fellow feeling; with greater ease and thrift; less troubled by hazards and fear; using greater artistry, passion and devotion – the bearing of God’s massed saints: athirst for, drunk with and filled by the Peace of God, until God secured God’s Peace. 

From birth to death, we are all Learners. As political, moral, spiritual, and pragmatic entities linked in love and family devotion to everyone– for better or for worse – we are the Chosen ones in this continuum of space-time. Of God, of Allah, of Fate or Nothing? Whatever you choose to call it. I call it God, and us, God’s, including every other manifestation of the sacred. Does that metaphysical jumble bother you? Why? Your favorite God (or lack of such) would be included automatically.

Instead, we subsist as WeaponWorld slaves. Caught up in a tap dance of perpetual war and ephemeral peace, we improvise as we go along, paying homage to two contrary sets of values: weapon mentality and peace mentality. Suffering from mass schizophrenia and hostage to it, we have become nothing more than asocial sheep and incompetent wolves … God’s spoiled brats, instead of God’s saints. 

What a sorry waste!

…

COMMENT?  markmulligan@comcast.net