Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Synonomous Relationship
Freedom is only obtained through the discovery and the application of truth.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
One Label in a Pitch Black Room
Labels define us, unite us, and divide us. Take the political landscape as an example: liberal, moderate, conservative, Democrat, Independent, Republican, traditionalist, progressive. We do the same thing with religion, secularism, relationships, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, and pop culture. Some people may privately label themselves, and when asked, they don’t want to disclose their label, while others seem to go out of their way to loudly let everyone know what their belief systems are: I’m gay, I’m Christian, I’m vegan. Amid the constantly shifting landscape of overlapping groups and factions, one might thoughtfully ask, “Are labels constructive or destructive?”
Logically, if labels unite individuals to do good then they are constructive. But if labels unite individuals to do bad, or much less obvious, they serve to distract from good by creating division and contention, then labels are destructive. Unfortunately in our current society, while many labels are used to rally individuals to do some good on a micro level, on the macro level the same labels are divisive and counterproductive. Consider a Catholic, a Jew, a lesbian, a Muslim, an environmentalist, a conservative, a Mormon, an African-American, an atheist, an ACLU attorney, a Hispanic, a liberal, a Baptist, a union leader, a career politician, a prominent rapper, a big oil executive, a Native American, a national radio talk show host, a night club stripper, an abortion activist, a nuclear scientist, and an Amish leader coincidentally ending up in the same room, each wearing an applicable label on their forehead, and discussing freedom and slavery. How productive would the conversation be? Contrast with the following: Assume these same individuals, without any previous introduction to each other, met in a pitch black room where they could only hear each other's voices, and they each cared more about truth and freedom than they did about lies and slavery. With the labels removed, could this conversation be synergistic with a positive outcome for freedom?
Freedom and enslavement are the only two belief systems that encompass all social, cultural, political, scientific and religious boundaries. Curiously, commonly recognized labels for these two fundamental and basic approaches to life do not exist. A self-evident truth is that the cause of freedom thrives proportionately to the extent that all labels are erased and replaced with only one; one that clearly identifies and unifies all those who care about and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to discover truth and to support freedom.
E Pluribus Unum: Out of many, one. One for the truth, one for true freedom.
Logically, if labels unite individuals to do good then they are constructive. But if labels unite individuals to do bad, or much less obvious, they serve to distract from good by creating division and contention, then labels are destructive. Unfortunately in our current society, while many labels are used to rally individuals to do some good on a micro level, on the macro level the same labels are divisive and counterproductive. Consider a Catholic, a Jew, a lesbian, a Muslim, an environmentalist, a conservative, a Mormon, an African-American, an atheist, an ACLU attorney, a Hispanic, a liberal, a Baptist, a union leader, a career politician, a prominent rapper, a big oil executive, a Native American, a national radio talk show host, a night club stripper, an abortion activist, a nuclear scientist, and an Amish leader coincidentally ending up in the same room, each wearing an applicable label on their forehead, and discussing freedom and slavery. How productive would the conversation be? Contrast with the following: Assume these same individuals, without any previous introduction to each other, met in a pitch black room where they could only hear each other's voices, and they each cared more about truth and freedom than they did about lies and slavery. With the labels removed, could this conversation be synergistic with a positive outcome for freedom?
Freedom and enslavement are the only two belief systems that encompass all social, cultural, political, scientific and religious boundaries. Curiously, commonly recognized labels for these two fundamental and basic approaches to life do not exist. A self-evident truth is that the cause of freedom thrives proportionately to the extent that all labels are erased and replaced with only one; one that clearly identifies and unifies all those who care about and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to discover truth and to support freedom.
E Pluribus Unum: Out of many, one. One for the truth, one for true freedom.
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