Dinnertime Revolutions
December 2, 2008 by Erin Reynolds · Leave a Comment
(Guest Contributor)
Part 1
“The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” -George Eliot
What is the power of one boy walking alone? The impact of one man going home early? The portent of one woman on her knees?
The essence of the world, and in fact this world’s summation, can be found at the scene of a family gathered around a table, leading the world’s great revolutions.
One father can stop an army. One mother can make the difference between a World War and a Continental Conference.
The next American Revolution has begun. It has commenced within the quiet precincts of our nation’s homes. The collective cry for help is being sounded by a world in chaos; the pledge to assist is being offered one person at a time.
American freedom has provided a sounding board for the great ideas of the twenty-first century. American freedom has allowed its citizens the opportunity to decide what those major ideas will do. American freedom, begun long before 1776, can no longer be just another subject we study in school, or a pledge at a ball game, or a prayer in church.
American freedom is clearly an obligation — a resounding cry that must be answered, because very soon roll will be called, and solutions will be required. The discrepancies of justice refuse to be silent; the arbiters of justice will be called to take account.
But who knows about his or her obligation to the world? Each person born in America today faces challenges as great as did Gandhi, Churchill, or Lincoln. And while we may not be required to suppress cultural rebellions, conquer international dictators, or defend human dignity, our challenges match and sometimes exceed those of past generations.
The Challenge
Our challenge today is to defend the destiny of the world; it is to promote liberty in our legislatures and at our dinner tables, at home and abroad. Americans are at an influential fulcrum point. The future of freedom hinges on decision we are making unawares. We must therefore become aware of all we have to offer, and all that is at stake, or we cannot summon the courage to reckon with our fears and thereby deny our enemies their only real weapon.
Today we are obligated to defend freedom when it may seem in our best interest to do otherwise. In sharing liberty we may risk opposing political and economic agendas designed to promote what some have termed “American freedom” and “American prosperity.”
But this revolution will teach us that no biased, selfish agenda can ever be called American. As part of the revolution we could be invited to sacrifice personal prosperity and peace on behalf of those who have who have not experienced either. We will choose by how we vote, whom we follow, and how we live, whether or not our children’s children will think of freedom as a legacy, or a memory.
The line connecting our children to freedom, and ourselves to the defense of that gift, has never been clearer, or harder to realize. More could not be at stake.
For at least five decades freedom has allowed peace and prosperity. It has not been requisite that the patriotic citizen sacrifice his business for his country, or his home for the world. But revolutions breed strange benefits. We may be surprised at what is asked of us, and even more, at what results.
The sacrifices demanded by this revolution will bring benefits of courage and virtue. They will inculcate greater prosperity and peace. Yet, as in any war, much hinges on the knowledge of the nature and aims of the enemy. Ignorance of this revolution may lead to loss of more than our own happiness. If we are not careful, we could indeed find ourselves fighting on the wrong side.
To find ourselves fighting for our own enemies seems almost impossible, but it is easily accomplished when the impact of ignorance is forgotten. We often do not realize that the bridge linking us to true fulfillment is not the next bridge, nor the last bridge, but the one we’re burning right now.
It can be hard to see that the reason our children are sent to battle is not because we cannot find the answer to war, but because we will not give the price of peace. Indeed, many of us do not know exactly what that price is.
What is this revolution, and what does it mean?
Who are its advocates? Against what is it revolting? This revolution is not really industrial, economic, or political –- though it impacts each of these. It is a departure from current trends, a return to past principles, and a leap forward in terms of what will be demanded, what will be given, and what will result. This revolution will show us that the years ahead offer more enjoyment, more fulfillment, and more happiness than we have ever known. As with the first great American Revolution, more than anything this revolution is concerned about what will be.
While this revolution is purely American in region, in thought, and principle, its founders come from nations worldwide. Its advocates are found on all sides of the political spectrum, and some of its greatest heroes are those whose eyes never viewed the land of the free and the home of the brave. But their hearts still thrilled at the thought of liberty, and their voices still defend what is right — Joan, Solon, Wellington and a host of others.
True liberty was their hope and their ideal, a vision that gave life meaning, and death purpose. For it they surrendered family, friends and fortune, but all this with the understanding that their sacrifices, alone, would never be enough. They looked forward with the knowledge that somehow, someway, somewhere freedom could ignite not just one individual, but an entire nation, and thereby liberate not one class, or one country, but actually revolutionize a world.
This was the liberty they sought; this is the obligation we have inherited.
The leaders of this revolution are the men and women, the mothers and fathers, the grandsons and granddaughters who care about not only the next twenty years of peace, but also about the next two hundred. They are leaders of movements past and present that look to us to defend the fact that freedom is not an American enigma, but a condition of progression.
Finally, what is this revolt against? It is a revolution against bondage, against mediocrity, particularly mediocrity of the most important things. The most dangerous battles are the ones where the “least” is at stake; in such scenarios those who fight are prepared for, and question, nothing. Whatever they lose, then, is more than they were prepared to surrender, and less than they could have given.
Such seemingly insignificant battles define the most significant ones. This revolution may seem insignificant. It may appear that not much is at stake. But to choose mediocrity now could make our lives as well as our nation meaningless. Our personal choices are no longer personal, and in fact touch the very center of civil service.
Family: The Heart of the Revolution
Our business strategies may not be as important as our marital success. Our financial legacy may hold less meaning than a family tradition. The degrees and accolades, the promotions and profits, often detract from the real purpose at hand. The world measures success by the only method it knows: public opinion. But by its very nature, such opinion can grant only public happiness.
Slow down and consider this for a minute — public happiness. We tell ourselves how happy we all are, and it must be true. Right? Everyone says so. But the only happiness you can take home with you is private. As we turn to sources closer to home to find inner happiness and peace, we will be fighting more than our own battles.
Our dinnertimes hold greater meaning than we may think.
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This essay is Chapter 1 of Dinnertime Revolutions: Meeting the American Challenge by Erin Reynolds. Click here to purchase the book.
Erin Reynolds is a graduate of George Wythe University with a Bachelor’s degree in Statesmanship and a Master’s Degree in Education. She has taught in a number of venues, including spearheading a group to Uganda. She resides in Cedar City, Utah.
What Trampolines Can Tell Us About Ideal Society
September 23, 2008 by Stephen Palmer · 1 Comment
I was jumping on the trampoline today with my three kids — eight year-old Alex, three year-old Liberty (Libby), and eleven month-old Avery — and, like I am prone to do, reflecting on ideal society.
Alex, skilled and energetic, wants to jump as high as he can and perform tricks. Libby, unaware of her surroundings, jumps wildly, often upending Avery. Avery has a good time, yet she’s at risk from her older, heavier, more capable siblings. Much of the time was spent cautioning Alex and Libby to be careful with Avery. In fact, the experience revolved around catering to Avery, the youngest, weakest, and least capable in our family.
One adult and three kids on a trampoline — a microchosm of society, or at least what it should be. The following are the lessons I identified:
1. Cater to the weakest.
Just as we cared for baby Avery on the trampoline, in the ideal society, individuals voluntarily serve and uplift the weak, the poor, the aged, the disabled. Competition and cooperation go hand-in-hand; competition increases quality while cooperation ensures peace and stability. Competition should never create ill feeling; cooperation should never create dependency. The goal of this ideal isn’t to take the strongest down to the level of the weakest; rather it is to uplift the weak to increased capacity, thus raising all of society without creating wide discrepancies in social status and/or wealth distribution.
2. Create outlets for all skill levels and interests.
While the ideal caters to the weakest, it also allows for full expression of every individual, including the most talented and capable. The disease of socialism is that it tends toward mediocrity, tearing down the able in the name of “helping” the weak. In the ideal, catering to the weak is never done at the expense of the strong. In the case of our trampoline experience, we took turns so that each child could do what they wanted and grow on their terms. Alex took a turn alone, doing flips and aerials. Libby did her crazy thing. Then, I held Avery in my arms and we all jumped together. No desires were sacrificed, Avery was protected and made to enjoy the experience at a higher level than she could alone.
Think of this concept in a public school setting. Inevitably, in a class of 25 or more students, the “slow” learners get left behind, while the “fast” learners quickly become bored. Both the weak and the strong suffer.
Imagine a setting where each individual is allowed to learn and progress on their own terms, at their own speed. Then, having grown, they help others to do the same.
3. Protect rights.
Just as my youngest daughter needed to be protected from physical danger posed by her siblings, the ideal society has a strong institution that protects the rights of every individual. Keeping individuals safe from harm from others is not the same as giving every individual the same material goods.
4. The ideal is for all of this to happen at the level of family and community.
Politicians and bureaucrats in Washington have no intimate knowledge of, nor a relationship with, the members of our communities. While families and community members voluntarily serve each other, the federal government relies solely upon force to institute “goodwill.” Top-down, removed-from-the-source charity always tends toward bureaucracy, wastes money and misemploys resources, and depends upon force as its animating factor.
Ideal charity is animated by voluntary love, is based on intimate relationships, makes the most productive use of resources as possible, and creates independence from dependence, and interdependence from independence.
Conclusion
So who cares? There’s no startling revelation here. What matters is what we do with this knowledge, not what we sit and ponder on. Be a bridge-builder: Identify where society is, where it should be, then quietly and powerfully insert yourself in the middle. Find people that need to be served and serve them. Help the unemployed develop skills and find employment. Help addicts find freedom. Care for your aged parents in your own home instead of sending them to a retirement center. Be active in your community. Be true to your spouse and loving to your children. Teach your children the importance of service, especially through your example. Remove the need for federal government force by replacing it with family and community-centered voluntary charity.
The next time you’re disgusted with federal government waste, deception, and/or force, turn that disgust into positive action by building your family and community. The stronger our families and communities, the less involved and smaller the government can be. And spend some time jumping on a trampoline — there’s no telling what you’ll learn.
Move the Cause of Liberty by (1) subscribing to the Sentinel, a free weekly newsletter boldly illuminating the principles of freedom in a darkening nation, and (2) pledging your Life, Liberty, and Sacred Honor to the Cause by signing the Declaration of Dependence.
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
The Conservative/Liberal Divide
August 16, 2008 by Mike Wilson · Leave a Comment
The Politically-Induced “Split-Personality” of the Human Soul
I recently experienced an epiphany that generated hope out of a lot of frustration regarding the contending factions in American and world politics, and within my own heart.
I was discussing Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments with a colleague, in which Smith (according to my discussant) puts forth the idea that it is easier for human beings to be worried about right and wrong than it is for us to worry about the welfare of our neighbor. I interjected, stating that this is true for conservatives, but that the opposite is true for liberals. I then sat back amazed at the thought that we both had, almost instantaneously, that these two concepts need not be separated, and in fact belong together.
I have stated in the past that “the role of a statesmen is to help people that love God to learn to love their neighbor and to help people who love their neighbor to learn to love God.” However, I had never realized that this division between those who were more concerned with the right and wrong way to govern and those who were more focused on the necessity to care for the well being of humankind was a false and pernicious split of the divine nature of the human soul.
What caused this split? Does the division naturally exist, or is it something passively imposed upon us by society, environment, upbringing, etc.? Or is it an active process in that we choose to deny a certain portion of ourselves? It’s likely that we are somewhat naturally compartmentalized (Jefferson uses the argument between the Head and the Heart to demonstrate his internal strife) to allow us to deal effectively with things of the heart (the welfare of others) and the cold, hard facts of the head (what is wrong and what is right). However, the environment which we are exposed to will generally accentuate one compartment over the other.
Environmental exposure is not sufficient to explain the entire situation. Human choice also plays an important role in moving us to predominately concern ourselves with either the importance of determining wrong and right or the importance of the welfare of our neighbor. As we understand this dichotomy, we can begin to see the perspective of others without falling prey to the common, unhelpful tendency to characterize those who promote a different portion of their soul as “cold-blooded, heartless conservatives” or “bleeding-heart liberals” and “do-gooders” (said with the patent EIB network mocking sneer).
In order to solve the problems we face as human beings with the determination and desire to promote freedom and prosperity and goodness, we must heal this rift within us and in society. Of course most of us will still retain a residue of the predominate portion, but our determination must be to let go of standard, tired, staid definitions and categories and embrace the whole human soul.
Classical literature plays a powerful role in this transition. Examples from the moral dilemmas discussed by Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Orson Scott Card (to name a few of my favorites) help us to ask the hard questions of ourselves and help us bring unity to our soul.
Another, more important, source of healing is to recognize our dependence on God and His emphasis on law and love, justice and mercy. He knows our soul and our individual make-up, and how to bridge the divide and reconcile in us the sadly split portions.
After recognizing one’s dependence on God, the next step in the healing process is to pick up a literature classic and engage the author in the conversation and, with profound introspection, ask “How can I become a more complete human being?” Without this wholeness, our statesmanship and our pursuit of the cause of liberty will not only ring hollow, but it will come up short.
Move the Cause of Liberty by (1) subscribing to the Sentinel, a free weekly newsletter boldly illuminating the principles of freedom in a darkening nation, and (2) pledging your Life, Liberty, and Sacred Honor to the Cause by signing the Declaration of Dependence.
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
For the Children
August 16, 2008 by Aspen Eggimann · Leave a Comment
We live in an uncertain world. The “securities” that we once thought were so dependable are falling all around us. Guardrails that we put up in the past are now fences in our future. While observing warring nations, elections with disheartening candidates, and the continuing encroachment upon the rights of the family, I find myself wondering, “What kind of a world will my children live in?”
The following is to my children, but also to those who wonder about our future. The best way to see the future is to create it. Greatness is men and women who bridge the gap between what is and should be. Let us bridge the gap, take this vision and make it our future, for the children.
To My Children
I have so many hopes for you. My mind is filled with thoughts of your future and what it might entail. Let me tell you of them, the simple and the complicated. This vision of a future, possible if but worked for, is what I hope to give you.
I hope you learn of the love of God, not through an easy life, but in the peace in your trials and pain. Understand it is only through His hand that you will be strengthened. May you have sleepless nights filled with prayer, may you have the freedom to practice religion, talk about God in public, and can say the Pledge of Allegiance with His name in it.
I hope you love your country, even in its failings. See the greatness this land represents, and live your life upholding its founding beliefs.
When I talk about the Federal Reserve, the 17th amendment and welfare I hope I’m teaching you history, not current events.
When you’re eighteen I hope you can vote for people who you think will be good leaders and not have to choose the lesser of evils.
I hope you read the Constitution and Declaration of Independence and understand the inspiration and power that is behind them. Understand the ideas and beliefs they put forth and see the impact they had on our world.
And when you find that one person you want to spend the rest of your life with may marriage be between a man and a woman, respected and upheld by the community and nation.
Maybe by the time you are grown we will have a stable economy that protects the free market and encourages entrepreneurs and small business.
I hope you live in a place where hard work is the rule, not the exception. And where having blisters on your hands is normal. Hopefully you will know what it means to get kicked by a horse, to be lost in the woods, get your hands smashed by a hammer and have sore muscles. And when the day is over I hope you understand the words by Locke, “…and from his labor joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property.”
Boys, I hope you live in a world where you can get in a fight and it doesn’t get you qualified for anger management. Get a bloody nose or black eye and from it learn to never give up when you feel pain. May you have a father who can teach you how to clean a gun and fix the car.
Girls, may you live in a world where being a feminist means you are a woman being a woman. I hope you don’t think you have to choose between having a life and having a family but know how to make them the same thing. And maybe there will be men out in the world who were not raised on TV and X-Box but on hard work and good books, who can take care of you, who have learned what it means to sacrifice for their family.
And if its necessary, though I wouldn’t want it, may you send a father or brother off to win a war worth fighting.
I want nothing more than to have you missing for hours and then discover you hidden away reading a classic. When you play, pretend you are great men and women from history and literature. For what you pretend to be is who you will become. Education will be what you know and a high school diploma will be not be as important as your character.
In a darkening world you are who we prepare for. But the challenges of today will not be gone tomorrow even with valiant effort. For change is a continuum of effort from all generations and peoples. So do not slack in the pace but move forward continually improving yourself, your family, and our nation.
Move the Cause of Liberty by (1) subscribing to the Sentinel, a free weekly newsletter boldly illuminating the principles of freedom in a darkening nation, and (2) pledging your Life, Liberty, and Sacred Honor to the Cause by signing the Declaration of Dependence.
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Copyright © 2008 by The Cause of Liberty. All rights reserved.
Libertarianism: The Threat and the Opportunity
August 16, 2008 by Stephen Palmer · 11 Comments
How To Influence the Definition and Direction of Contemporary Libertarianism
Those who focus their energy on combating socialism are fighting a war that, by and large, has already been won. Collectivism, though at its apex and seemingly more powerful than ever, is on the decline; individualism is on the rise. With its rise, individualism, commonly known as libertarianism, poses threats to American culture and governance. It also provides significant, positive opportunities that have not been available for more than a century.
It is imperative that we identify the dangers of mainstream libertarian thought and provide alternatives in order to capitalize on the opportunity to create a balanced, sustainable, free, and just society. As is so common throughout history, we may swing the pendulum from collectivism to libertarianism to find that they are both equally dangerous and unsustainable. The danger posed by libertarianism — or the opportunity — is predicated upon how it will be defined and practically applied.
The Decline of Collectivism
Collectivist institutions are splitting at the seams and crumbling due to financial infeasibility, dramatically changing age demographics, and the cultural mediocrity that they instill. Foreign wars, which necessitate higher taxes and thus enable the centralization of power, are becoming less and less popular, both for financial and moral reasons. All forms of collectivism are showing themselves to be unsustainable as a matter of empirical fact, rather than subjective value judgment. The popularity of Ron Paul, and a general decline of trust in the government and other modern institutions, especially among the youth, also evidence the decline of collectivism.
The Fragmented Nature of Libertarianism
While there are universal tendencies shared by modern libertarians, libertarianism as a political movement and ideal has not yet gained the coherence necessary to appropriately use it as a specific, functional label. The tagline of the Libertarian Party is “Smaller government, Lower Taxes, More Freedom,” which is about as universal as the movement gets. However, Lew Rockwell — one of the most popular and widely read libertarian websites, boasts the tagline “Anti-State, Anti-War, Pro-Market,” which is clearly more ideological, more concentrated, and therefore more divisive. While Ayn Rand preached the “virtue of selfishness,” Leo Tolstoy advocated self-transcendence and Christian service. And in contrast to Rand and Tolstoy, whose messages center on personal morals and values, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard, Henry Hazlitt, and others generally avoid such concerns and focus primarily on the economic aspect of freedom.
Attempting to define libertarianism appears to be an irony and even a contradiction, since at its core libertarianism viscerally rejects any label or identification that would even hint at forced or inauthentic uniformity. As a response to collectivism — or sameness — libertarianism celebrates diversity and independent thought. However, since it appears to be the default heir to the decaying throne of American politics and culture, defining it is one of the most vital steps to Read more
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