That Which Endures

Upon the Stoa this day I ponder the endurance of humanity.

The endurance of our cultures, the endurance of our dreams. The endurance of our governments and the endurance of our evils.

What made me think about this was my recent studies on how Obama and company are nearing the point at which they may decide to become tyrants in fact if not in their dreams.

I thought of Founding Principles and what makes people think that these Principles need to change over time.

I believe that the American Way is Humanity's DEFAULT mode. From conception we are endowed with our Creator's "factory default settings". We are born free. Mankind places chains upon each other and upon ourselves.

The United States was founded with the concept that All Men are Created Equal, and are Endowed by their Creator with Certain Inalienable Rights.

Does a right granted by God expire? Does it become irrelevant over time? Does an intelligence that could exceed 14.3 Billion years grow bored so quickly with the likes of us?

Doubtful.

All Mankind yearns to be free. None of us likes to be told what to do. Men don't like being nagged by women and women don't want to be called a nag. Children are a great example of how we are wired. Children lie. Adults lie just as much, they are just better at it. When I was young I wanted a Tonka truck, now I want a Ford F-150 (not really, I like my X-Terra). My wife dreamed of being a princess and I do my best to treat her like the Princess she is.

Marriages can endure the lifetime of the couple. The principles upon which they are married are mutual respect, common interests and beliefs...and patience.

Nations endure when they remember how they were created. The United States was finally, finally founded in its current form in 1787. 225 years old this year. The longest-lived government of its type. A Representative Republic. A nation formed with God in mind at every step. God is graffitied all over every monument prior to the hippy generation. All men are created equal. For the entire history of mankind this concept HAS NEVER been realized.

Today in America, there are "racial" components to crime and punishment. Really? If I walk up to an old, white woman, beat her to death, rifle her purse and then, finding nothing of interest, urinate on her corpse, I will likely get the death penalty for a brutal killing and corpse abuse. Plus attempted larceny, but that is just nuance.

If this were an old black woman, all of the above would still apply, BUT, the punishment will be more severe because the victim was black.

This violates a Founding Principle. All Men are created equal. We must be punished equally whether we be beggar or King. Otherwise we are living in a farce. A huge lie. Hollywood stars and politicians, the new American Royalty, must not be treated any better or worse than anyone else.

Conservatism is sometimes counter-intuitive. It makes blacks feel better to know that if they are touched or yelled at that a "Race" card can come down on the table, but it is wrong. Just plain wrong.

Welfare is a hand up, not a hand out. It sounds good, compassionate even, but if you subsidize anything, you simply get more of it. Some help is saintly, even a charitable responsibility, but no one should be forced to support another against their will. That is theft.

Yet so many ills endure as well. So many. Our way of life CAN endure, but we have to have faith. Faith in ourselves, faith in others, and faith in something greater than ourselves.

You can not have light without the dark, nor can you have a bright light without a dark, deep shadow. It is the ills that we fight every day that DEFINE what is right and what is wrong. Know how to identify the shadow and don't fear it. Face it, endure it, and grow from it.

I hope this has sparked some thought among the class today.

Live well,

--Zavost