I guess if we simply stop and look at the populations of our prisons, we could draw a conclusion that laws and rules don’t do a very good job of bringing communities and societies into alignment. They do, however, when applied, create broken lives and savagely disrupted families.
I am not writing here to advocate for the removal of laws, or prisons for that matter, however, I do believe we have lost our way and may be headed down a dark path.
Some of My Beliefs
Laws and rules do not give an individual a moral code. A moral code comes from a life of learning, mistakes, loving mentorships and education, stable parenting, self-inspection, navigating one’s mind, developing a strong personal will, reigning in desires and compulsions, many moments of humiliation, wins and losses and a genuine desire to be a better human being.
Laws and rules are signposts that give us all reference points. They are meant to be created by elected officials who represent us and preside over the things that will help society to function more smoothly.
Combined with enough personal responsibility and personal moral governance, laws support the smooth running of society.
Sometimes, however, laws are not well thought out and can conflict directly with a citizen’s own moral code. At these times, a courageous citizen will rebel against such a law, and this may lead to the law being repealed or modified.
Governments are meant to lead and manage, not to dictate and control.
What is a Moral Code?
It is a deep knowing as to what is “the right thing” to do in any given moment. But further, it is the capacity to hold and wait when the “right thing” is not obvious or discernable. It is the capacity to trust, to remain in an unknown without resistance until clarity of direction arrives.
This is not something that arrives with puberty. It doesn’t just happen. It is a lifelong body of work that will involve many failures, many moments of regret and humiliation and many harsh lessons.
Any worthwhile human endeavor involves self-sacrifice, commitment to a goal, suffering, difficult choices, hardship, persistence, and self-honesty. Developing a strong moral code is no different.
The funny thing about education is that it can set a person off on a wrong path. I grew up a Catholic and we were led to believe that because we were Catholic, we were superior in God’s eyes to those who were not Catholic and so we automatically stood on the moral high ground. I grew up in a religion that preached compassion from a mightily lofty place.
What I learned from this, and the lessons were harsh, is that you cannot create a moral code simply by assuming the moral high ground. Many Catholics suffer from this, as do members of other religions.
Some Thoughts on Life Purpose
Many people believe in life purpose. I guess this could be translated into a purposeful life. I certainly believe in it. If you do not, that is fine. I can’t be right because I do not know for sure.
But, early on, I felt glimpses of where I needed to go. The same with my son. It was fascinating to watch him seemingly drift rudderless for several years, earning a living but not much else. However, along the way he subtly glanced off experiences, making decisions, following paths that lead him to where he is in a profession where very few people can do what he does. He is successful, happy, and inspired.
If I had been an anxious parent, concerned about what other people thought, I may well have interfered with his explorative journey and sent him off course.
So how would I define life purpose? It is an inner calling to some form of service to our fellow human beings. It may be a grand position like Head of Government. Or, it could be a role in the background, like being a green keeper who cares for sporting ovals in a way that will ensure nothing about the playing surface will interfere with the sporting contest, ensuring that participants may be free to display their talents, and paying fans get the best chance to fully enjoy their outing.
We all seem to have talents. Some fail to recognise their talents because they are lost in thoughts about how they “should be”, someone else’s ideas. Life finds its richest peaks when we discover those talents and learn how we can apply them in the world for the benefit of others.
Service to others is a natural yearning for all human beings.
Where Life Purpose and Moral Code Meet.
I have a sense that when a person pursues a life purpose, they begin to be motivated by unselfish goals. These goals lead them on a path of self-growth, learning, mistakes, successes and failures, humiliation, exhilaration, pride, and humility, always growing and evolving to become a humble, confident, and self-directed human being.
It seems to be that along this path a moral code is most likely forged as the person embarks on an adventurous journey toward what Abraham Maslowe described as Self-actualization.
This is a powerful reason why education is better when it is inspiring rather than indoctrinating, stimulating curiosity, interest and exploration as opposed to dogmatic fact learning.
Mistakes and Bad Decisions are Crucial.
As we traverse our path, we will make mistakes and make some bad decisions. Harry Palmer once wrote that interrogating a person as to why they did it will probably only produce lies. Often times, people don’t know why they did something stupid. But they can be invited to explore the learning in the event.
Unfortunately, in our Western cultures, when people make mistakes that are severe enough, they are convicted of a crime and carry the burden of their error for life. We are a backward mob. We all grew up under the Judeo-Christian traditions, which speak loudly about forgiveness, yet we condemn people for their mistakes, till death.
In other societies it is done differently. When a tribal member breaks a law in Australian Aboriginal communities, they are punished, and the offence is forgotten.
The Lakota Sioux Indians of North America were very evolved. When a young woman became pregnant, she would sit alone in the forest, meditating over her unborn child until she could create a song for the child. She would teach the other women and they would sing the song together.
Once the child was born, the mother and the other women would sing that song to the child. It was a calming factor in their lives. After age six, there were only two occasions the song was sung. Each year, the tribe would sing it on the member’s birthday.
The second was when the member transgressed against the tribe. At that time, the member would be brought to the centre of the gathered tribe, and all would sing the song to them, to remind them of who they are. Their philosophy was simple: “You are who you are. You are not what you have done.”
Second and third chances are essential along the path of self-discovery and the fulfillment of life purpose.
I often wonder how many people are locked up in prisons due to a single moment of profound stupidity.
Every person has the power to become a good, compassionate, contributing human being. But rarely can it be done alone. Imagine if when you made a mistake, instead of making you wrong, people came to you to help you to learn and grow from the mistake, to help you on your path.
This is no more utopian than the push for the new Stakeholder Capitalism where companies will be sanctioned by investors over their handling of the Environment, Social Factors (Society Impact) and Governance (how they treat people).
Who Decides What is Right?
It appears that now, we have groups of people deciding what is “right” and seeking to drive their beliefs onto the rest of society. I do not like that. I prefer to decide for myself. I do not need someone else to be my moral compass.
It seems that Left Wing Governments across the world are deciding what is best for everyone. This is not something I am comfortable with. In Australia, the left operates under a fundamental philosophy of collectivism. Put simply it is,” We decide, You do!” On the other end of the spectrum, the conservatives operate under a fundamental philosophy of “Freedom of personal choice and freedom of enterprise.”
If we look further, some of the worlds biggest equity funds, organisations who’s charter is to increase the financial investments of their members, are stepping into the fray. BlackRock (US$10 trillion in assets), Vanguard ($8.1 trillion in assets), State Street ($4.15 trillion in assets) who collectively own up to 25% of the world’s Fortune 500 Companies, are exerting pressure at board level of these companies to comply with new ESG ideals.
Some say they are violating their fiduciary obligations by impacting the profits of the companies they are influencing. This goes against their charter.
I know enough about human behavior that people who feel coerced to do something eventually become tired of the coercion, especially if they are not in complete agreement with what they are being compelled to do.
Recently, the South Australian Government have banned the use of gender specific pronouns in all Government business. Is this even real? Should we assume that we are approaching a time when traditionally gender specific first names will be outlawed? No more Sophies or Jonathans!
Who gave anyone the right to make such disruptive changes to the way we use the English language, to how we use words as descriptors. I guess it is important to remember that a word is one part of communication. The intention the word rides on is another factor altogether.
Lessons from the Writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky
I am blown away by the way Dostoevsky writes. His command of language coupled with his understanding of the human psyche is as compelling as it is awe inspiring. He describes a person who forgoes their own moral freedom to bind themselves to an ideal.
I was immediately taken to so many times in my life where I watched friends and others defy their intuitive sense for the fear of error, judgement, or disapproval. I know that I too have done so.
If bound by enough fear, people will forego their moral freedom in a blind quest for security. Helen Keller once wrote, “Security is a superstition. It does not exist in nature. Life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing.”
We all have great responsibility for our own lives and our deepest sense of self comes from a fierce guardianship over our own moral freedoms. But, as Jordan B. Peterson once said, “Responsibility abdicated is vacuumed up by scoundrels”.
And we have Politicians who are the scoundrels of unearned power who use fear to bait their traps, bind good people to their ideologies, and use domination and control to seize an enduring grip on power.
The Environment and Associated Fears
Right now, there are fears running in our society and they have many people in their grip. The four major fears I see are:
· A pending environmental Armageddon.
· World War and Chinese aggression.
· Hopelessness among young people relating to their capacity to buy a home.
· Viruses and another pandemic.
The associated fears leave so many people vulnerable and potentially likely to be captivated by rhetoric and propaganda.
Is there a pending environmental Armageddon? It is less likely than many predict. A simple reality creates significant doubt. Planet Earth is 1% greener than it was in 1980. Why? Because it seems that increased atmospheric carbon means plants do not need to open their pores very far to breathe, meaning they lose less water and thrive more easily in arid areas.
There are so many factors that provide evidence against the Armageddon theories, but they are conveniently left out of the narrative. Greens politicians across the world are using their message of environmental terror to ensnare the votes of young people. They too are scoundrels using deceit to seize power.
Recently The Melbourne Age published an article about China and the threat potential. Why would they even write such an article, let alone publish it? Some facts about China.
First, China is more dependent on food imports than any other country. If the same sanctions now being applied to Russia, were applied to China, within a year, 500 million Chinese people would die of starvation. Second, due to the prolonged “One Child” policy, China has a burgeoning aging population without enough working age people to financially support them. When they all eventually die, the impact on the country’s population number will be catastrophic. Some predict China’s population could drop by 40% in the next 40 years. They are in no position to go to war. If they were, they probably would have taken Taiwan years ago.
Across Australian Universities, angry young people are embracing Marxism, believing that capitalism is the evil enemy that made housing unaffordable. They blame the generations before them for inflating the value of housing.
It was not Capitalism at all. It was simply human egos operating out of opportunism and greed, seeking to get their hands on as much money as possible. These students are not being helped to explore other perspectives and are becoming Marxism converts.
And, of course, there are still people scared that a virus would infect them, and live with a level of trepidation, eternally intimidated by the threat of an invisible killer.
If we add to these inflation, rising energy costs and banking collapses, Governments have a variety of colorful fear buttons they can push in any moment or circumstance.
And it is important to note that I am not anti “left wing”. I have voted for the Labor Party many times. I have always been a genuine swinging voter. But I do believe extreme left and extreme right have a way of destroying the harmonious balances in a society. Right now, we have a lot of extreme left-leaning people leading our governments.
Humans Expressing their Humanity.
What would happen if we all, as fellow human beings, decided to work on becoming the best versions of ourselves that we can. What would happen if we all fully embraced our humanity and allowed our natural virtuous qualities to flow freely into the world?
I’m not indicating a need for perfection, far from it. I advocate for all of us to strive for better, to be good to others, to own our mistakes and to have compassion for others when they make mistakes, and to keep growing and striving.
What would happen if we found ourselves governed by leaders who championed Inspiration and Personal Responsibility? What would happen if schools were urged to teach inspiration and exploration the way they are currently being directed to honor all expressions of gender confusion as something that should not be challenged in any way.
This is a leadership issue.
I guess I cannot be too critical because it is a job I am not prepared to take on, but can we not, as parents and supporters, inspire the emerging generations tow ant to seek to become human, wise and compassionate leaders who serve with good and noble intentions.
Instead of creating a generation of young people who choose to be victims of their circumstances, fighting for any way they can to seek comfort, approval, validation, belonging and status, what would happen if we decided to inspire them to step up and stretch for something far better.
Whilst there is fear, there will be division, hatred, hardship, conspiracy theories and cults.
We do not need Governments to dictate and control. We need them to lead. However, Political Parties with a lust for power tell themselves they are leading whilst they are subjugating.
And whilst these governments stand tall on the unearned moral high ground, they create more and more new laws that remove freedoms. This goes on in the background whilst an ideologically aligned media look on with approval, reporting nothing and keeping the people looking the other way.
And as they plan to progressively close the last of our 25 coal fired power stations that give us affordable energy, they shake hands with China as it embarks upon the construction of over 150 new Coal Fired Power Stations.
What is Really Happening?
God human beings with a strong moral code and a genuine sense of their humanity and moral freedoms, do not do nasty things to others. I would argue that to be an uncontestable statement.
But people who are lost in their ego, drowning in self-importance, are prone to losing touch with their own humanity. They have lost connection with who they are and now believe that everyone else needs their direction and guidance. This is not just happening to politicians. It is also happening to the people who fully buy into the ideological cults that support these politicians.
The extreme environmental movement has become a dangerous cult. The extreme LGBTI+ movement has also become a dangerous cult. And they are both vacuuming up as much power as they can using intimidation, persecution, cancelling, and outright predatory and ferocious attacks on anyone who chooses to disagree. They even now have a hand on the mechanisms of government and are influencing policy.
It is this same depraved power lust that led to the Nazi’s murdering some 6 million Jewish Human Beings in the second world war.
And like so many German people in the 1940’s, many see or feel what is happening, have many moments of recognition that this may not be right, but retreat into the comfort of the pretend security the mob seems to provide, and say nothing. Best stay on the side of the winning team, no matter the cost.
All these people have completely lost connection to their own hearts. They have sold out on their own moral freedom, binding their souls to a deeply flawed ideology, and for what? Their egos are running their lives.
Remember this. Power hungry cults are the refuge for self-righteous egos with a distaste for humility, honesty, or compassion.
Where to From Here?
I have a sense that we all need to become more politically active, with an intention to create a more loving and compassionate world. We do not need more laws. Harry Palmer put it beautifully. We need more Personal Responsibility, Compassion and Service to others.
We can get involved and work with alternative political parties who seem to align with our values and support them to discover candidates who do have a strong moral code and a powerful and enduring love of freedom.
Together, we can define new and exciting goals for our nation, goals that will awaken enough of the frozen egos into a realization that they are human beings first and foremost and that life can be loving and rewarding.
And as we go, we can support each other to grow and evolve, to own our mistakes and keep moving forward.
Together, we can take much better care of and support those who feel maligned, misunderstood or forgotten as we work to bring and evolving harmony and equilibrium to society.
From there we can support our kids to explore the world with curiosity and wonder, as we answer their questions with care and love, and give them the space and support to become who they are.
Perhaps we all just need to strive to become better human beings. It’s a simple message.
Great article John and yes the solution is pretty simple hey. It’s so true that making mistakes, learning, forgiveness and evolvement are the things that get lost as the extreme left works hard to impose its world view on others. I like your list of four major fears, although I think concerns about China are valid because they heading down a path that is pretty scary. There will be a huge loss of freedom for many people if they achieve their aims.
As is usual JT, our contemplations are 100% in sync. We are joined at the navel and ty as usual for sharing them with me.