Walling Off Plato's Cave (American Reformation I, Five.)

Whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power upon which he who would act rationally either in public or private life must have his eye fixed. ~From the Allegory Of The Cave, Plato's Republic.

...

Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the House of Abraham, Muhammad, and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors...

You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug) -- while praying to the same God -- with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the "white" Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan, and Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers) -- because their belief in one God had removed the "white" from their minds, the 'white' from their behavior, and the 'white' from their attitude. I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man -- and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their "differences" in color.

With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called "Christian" white American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to save America from imminent disaster -- the same destruction brought upon Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves.

They asked me what about the Hajj had impressed me the most. . . . I said, "The brotherhood! The people of all races, color, from all over the world coming together as one! It has proved to me the power of the One God. . . . All ate as one, and slept as one. Everything about the pilgrimage atmosphere accented the Oneness of Man under One God. 

~Malcolm X, Letter following the Hajj.

...

When men stop believing in God, it isn't that they then believe in nothing: they believe in everything. ~Umberto Eco

I saw this shit the other day.

Apparently Plato, or at least large sections of his writing, have been banned from Texas A&M university for too much "gay stuff."

And I've been conversing with my British friend about that shit.

Plato is, to a degree a lot of people don't realize, a large part of the basis of both Christianity and conservatism. Hell, Plato is a massive chunk of the basis for Western Civilization itself in a general sense!

I'm not saying that's right or wrong, I personally think it's a bit problematic, but it is simply what is.

But anyway, yeah, that "Western Civilization" certain "Conservatives" are always banging on about.

Plato. You know, The Republic?

Our Founders all knew and valued this stuff! They had to! At that time in our history until well up past the Civil War, you weren't anybody if you didn't have or couldn't quote enough of the Classics to make people think you had some kind of a Classical education. A lot of people who didn't have money but could get a book or two were actually self-taught on this stuff!

And the State of Texas doesn't want current college students to know that.

Of course then my friend pointed out (correctly, unfortunately) that a lot of These Fucking People simply can't read to start with.

And American "Conservatives" who loudly and openly do not currently value longstanding alliances or relationships, who proudly are cruel and obviously untrustworthy, and who very often seem to value anything based on "can they steal it" or "what can they get out of it" wonder why no one trusts them?? 

These Fucking People who seem to view any other people as pretty much fit only for killing...are starting to wonder why so much of the rest of the world...including mind you a lot of other Americans...doesn't want to look at them except through a rifle scope or a set of iron sights??

I know why.

Pro tip, guys, when you think that the existence or freedom or rights of Other People are something that can or should be debated, sooner or later the rest or the world has a right to wonder just what they fuck you're doing here or why they're putting up with you.

The rest of the world gets a vote.

And if we ourselves have reached the point where we don't even know our own beliefs or even the basis for anything...what the fuck are we even doing all this for??

When I say these motherfuckers are proud of being cruel, untrustworthy, and generally assholes, that also includes in their interpersonal relationships and (most especially lately) in how they treat women.

I've seen men do and say shit in the last six months, to me and my partner, that would have got somebody beat up 30 years ago. Of course this shit invariably happens online where the immediate response is unlikely to be a punch in the face. 

Although in one case, I know where the dude lives and reminded him to behave accordingly. This was a friend of over 25 years, who instantly started acting creepy at the prospect of a vulnerable woman, and he was extremely inappropriate to my now-partner. 

Like, I can't even talk how these people talk and that is not a joke.

I hear he wondered why I got the girl and he didn't.

I know why, I treated her as a person.

Honestly I think a hell of a lot of this shit boils down to a lot of "Conservatives" somehow think they're Donald Trump now, too. 

Or as I said in the case of my former friend, he seems to think he's the same as one of his characters from our gaming group back in the day.

I literally said to him, dude, you ain't the same as your damn Vampire, and I know I taught you better than that type of shit when it comes to talking to a lady. I mean, if you want to be That Guy there's a lot of ways to do so without being creepy about it.

My joke on here for a long time is that current Republicans think it's HELLA funny to be drawing dicks on the walls of Plato's Cave.

As with so many things, that's simply not destructive or transgressive enough anymore.

Now these fucking people, so-called "Conservatives" want to fill Plato's Cave in with dirt and brick it over, not out of any ideological imperative or because they think the conceit that ideas are better than people might be actively harmful, but because they don't like ideas at all, much less ancient writings that provide windows into cultures and times not our own might make people think too much.

And honestly?

A lot of this crap is just simple-assed narcissism.

Might as well just call it what it is.

We've got to take the neighborhood back. We've got to go in there. Just forget telling your child to go to the Peace Corps. It's right around the corner. It's standing on the corner. It can't speak English. It doesn't want to speak English. I can't even talk the way these people talk. "Why you ain't where you is go." I don't know who these people are. And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk. Then I heard the father talk. This is all in the house. You used to talk a certain way on the corner and you got into the house and switched to English. Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't land a plane with "why you ain't…". You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth. There is no Bible that has that kind of language. Where did these people get the idea that they're moving ahead on this? Well, they know they're not, they're just hanging out in the same place, five or six generations sitting in the projects when you're just supposed to stay there long enough to get a job and move out. ~Bill Cosby, the "Pound Cake" speech.

Narcissism...and stupidity.

And somehow these two things always seem to combine into a lust for Power on the part of some dickhead.

And people are getting tired of it.

Not only does it feel like there's a revolution brewing here but there's already one going on in Iran.

Russia looks to be on thin ice economically and otherwise.

Nobody wants to live on the bottom of somebody else's boot but These Fucking People and I don't know how to put it any other way than that. 

There's only so many "Politically correct" ways to say "Fuck You, Asshole."

And maybe it's just me but I think people have a right to be tired of this shit and tell people like Ayatollah Cockamamie or Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin to go fuck themselves.

The only reason these freaks have Power is because somebody somewhere lets them. Nearly all governments or rulers, in one way or another, derive their power from the consent of the governed.

And when people start hacking away at things like *Checks Notes* the philosophical basis for why they claim they have some kind of a right to be there in the first place.

Eventually, people forget how they got there or what the fuck they were supposed to be doing in the first place I guess. It's not much of a switch to see them becoming antagonistic towards the Source of their power because they'd prefer to use Force, or simply expect to be worshiped for their narcissism or they think people are just that stupid.

Of course to use Iran itself as an example, about the only thing the Glorious Revolution seems to have accomplished at long last is making Iran less Islamic.

Raw Power turned out to be a hell of a lot more of a drug than the Hashish that the Assassins used, I guess??

And of course, people got sick of it.

And like medieval Germans tired of the Church handing out "Indulgences" to perverts, I think we've had enough here, too.

That's why I think an American Reformation is necessary. Somebody's gotta nail the list to the door first, though.

How long?? How long here before enough is, in fact, enough??

You either believe in freedom or you don't, America.

Слава Україна!

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Watch ye therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. ~Matthew 25:1-13

Four

Elisabet Sobeck: I remember yelling that I didn’t care. And that’s when my mother took my face in her hands and…spoke.

GAIA: Query: What did she say?

Elisabet Sobeck: She said I had to care. She said, “Elisabet, being smart will count for nothing if you don’t make the world a better place. You have to use your smarts to count for something, to serve life, not death.”

~From the video game Horizon Zero Dawn.