I would not live for a thousand years as a caged man, if I had the choice, to feel the grass beneath my bare feet for even one day.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Free Will and the Will of a Free Society
If a society should
will it, then it shall be free. If a society should take leave of their will
for another’s, or if it should seek to impose their will, on the individual,
then it shall forever remain bound into the slavery created by their will.
Aside from God,
Jesus, Yeshuah, Allah, Providence, Buddha or any other form of deity that we
believe in, the will of society is not so great as to be infallible or just in
all cases. However, the will of a society as a collective majority, can also be
just if it is justly imposed.
But what if then, a
collective will, is unjust or unjustly imposed upon society as a whole? Does
indeed might make right? I would persuade you against that theory in that it is
as much a threat to the free will of man as the deprivation of oxygen is to his
life. Might can only perpetuate might in that it is often born of a desire to
repress the will of another. Right will always be right until it is used in the
endeavors of wrong. Thus, just because it is
your right, does not make it right.
Let us then, for the
sake of this article, agree, Theologians and Atheists alike that there is
indeed a higher power that seeks to provide instruction for a just and moral
life. That there is indeed a deity that granted life and free will and that he continues
to watch this world and its inhabitants. Let us address him in the most general
of terms as God.
The founders of this
country and the framers of her Constitution were stalwart in their belief in a higher,
guiding force. They agreed that such a force has endowed upon his creation of
man, certain rights that are natural, inherent and therefore inalienable.
“We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Declaration of Independence
“The highest manifestation of life consists in this:
that a being governs its own actions. A thing which is always subject to the
direction of another is somewhat of a dead thing.”
Saint Thomas Aquinas
“The object of life is not to be on the side of the
majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
Marcus Aurelius
“The issue today is the same as it has been throughout
all history, whether man shall be allowed to govern himself or be ruled by a
small elite.”
Thomas Jefferson
So then, our forefathers and many a man
and ruler in ancient history not only believed in a creator, but believed that
that same creator had granted the right of self determination, self governorship
or free will to the individual man. They believed that mankind had the right to
rule his body and actions and to seek and fulfill whatever desires he may in
his pursuit of, not only knowledge and fortune, but of happiness.
How then does it come
to pass that we have found ourselves being ruled yet again? How then have we
come to give up this right of self determination? Why is it that a collective
society can assume they may impose their will, just or unjust, upon any other
man, woman or child?
The individual, aside
from God, is the single most powerful force on this planet. The individual
alone has the right to determine which way he should go in life and what actions
he may take. The individual is capable of a great many things, for the
individual is capable of thought and reason.
I propose that it is
completely deplorable and laden with rebuke for a collective to seek to repress
any just or moral action of the individual. The mass is only capable of group
thought and speak; it has no capability of reason or thought in that it must,
for its very existence, abhor these things. It must denounce the very idea of
individualism and self determination.
Though in doing so,
it is also renouncing and repressing the greatest gift that our creator has
bestowed-Life.
For what is a life
lived in its entirety in chains and bondage, servitude and serfdom? Nothing I
dare say, but merely an object of existence. A rock may exist, but it has no
life.
If we do accept that
God has given us to life and free will, then we must also accept that these
gifts have come with a price. In every powerful being there exists such a
desire as to see its subject live under their will. Such I believe is the
desire of God. He in fact, does wish for us to live in his honor and after his
image and teachings, but he also has granted us leave if we should so choose
another path.
Therefore is it
entirely acceptable for a child of God, his creation, which among all other man
is equal, to decide what another man shall do with his life? Is it therefore
then acceptable that a Catholic should decide that all mankind should not eat
meat when the custom of lint should come about? Or the Christian to partake of
no wine or drug, or the Muslim to partake of no pork? I remain staunch in my
belief that this is near chief among the greatest transgressions man can
inflict upon his brethren.
The forceful or coercive application of the ideas of one or
many, upon a single individual, is second in tragedy only to the actual
physical taking of his life. An individuals mind and intellect is among the
chief of those most precious gifts entailed in life. Is it not in the mind where
happiness is perceived? Is it not our minds and intellect that allow us to
define our happiness by counting it against our sufferings?
To make a man espouse
the ideas of another, forcefully, is an evil, tyrannical thing. In all cases
this act should be met with the utmost and vehement force of rebellion. The
retention of all things singular and precious to this individual should be
retained, and it is his will alone that can determine what will or will not be
cast aside.
It is a derelict
society that would seek to impose its own ideas and will upon the individual.
It is an immoral and corrupt society that would seek to ridicule, persecute or
excommunicate the individual that would challenge these same things. It is also
a cowardly individual that would allow this same treatment to persuade his
ideology.
There can be a time
however, that an imposition can and should be tolerated. The father that
teaches his children about morality and integrity should, in all cases, not be
hindered. The pastor that teaches his congregation after the teachings of God
and his book should not be abhorred. The student that seeks knowledge from his
teacher should not be abridged in any way. But, there will and must come a time
when each of these will, in the course of responsibility, throw off these
harnesses and seek for themselves the truth of the questions.
This time must come
in the course of natural events. It must be allowed to expand as a result of
the individual’s own desire and it must come freely. A society is in no way
just, nor does it have the authority, to bring about these changes or inflict
upon the individual a reprieve from these things.
A society must stand
aside and let man, for himself, determine when he shall stand and when he shall
lay. When he shall read and when he shall speak. It is a fearful and dastardly
thing indeed for a society to seek or obtain the power to direct the
individuals mind and mouth to its own ends. This act should be repelled in
every instance.
The ideas of an
individual are the very foundation of a free society. They are the fruit born
of labored intellect and they should be well received in all cases. Is every
man not entitled by way of life to his own thoughts and opinions? Whether they
be perceived rightly or wrongly is of no consequence. If a just and moral idea should
give way to actions of the same, then how should a society succeed in putting
them down? If an unjust and immoral idea should lead to actions of the same,
but not be put down, how then should this society be regarded?
I should say that the
individual is the very thing upon which a society is formed and the very thing
which gives it power. Therefore is it not conceivable to assume that every idea
and individual is indeed of the collective? For an idea may inspire one or many
to the same cause. Those same individuals may take shelter in their own
collective to insure their merits are well received and debated. Is this not
the way it has always been?
I should upon reflection
and reference state yes. Men have always been drawn to those of like mind and
conscious. Whether they be moral or immoral is not the basis of this argument,
merely a by product. If endowed with the ability and desire to seek and espouse
our own ideas, but having those same rejected by the majority of society, is it
not our way to form a group of individuals wherein the same reasoning and logic
can be found?
If so, why is it then
allowed, for one collective to be deemed just, while another, created by the
same desire of company, should be vilified? I know not and can fathom no logical
or sane reasoning as to justify this behavior.
If a free society is
to at all, remain free, or a bound society is to ever, become free, it then
must accept the individual and the respective ideas as an integral part of the
same.
“Reaching
consensus in a group is often confused with finding the right answer.”
Norman Mailer
“The unity of freedom has never relied on uniformity of
opinion.”
John F. Kennedy
In Liberty,
Richard Camacho
Ron Paul 2012
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
To The Generation of; As a Collective
“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a
Monarchy?”
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Benjamin Franklin – After the Constitutional Convention of
1787
At present there are four generations this article will
touch on:
- The Great Generation
- The Baby Boomers
- Generation X
- Generation Y
Yesterday we watched the “First-in-the-Nation” Republican
Caucuses in Iowa unfold, and Indeed we did see the labor of our, Ron Paul R3VOLution, bear fruit. We
have worked long and hard to win this first, of many, battles and we will
continue to work and fight for the future we were promised; the future that is
our birthright.
As I anxiously awaited the first counts to filter in, I
asked myself, how did we come to this point? Why is it that we need a statesman
such as Congressman Paul to aid us in the return to our founding principles?
When exactly did we lose our way? How is it that America became stricken in such a
manner as to require a good doctor?
Allow me, if you
will, to take some liberty with history, and to generalize in a way that will
help us all understand.
To the Great
Generation, I express my deepest gratitude for your sacrifices and your honor.
You gave so many men and women over to the Great Wars and gave up so much of
your lives in defense of Democracy, I applaud you. You built houses, bridges
and buildings on a grand scale. You pioneered the luxury car and the
Television, the Microwave and Refrigerator. You landed on the moon! You laid
the foundation for the technological revolution and you tried to preserve the
moral integrity of the family unit.
To the Baby Boomers I
also express some gratitude. You gave us the first pictures of the outer solar
system. You built and sent robots to Mars. You gave us the Micro processor and
personal computer. Had it not been for you, this laptop, on which I now type,
would most surely be the size of the SUV I drive. Were it not for your
generation, we would never have such things as Nintendo, Sega, Gameboy,
Playstation and the Xbox. You refined the luxury car, the Television, Microwave
and Refrigerator. You have made our buildings and bridges safer and grander.
To the Generation of
X, I would extend a certain level of familiarity. We have seen a great many
things in our short time. Russia fell, the Berlin Wall came crashing down, and
the cell phone was introduced to us. In our insatiable appetite for things, we
forced the technological revolution into a more efficient state of being. We
developed the Smart phone, Smart car, Plasma and LCD Television. We, in our
ever increasing desire to be independent, required that our laptops and
computers become smaller and more powerful. We cannot remember a world without
WiFi and Ethernet cables. We know almost nothing of lead Gasoline and we abhor
the thought of anything other than environmental responsibility.
To the Generation of
Y, I pledge my undying and unconditional love and affection. I pledge my
loyalty to You my sons, in what way that I may be able to insure a better world
in which to grow. I stand forever in belief that it is my responsibility to
You, that I should seek any and all manners of freedom, that You may also grow
and prosper as we have all been promised. I remain stalwart in my integrity
that I should not be derelict in my duties to You or that I should so
feverishly persuade or prevent, any that would seek to bind your spirits and
bodies unwillingly.
To the Generation of
Greatness, I lament. For though you have defended America’s honor, you have also
shamed her in ways that will take the better part, if not the whole, of my
generation to remedy. You allowed scores of your Countrymen to be detained
unlawfully, their houses and possessions confiscated and redistributed, all in
the name of national security and Patriotism. You have allowed this great
nation to be led into war after countless war for lack of your due diligence.
You have been derelict in your duties to protect and preserve America and her
Constitution.
You have allowed the
Military-Industrial Complex, the same that your beloved Eisenhower warned you
against, to gain and power in this country. You have allowed your elected
representatives to author and pass into law, legislation and treaties that
began the usurpation and dejection of America’s sovereignty. You have
allowed your children to run wild in the streets; through your failure to
communicate, or the fear thereof, you have failed to teach them what it truly
means to be honest, moral and to count and measure everything against their
integrity.
Through your
unwillingness to accept anything other than “your way” as right, you began the
now failed War on Drugs. You created the “Hippies” and you created the cycle of
drunken abuse. You have laid the framework for the Prison-Industrial system and
through your lack of instruction, communication and plethora of improper
properness, given your children over to it.
To the Generation of
Babies and Booms, I do hold you in certain contempt’s. You have allowed
millions of your men and women to be slaughtered in unjust wars. You disgraced
the American soldiers who, upon their most happiest return from an unhappy war,
soiled them with red paints, harassed their parents and called the murderers
and baby killers. You have given yourself over to heathenism's, debauchery and
idleness. You have wallowed in the excesses of the sixties, seventies and
eighties and filled your lives and noses with powders and smokes that should be
reserved for occasional recreation.
You have fed the
Prison-Industrial system. You have abandoned your children to it and the world.
You have refined the cycle of inebriated abuse and have forsaken your
responsibilities for the temporary pleasures of the flesh. You have mortgaged
your lives to the establishment you so vehemently railed against in your youth.
You seek to turn a blind eye, closed mouth and covered ear to the voices of
reason today.
Blinded by your
vices, you have allowed your wealth to be stolen, squandered. You have allowed
the granite foundation of your monetary base to be replaced with sand and air.
You have allowed the worth of your dollar to be reduced by almost all. You have
amplified and compounded the welfare state of America and have granted accord
with your big brother in managing your lives. You traded the freedoms of tomorrow
for a satisfied appetite of the day.
You allow yourselves
to be utterly guided, led by the eyes, nose and by ear anyone under bright
lights and polish. You disregard and disrespect anyone that would seek to voice
the truth of your infidelity to the Constitution and your irresponsibility of
diligence. The ideas of your youth are now espoused as “radical”, “crazy” and
“dangerous” though they were not such in your time.
You marginalize and
mock any who question or rebel against the notion that life “has to be a
certain way”, because you have accepted your fate. You have laid your dreams
down, sown their seeds in fallow ground and failed to nurture them. In your
excess, you forgot that the tree of life and liberty must be watered, and that for freedom to be retained, constant
vigilance is required.
Both generations
allowed the greatest threat to the liberty and prosperity of America and her
people to establish itself. You found yourself too busy with the petty
contrivances of life; too busy to defend your freedom and future. You were too
trusting of government; too trusting of your elected representatives. You
allowed a nice suit and a smile assure you that it was all for your benefit.
You allowed gold to
be removed as a backing to our money supply. You allowed the government and
media to lie to you, to convince that their agenda was indeed your agenda. You
have allowed traitors to the Constitution into the white house and senate. You
have branded traitors as heroes and great men. You continue to believe the lie
because you refuse to seek the truth. You refuse to accept the truth, when
presented, because the truth is too great, too powerful, too fantastic, and too
terrible. You would rather have the comfort of lies than the pain of honesty!
As a collective, I
hold you in contempt.
To the Great Generation, in love
and respect I admonish you. Your time is all but gone in this world. The dawn
of your prime has now given way to the dusk of eternity and soon you will call
this place home no more. Would you continue to plague us with memories of far
better days while you yet remain? Will you seek our delight yet again for those
days filled with freedom and prosperity, those days that are now gone by; faded
from time, as you too shall fade? Can you ever consciously pose the question,
“Where did we go wrong as a country” without first looking inward?
To the Generation that boomed with babies, the
afternoon of your prime is upon you, though the hour is late indeed. Your
posterity would seek answers to questions on which you have none. Your
grandchildren will come one day and ask certain things of you, perhaps in
astonishment; perhaps with contempt or anger. I pray that you would provide
answers to those same questions with the utmost honesty, humility and
sincerity. I hope that you may find some reprieve upon repentance for the honor
and vigilance that you have so readily shirked.
We do therefore understand how, that this has
happened to come about during the watch of these generations. We do not, however,
understand how you could have let
this come about. You have traded a little temporary comfort and security for
your liberty, I would profess that you deserve neither.
The Generation of X has indeed enabled its own
transgression. We are not blind to it now, though we may have been in the past.
We were children for a time and as such are we all not granted leave for a
little foolishness and untroubled perspective? I do agree, but the time for
such nonsensical living must be put away in due time so that our duties,
responsibilities and integrity can be met with unwavering support. A child can
be exempt from liberty’s defense for he is a child and knows not of what is
expected of him in that rite, but a full-grown man or woman, should be shamed
to think it otherwise for him or herself.
“When I
was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child:
but when I became a man, I put away childish things”.
1 Corinthians 13:11(KJV)
My generation, the Generation of X is awakening
as all generations before us had awoke. We, however, will not succumb to the
sleep that is purported to be inevitable. We will not go quietly into the
night, resigned to a counterfeit fate, created by those that would seek to
thrust it upon us unwillingly. Our voice will not be silenced and our minds not
swayed for we do not, rely on one source of information and as all young minds,
we do indeed crave the truth. We do not think, speak, or act as we are told we
ought. We are indeed a collective of great minds, free minds, and we refuse to
believe the lie that has fooled so many before us.
Though we may, at times falter in step, we
must not fail in our course. Surely, with failure, comes the absolute slavery
of every man, woman and child upon this earth. Our success will be again, a
beacon of hope to that same body, and will succeed in preserving the hopes,
dreams, lives and fortunes of this land for our posterity.
"There
is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea
whose time as come."
"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time
has come."
Victor Hugo
To the Great Generation:
Stop voting! You will not have to live with
the consequences of your ill-advised, ignorant actions, we will. You have done
more than enough for this world already.
To the Baby Boomers:
Due your due diligence and hold true to your
integrity. Vote your conscious, not the lesser of two evils. Remember who it is
that will care for you in the evening of your life, we will not forget.
To the Generation of X:
It is our time.
To the Generation of Y:
Don’t trip, we got this.
In Liberty,
Richard Camacho
Ron Paul 2012