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Sunday 16 December 2012

Do not give in to the Dark Side.



 

Remember when Luke Skywalker stood before Darth and the Emperor?

He stopped fighting back and his father, moved by long dormant compassion, turned on the Emperor and Evil was defeated and furry creatures frolicked in the forests even as old Darth died.

Aslan, among others, did the same thing. Only Aslan was big on fighting and killing enemies but, as a lion, I assumed he was representing the Anima of our gods rather than the Id. Notwithstanding, the basic premise remains that when you are confronted by Evil, you should submit lest your righteous rage and anger turn you over to the dark side; that you cannot fight Evil without becoming Evil.

Think about it. After 9/11, America in a righteous rage, struck out against its enemies and thousands of innocents died. Evil won because a new cycle of Hate began and Hatred and Fear became National agendas leading us away from Peace and Reconciliation. We become the breeding grounds for another one of those epidemics of total insanity that litter our paths through history.

And no matter how often we try to justify it with rallies of ‘God’s on Side,’ or ‘Gott mit uns,’ it is always a total rejection of the basic principle of the Faiths we have professed since the Old Ways. But even then we shared a common longing that could only be sated by something greater than us to guide our way. A Force, or Deity, that demanded total fidelity and a rigid adherence to Principles.

And since the emergence of the monotheistic gods, we are expected to place our Trust in them and not give in to devils – internal and external. And to have faith in their mercy and wisdom.

And while there is some disagreement in the details, most of our Sacred Principles suggest that when we give in to Fear, our devils win.

Some suggest that when we honour our gods we are rewarded and when we displease them . . .  ya better watch out! Whether your god is stern or not, Hell beckons the untrue. Not surprisingly, many of us profess to be god fearing. Fear is a primeval motivator and is one of our assets as well as one of our greatest weaknesses. Fear is anti-faith. Fear delivers us to Evil. Grand stuff for Sundays, maybe, but what else makes sense anymore?

Too many of us, reasonable and well-meaning people for the most part, have become conditioned to fear and not without reason. Yet the stories of Luke, Christ, and Aslan, and others, all agree that the truly great did not use their power and were willing to succumb to Death rather than fight because to defeat Evil we must resist it and all its temptations; wealth, power, and all that makes us feared – or respected in the world.

There are those among us who spread fear for a multitude of reasons, some good some bad, and we have to learn to reject them and all gospels of hate. And we must do it soon because we are at the great crossroads the Mayans warned us of and because we cannot allow fear to spread and steal the last of our innocence.

Yes, some of us might still die at the hands of Evil but if we believe in a grander purpose – our sacrifice will be noble and righteous just like Principle suggests.

And this is not just a matter for Christians. Muslims and Jews, among others, have very strict commands from their gods: Thou Shalt not Kill, and all that.

In these shared Principles we were also warned against revenge – that it was the property of the gods, alone.

So what better time to reject Fear and Hate than now with the Holiday Season upon us – and the end of the Ancient Calendar?

Peace, Love and Joy are far better things than the madness of Strife, Hate and Fear and we have the free-will to make that choice.

It would be a wonderful holiday gift to the whole world and a beautiful legacy of those who have recently departed.

Saturday 15 December 2012

Trust in your god and believe in a better future.



I have no hesitation in standing behind gun control because I grew up in a time when a part of the country I lived in tore itself apart – ‘Christians’ blowing the arses off ‘Christians.’ Along with grief and misery, there was another legacy. Guns, once the tool needed to free us from Imperialism, gained a form of acceptance and are now a regular part of the underworld of my beloved hometown.

Some would say that it is of no matter; that it’s just drug dealers killing drug dealers but I cannot accept that. Children of the Republic the gun helped us to achieve are now murdering each other with little regard. The legacy of the gun is a shadow we cannot be free of. Once guns come into play, they are very hard to get rid of.

This is also true of America where it is widely believed that the infallible Founding Fathers meant for Americans to bear arms. But are we expected to believe that these men would want the reality that is gun violence? The ‘Right’ to ‘Bear Arms’ probably had more to do with a citizen’s right to defend themselves against the oppression of their rulers. That this ‘Right’ could be the rationale for the types of slaughter we experience, over and over, is a total distortion. And for those who use fear as an argument for guns, I would point to spiritual principles.

Many of our gods and idols preached non-violence. Christ, in particular, went as far as allowing himself to be killed rather than resist. Yes! Jesus Christ made a point of this and made it very clear that fear was an insult to Faith. In this we had martyrs who gladly allowed themselves to be killed as a token of their Love and Faith. From that we can only assume that true followers would reject violence – and fear.

Fear is a great motivation. In fear we can find reason to fight each other and to hate, and dehumanise, and to kill. To spread fear is to reject everything Christ, and others,  stood for – without exception!

The American belief in the security of guns might be the seed planted by those who make and sell guns. That’s right. Fear is a marketing tool and we are asked to believe that ‘guns don’t kill people – that people kill people.’ If there is any logic in that then it is obvious that people should not have easy access to guns. And while hunters, etc., argue for their right, I would concede a little but refuse to believe that semi-automatics are ever required. I once hunted and never encountered any form of animal life that could fire back. Except for my fellow human beings.

Others point to the need for security but a quick look at statistics shows that lax control goes hand in glove with higher gun fatalities.  Likewise, those States that rely on guns for security spend more time in War than Peace. We are flawed enough to find ways of killing each other and that is the tragedy of our condition. Knowing this it only seems reasonable to limit our access to weapons.

Do not give into fear. Trust in your god and believe in a better future. It’s the least we deserve.