Monday, May 23, 2011

There's No Escape From Liberal Freedom

In Bob's absence we have been taking a leisurely stroll through the hyperborean gardens of slack, conducted by yours threely, the cosmic SlackMeister.

I believe we left off discussing the innersection of Christianity and slack, which is a rather important subject, since there are many people -- the erstwhile youngBob included -- who consider them to be not just incompatible but antonymous.

In other words, to become Christian is to abdicate one's slack. Could this be true? For example, how could dwelling on our sinfulness be any kind of highway to slack? Doesn't slack involve dispensing with all that medieval superstition so we don't have to be troubled by that nagging old crone, the conscience? Let's find out!

Again, instead of dealing with proxies and intermediaries of dubious qualification, we're going straight to the top to see how Pope Benedict's words square with the sphere of slack. As always, we will do this in a rigorously unplanned manner by doodling what comes supernaturally, if at all.

I am given to understand that even the dimmest among you realize that man is born into a kind of prison. Who is to blame for this prison? Political sensibilities are often determined by which side of the question one falls on.

Is culture to blame? Bad luck? Corporations? The hidden hand of the White Man? Or could there be something within man himself -- or man as such -- that imprisons him?

If the latter, then all of the solutions proffered by the former will not free man, since he will still be a prisoner of himself. This will then lead to a cycle of evermore liberal "solutions" enacted to overcome the problems created by liberal solutions.

Furthermore, compassion is twisted into an ideological weapon that serves to keep the masses in their cramped cells.

Through the magic of "social justice" our untransformed desire is converted to "rights," which undoubtedly feel like slack to the person making the demand upon his fellow citizens (who are obligated to finance the slackless). But it is really a form of institutional stupidity, with bars as strong as one's autovictimhood.

In other words, Each day we demand more from society so that we can demand less from ourselves (Don Colacho's Aphorisms). This works until the system runs out of other people's slack.

Compassion -- not thought, not reason -- is the master key for the acquisition of left wing power. But compassion for one group always comes at the price of exploitation of another.

For example, if I want the state to compassionately "give" slack to blacks through the imposition of racial quotas, clearly other groups must be punished. If one group does too well -- say, Asians or Jews -- we must confiscate some of their slack and distribute it to more slackless groups.

Which would be the fair thing to do if slack were randomly distributed, with no connection to one's values, behaviors, and achievements.

Now, what is a prison? The Pope says that "in ancient times, the really terrible thing about prisons was that they cut people off from the light of day and plunged them into darkness."

The same is true of man's existential prison, which casts him into another form of darkness. And "Truly, the prison that alienates us from ourselves can be anywhere and everywhere" (ibid). But "What makes man a prisoner, incapable of being himself?"

A man who is aware of his imprisonment has two options. He can escape "horizontally," into the field of desire and sensation; or, he can inscape vertically, into a different kind of relationship with his source. There is surely "freedom" in both, but in very different ways.

For the Pope, "at a deeper level, the real alienation, unfreedom, and imprisonment of man consists in his want of truth. If he does not know truth, if he does not know who he is, why he is there, and what the reality of this world consists in, he is only stumbling around in the dark. He is a prisoner." He is not a freeman of Being but a hostage to existence.

Therefore, freedom has a purpose, a meaning, a vector, without which it is only the illusion thereof: "Liberty is indispensable not because man knows what he wants and who he is, but so that he can find out who he is and what he wants" (Don Colacho).

Now, human beings have a cosmic right to truth, for without it they cannot be properly human. To bar the truth is to prevent freedom. Thus, all forms of tyranny must, in one way or another, limit access to truth or systematically denigrate and devalue it.

For example, in the former Soviet Union or in contemporary Iran or Saudi Arabia or North Korea, the only way to control the populace is to systematically deprive them of access to truth.

In the West a more subtle apparatus is put in place in order to bar truth and therefore freedom. On the one left hand, political correctness enforces the current truth; on the other left hand, deconstruction and multiculturalism undermine the very basis of truth, so the leftist is really saying either "Truth doesn't exist and only we know it," or "That there is no truth is the absolute truth."

Either way real freedom is denied, since its rational foundation is obliterated. An irrational man is only a parody of freedom, since his choice is rooted in error or illusion.

Truth is a kind of food; but so too is the Lie. Recall that man's very first error consists in consuming the wrong type of food. At the other end of the cosmic spectrum, the treatment for this malnourishment involves eating the right type of food, e.g., communion.

In one way or another, we must engage in theophagy in order to assimilate truth; but this isn't quite accurate, since it is actually a means for us to be assimilated into Truth. If we could "contain" Truth, it wouldn't be True. Only because it contains us is it true. Conversely, an inferior man is indeed capable of containing the Lie.

The Pope says that "Liberation is our continual and fresh acceptance of truth as the path of life set before us." Thus, truth is both path and goal, which are the form and substance of our real freedom. This freedom has a vertical source, but it is prolonged horizontally into time and space.

As the Pope writes, "Behind the human exterior stands the mystery of a more than human reality," whatever one wishes to call it. If this were not the case, then we would be reduced to mere animals doing what we are constrained to do, and knowing only what nature has willed.

Absent the vertical, we can never really be free, for we will simply go from prison to prison, with no way out short of death. But because of the vertical there is always a kingdom of slack just a few microns away.

The leftist says "to hell with that." For Marx and his leftwing heirheads, existence is prior to essence -- which, as we know, is the very essence and recrapitulation of that fatal error in the garden. Thus his shrunken dictum that philosophers only interpret the world, when the real point is to change it. Change!

Into what? What we will it to be. But what if your will clashes with another man's slack? Then he is in a state of bad faith, and doesn't know what's good for him. What is good for him? That is for me to know and you to find out. It pretty much depends on the needs of the day. So, you state managers are free to exercise your power in the way you see fit? What do you think, chump? Power is the only real freedom, baby. Then slack is the opiate of the deluded masses? Correct.

Unlike the Biblical archangel, Marxist archangels prevent man from escaping their paradises. --Don Colacho

24 comments:

Hedonistic said...

Another flogging of the left. Amusing, yet repitituous.

I'm beginning to think you are not looking to improve the world, but rather through ritualistic listing of the faults of others you derive a sense of superiority that you are cherishing.

You like the way things are, don't you? Do you feel good about yourself? Would you feel as good about yourself if there were no leftists in th world?

Van Harvey said...

"conducted by yours threely, the cosmic SlackMeister."

Petey's got the Deimention off?

wv is still on the job:
troilest

dloye said...

hedon, how about starting your world improvement plan with yourself. Fix yourself, your world. I'll take care of mine, thank you. And I know exactly where to start on my stuff... how bout you?

Van Harvey said...

"Through the magic of "social justice" our untransformed desire is converted to "rights," which undoubtedly feel like slack to the person making the demand upon his fellow citizens (who are obligated to finance the slackless). But it is really a form of institutional stupidity, with bars as strong as one's autovictimhood."

Nothing need be added to that, just wanted to see it again.

Van Harvey said...

Der Slackmeister rocks. In lieu of repasting the entire post, I'll just pick three:
One:
"Now, human beings have a cosmic right to truth, for without it they cannot be properly human. To bar the truth is to prevent freedom. Thus, all forms of tyranny must, in one way or another, limit access to truth or systematically denigrate and devalue it. "

Two:
"Either way real freedom is denied, since its rational foundation is obliterated. An irrational man is only a parody of freedom, since his choice is rooted in error or illusion. "

Three:
"Truth is a kind of food; but so too is the Lie. Recall that man's very first error consists in consuming the wrong type of food. At the other end of the cosmic spectrum, the treatment for this malnourishment involves eating the right type of food, e.g., communion."

Awesome, der Slackmeister swings and hits it out of the park.

I'm sure how these three total up to 42, but I'm pretty sure they must.

Chef Tong's Mother said...

What started as an amusement of reading this blog has turned into a concern.

I believe this blog harms people by exposing them to negative attitudes. The blog author is relentlessly critical of others. Some of the targeted groups, such as tenured educators, are singled out for abuse even though it is absurd to suppose that all tenured educators share the same set of beliefs or practices.

Therefore it is pure malice.

More damage accrues as people are verbally assaulted in the comments section and worse, normally benign people get a crash course in how to dish up abuse by the resident expert(s) here, and start doing it to.

Later they may export their new attitudes and skills into the home with deleterious results to say the least.

I could just let it all slide but this time I don't think so.

Things could change, maybe? Let's see what can be done.

Anonymous said...

How does somebody call themselves a Christian and yet maintain a stance against compassion, given the clear teachings of the Bible?

This attempt to mix Christianity with some kind of market-based individualism is completely ridiculous. The two value systems could not be more different. Jesus or Ayn Rand, pick one, and if you pick the latter, please for god's sake shut up about god.

Van Harvey said...

aninnytong said "How does somebody call themselves a Christian and yet maintain a stance against compassion, given the clear teachings of the Bible?"

How does someone use words, each of which has meaning (and which include all the words found in its dictionary definition... as well as each of those words, etc), and yet apply them as if they have no meaning apart from what they want to pretend they mean?

How do they do that?

(aside from poorly, I mean)

Rhetorical question of course, what with your already having demonstrated your complete inability to provide any sort of a meaningful response.

Veridicia Onus Bonus said...

Van is using the tactics of mocking and ridicule to completely stop all debate.

The abuser does not want any kind of consideration of another viewpoint. His job is to discount and silence the other person as quickly as possible with whatever means is at hand.

The abuser is hiding behind smoke and mirrors and once you strip these away you see that dominating and controlling are the only game they play here.


Since he does not care to hear another person's view, he simply clubs them upside the head with the heaviest stick he can find until the other person falls silent.

Sarcasm, "humor", minimizing, undermining, ridiculing, and demeaning are some of the sticks. Degrading insults are tossed in. There is no regard for the other person.

This site is owned and operated by a cadre of angry and controlling people. It had and still has its good side but this can no longer outweigh the bad.

It is a dark and silent tragedy. It is not too late to repent...

flunky said...

I like Bob. He can take new ideas and incorporate them such that it makes his perceptual unified construct look as if was designed by an Architect. Unlike those constructs which replicate the patchwork bumper stickered warty mass of hamster wheeling left brained blogwhores.

Case in point:
This will then lead to a cycle of evermore liberal "solutions" enacted to overcome the problems created by liberal solutions.

Yes. Nuclear technology. Now we Americans "need" Echelon and permanent Patriot Acts to counter the fallout from that grand effort. Perhaps fusion power, coupled with Teslan electrodynamic induction, will diminish the need to fight over energy resources, but somebody's gonna always have to be trusted to contain the bomb.

The compassionate giving of slack, or “social justice”, are but crude stabs in the dark. Blacks would rather play ball with everybody, than be bullied into playing in their own leagues. But like anybody they’ll take what they can get.

If supermen existed, who fought for truth, justice and the American way, we’d be a lot more slack-happy, since everybody is happiest when they’re completely free to be who they are. But these supermen are exceedingly rare. Some of us can be our own supermen. Most of the rest... who are invaded, robbed, mobbed, shut out by cronyism, smeared, burned at the stake, or attacked as a group/nation by cleverly disguised “liberal solutions”... have to either just deal with it, or appeal to God, or to government to try and even out the power imbalance. Or collect into gangs I suppose.

My point is, that without these supermen, absolute liberty always favors the strong and sociopathic. We’re back to square one. When we go to pure “rule of law” it tends to grow in proportion to population and technology, and we’re again, back to square one.

As for “the prison”, may I be so bold as to suggest that we are cosmic coppertops, required for proper functioning of the Matrix as designed by The Architect?

flunky said...

Jesus or Ayn Rand

I suspect they're both right. In a well run society each might counter the excesses of the other.

Brazentide said...

Viral Infection said...

"Another day of antibodies on the attack. I'm starting to think these guys are just hate-mongers"


Rather than complaining about the innoculations why not instead focus on the healing?

Most racoons used to be leftist too.

flunky said...

Rather than complaining about the innoculations why not instead focus on the healing?

Because the inoculations create resistant new strains.

Most racoons used to be leftist too.

And Kos was a conservative. What's your point?

Jewel said...

The posters on this thread, with the exception of Van and a few other nameful people are suffering from the blathershites. You're a blathershite magnet, Bob.

flunky said...

Get in here Bob. I can only hold off these blathershites for so long. Where’s the Mushroom, Julie...?

Okay...

How ‘bout that Abortionplex? Discuss.

Petey said...

Those who are well have no need of a physician.

Anna said...

"...for Marx and his leftwing heirheads"

Chuckled out loud...

A question. Does anyone here know if there is a DC aphorism along the lines of -- [botched paraphrase...] "For every belief there exists an economic system it represents". It might include something of the word "victim", such as, every belief is a victim of some economic system. Something like that. The statement pointed out an analog of belief and economic systems--if you have one, you can discover the other (its pair). It is handy for decoding Christian-sounding economic perspectives that are really something quite maligned. Was it mentioned here? I can't remember where I read it and haven't had any luck finding it. It might have been on an economics website such as the Mises Institute or the Institute for Economic Education. I'm not sure.

This reads incredibly like a "Want Ad". "Missing: Have You Seen This Quote? Last seen April, 2011."

Anna said...

Oops. It is actually called the Foundation for Economic Education. (In case anyone looks it up.)

Van Harvey said...

Anna said "A question. Does anyone here know if there is a DC aphorism along the lines of -- [botched paraphrase...] "For every belief there exists an economic system it represents". It might include something of the word "victim", such as, every belief is a victim of some economic system."

The particulr phrase doesn't come to mind, but it is certainly true that any lie the liar tells also produces the rational to excuse it.

Shrouded Proxy Weeping said...

Bob, Van, Julie:

You know what your sickness is.

At your core there is a part of you that knows you do wrong.

All of the good of the blog is negated by just one contaminated comment, just one statement sent forth in bad will...

It is so easy to fall, and you three have and do.

I can help you stop. You can be made pure again.

Tonight, go deep in dream. Look for the man with the yellow hat. Take the paper he gives you, and look in the classifieds, and then compose an answer.

Van Harvey said...

troll's rectal nectar said "At your core there is a part of you that knows you do wrong."

Lol. God I love good comedy!

mushroom said...

I concur with Van's assessment. The SlackMeister is the sultan of swat.

I just don't understand why so many people want to force other people to "be good" by their definition. If your way is better, make your pitch. Convince me. Stir my conscience. Make the argument. If you're all reason and logic, lay it out. That is the Christian approach. We make disciples by presenting the truth.

Controlling the government police power and using it to force me to do what you want is not the same as winning hearts and minds. Of course, the preference for conversion by the sword is something the left and Islam have in common.

Anna said...

Thanks, Van. I searched via Google and interestingly found a quote that is not it but brings to mind more of the earmarks. It (the one that is not it) is actually from a larger essay, not a stand-alone statement. It brought to mind though that the one I'm looking for might have suggested something about the economic system as a fruit of the kind of education in a country.

"Show me any economy that has ever done well, and I will show you that at its foundation is an educated population."

It was even like this, "Show me any economy..." What would be funny is if this is the quote and it was given in the context of the true meaning of education versus indoctrination, upon which I starting thinking of the implications and formed a new - invented - quote, which is why I can't find it!

Maybe there was a post at OC about economic systems and the kinds of education within them at the same time as running across the above quote (or one like it).

I s'pose I don't give up easily!

one more in the bung said...

Beuller?

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