The feud between the ruled and the rulers is endemic to our species. It will be forever thus. This is because we are each born as individuals inherently disposed to do what we want; not what others want us to do.
The state is an extension of the entity our forebears formed for protection. Today, the state -- in all its manifestations from local government to national ones -- has assumed many more functions.
But it's the lure for power, another trait of our species, that make governing large groups of individuals difficult. In the US, those who acquire power placate us with evermore access to the public trough. In less generous states, those who acquire power reward themselves at the expense the coerced.
When the powerful are displaced by the Milei's of the world, a temporary reset occurs. Long may the one in Argentina last!
Interesting essay, as always Joel Thanks! One thought that always bothered me when I was very young and searching for freedom was this : What if we roam the earth …and think we’ve finally found it? Aren’t we all still slaves in the end? ……To whom or what?
We are all slaves to sin and death …so our ‘freedom’ will be short-lived, as no matter how well-meaning a leader is, and the system he brings about to help the masses, he cannot bring salvation from those two bondages!
So, That is why the Psalmist sang “do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation …His spirit (*breath*) goes out, he returns to the ground; in that very day his thoughts perish..” - Ps 146:3, 4 …
Who , therefore, CAN we trust to save and release the slaves?
Ps 107:14 gives a clue “He brought them out of deepest darkness, and he tore off their shackles…” So, who is the only one who can destroy both sin AND death forever and make mankind truly “free” at last?
More clues ? Consider Paul’s reasonings to the fellow believers in Christ’s ransom sacrifice for sin and death …Paul definitely has faith that these two enemies are going to be destroyed , because the Creator of man inspires him here to write about it for our benefit …(recorded at Romans 8:21 after discussing the ‘spirit of slavery’ earlier in v 15) It says : “….the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God”
Ah! There we have another clue …corruption of the fleshly, imperfect body ..THAT leads to death in the end no matter how hard we try to avoid it! (I always envision an enormous , wonderfully designed machine, programmed to go on forever, that is suddenly unplugged from the designer’s ‘energy, ‘ it’s plugged into another source of energy, but this other source tries to reprogram the original design…it subsequently develops flaws….eventually it grinds to a halt because the original design instructions were not adhered to…How to get plugged back in to the original designer’s source of energy? ) But, I digress…..
Paul then goes on to discuss those who are the “first fruits “ …who will receive this freedom and live forever….a “little flock” a heavenly class…(plugged back in to the original source?) …who will rule the earth from there (the heavenly Kingdom government) with the resurrected King (Christ) . However, what I find interesting after studying the scriptures for over 60yrs is that there is a secondary larger flock discussed , ( Jesus while on earth also mentioned these other ‘sheep’ ) who hope to live forever….not in heaven….but here on earth !
The book of Revelation gives further clues about this great crowd who hope to live forever on earth , turning it into a Paradise!
(Remember that was part of the instructions given to the first man and woman! But because of free will he chose to disobey his Creator; , decided he knew best, and instead of living forever here on earth , he ‘unplugged’ himself and threw that opportunity away , unfortunately selling us , his offspring, into ‘sin’ (*imperfection*) and its inevitable product….which is death! It’s our legacy from the first Adam! …
But, good news! God has a timeline ..He provided , in His mercy, a second ‘Adam, to buy back what the first man lost! So, His purpose WILL be achieved once this old corrupt system of things is done away with by God Himself at the war of Armageddon with the rulers of the earth who will not accept his provision for releasing the shackles of sin and death!!! They have a choice …God has never forced anyone to be released from slavery if they are happy with being slaves!!! ( Free will again! )
There’s fascinating evidence about this amazing provision of the ransom that was willingly paid, to set us free! A definite hope for a wonderful future of freedom and bliss here on earth once all the wicked systems are removed… ..I don’t want to go to heaven! Do you? But that’s me …please examine these two paths to freedom ..heavenly or earthly ……Go on jw.org I send ‘agape’ love to all
yes slowly your dream of humanities liberation from evil or sin can come about but it can only start in each individual soul, and then by reflection/actions of that soul within humanity as a whole, perhaps like the small light of a TV series I've heard about called "The Chosen" ?
It makes sense that when democracy is first set out it works well with the rules like the US Constitution. But then of course some evil sets in and then the many players and influencers get ideas on how they can work the system. Rome seems a perfect example but the US today is following Rome. But as this evil and greed sets in society starts to realize what the scammers are doing. Society seems to be realizing the scammers games right now with Trump getting a bigger lead. Society is seeing how the business interests are trying to control for their benefit and the steal from society. Lower interest rates being the primary clear example where the big businesses get to grow on free money supplied by the state to their donators. So will America see and make changes quickly enough to arrest the big scammers? Will the bug the hell out of their congressmen and women to allow the young newbies in Congress to realize what will get them elected. Seems to be happening. That's my read, Write your congresswomen! Let them know your thoughts on everything so they can stand up for those thoughts. Optimistic? Yes but the only hope. Even then there will be tough times for sure but you may keep your freedom.
There are two America’s “A violent America that sets a car on fire, throws rocks, burns cities and debates the exercise of democracy, and another America with workers waiting with great pain and sacrifice for the change that they worked for and voted for.” Two extremes coming to a head. Will the democrats, RINOs and useful idiots win? Or will Americans win? I certainly don’t have a clue, considering the incredible corruption of this banana republic, but I’m certainly prepared for whatever outcome befalls us…hope you are too🤔
Glad I do not have to obey Rousseau. I do not like contracts such as His. I have to worry about What My current Government is doing to Me. Without any contract!
Joel your writing is always exceptional but this is above and beyond .. an educational and historical reflective masterpiece that should be mandatory reading for the entire youth of planet earth .. if they are ever to find and practice the individual liberty and freedom that so depends on their strong and enduring resistance against tyranny and oppression .. May the flicker of liberty and hope grow into a massive conflagration that spreads into every Argentinian soul that loves liberty!
All people in this tired and dilapidated humanity, are hoping and praying that the miracle of Argentina can gain sufficient momentum to create a pandemic of freedom such as the world has been waiting for .. Viva Argentina !!!
Thanks Joel .. it's already been shared to the small group of followers I have on FB but like you I'm hopeful that some of my compatriots will have the temerity to share such inspirational text on their pages as well .. small steps in a long journey as you well know ..
We humans are easily bought and sold. The quest for individual freedom is a steep climb. Still, that yearning continues to exist, some small spark, an ember that doesn’t flare and yet doesn’t go away. It must reside in individual hearts or souls or somewhere in man’s DNA. All the Rousseaus and Stalins and Hobbes and tyrants can’t seem to extinguish it. There must be something ethereal and eternal about man’s search for freedom and Truth.
There are now 8+ billion of us habitating this planet of ours, in many differing ways from just survival to gross luxury.
Some more will arrive tomorrow
Some will leave tomorrow.
We as individuals, will get to meet with, talk with, debate with, work with, love with, laugh with, cry with. etc, such a small number of that global quantum, in our lives of usually less than 36,500 days.
Does it not seem trite that we get so very bothered about yesterday and what might happen tomorrow, when for each of us sooner or later there is not one.
What's all this talk about democracies? I thought we are a republic. That's what Ben Franklin said and he was a lot smarter than me. I have decided to conduct my affairs within the republican sphere no matter how difficult. To hell with democracies.
Perhaps it is the journey itself, the “process” of thinking through freedom and its myriad implications that is important, and not the destination, which may well prove an unattainable mirage.
In a nutshell you have said it, Joel. Enjoy the ride the destination is unimportant. Nirvana remains a mirage. However the pearls of wisdom one picks up on the journey and the ability to share these with your readers is the reward for us all.
The common good is rarely good for the common man. The chain saw should now be directed towards the mainstream media outlets in Argentina. Honest reporting of the facts or be cut down.
Media malpractice should be met with lawsuits from those harmed by their malfeasance.
Thanks for another great article Joel. I wish Trump were a Milei, but that’s not the case. Trump has my vote as the only real choice, with reservations of his “deal making” with whomever, unfortunately The Deep State possibly included, especially after he and Speaker Johnson met and Johnson comes out with another deal to benefit Ukraine and not us. RFK just has too much left wing tendencies with his environmental stance and his leftist running mate. The current administration is truly the Deep State’s preference and definitely needs to be defeated before they get us all killed. Living here in Florida, we just had a Cold War flashback with Russian naval forces off our shores. Hey, at least life isn’t boring, potentially shortened in a nuclear flash, but not boring.
Most people encase themselves in a mote of self imposed suffering. The mind and spirit can always fly.
Happiness, for Solzhenitsyn, was a thin gruel, when it came. The suffering and plight of a Zech was horrendous, unimaginable , yet it created Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn the prophet no one listens to, like Tolstoy or Frederick Douglas. It’s the same old story with the same old outcome.
There is freedom and good in any situation. From Solzhenitsyn came the phrase of a song, “I ain’t got nothing left to lose, but I’m free.”
The feud between the ruled and the rulers is endemic to our species. It will be forever thus. This is because we are each born as individuals inherently disposed to do what we want; not what others want us to do.
The state is an extension of the entity our forebears formed for protection. Today, the state -- in all its manifestations from local government to national ones -- has assumed many more functions.
But it's the lure for power, another trait of our species, that make governing large groups of individuals difficult. In the US, those who acquire power placate us with evermore access to the public trough. In less generous states, those who acquire power reward themselves at the expense the coerced.
When the powerful are displaced by the Milei's of the world, a temporary reset occurs. Long may the one in Argentina last!
Interesting essay, as always Joel Thanks! One thought that always bothered me when I was very young and searching for freedom was this : What if we roam the earth …and think we’ve finally found it? Aren’t we all still slaves in the end? ……To whom or what?
We are all slaves to sin and death …so our ‘freedom’ will be short-lived, as no matter how well-meaning a leader is, and the system he brings about to help the masses, he cannot bring salvation from those two bondages!
So, That is why the Psalmist sang “do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation …His spirit (*breath*) goes out, he returns to the ground; in that very day his thoughts perish..” - Ps 146:3, 4 …
Who , therefore, CAN we trust to save and release the slaves?
Ps 107:14 gives a clue “He brought them out of deepest darkness, and he tore off their shackles…” So, who is the only one who can destroy both sin AND death forever and make mankind truly “free” at last?
More clues ? Consider Paul’s reasonings to the fellow believers in Christ’s ransom sacrifice for sin and death …Paul definitely has faith that these two enemies are going to be destroyed , because the Creator of man inspires him here to write about it for our benefit …(recorded at Romans 8:21 after discussing the ‘spirit of slavery’ earlier in v 15) It says : “….the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God”
Ah! There we have another clue …corruption of the fleshly, imperfect body ..THAT leads to death in the end no matter how hard we try to avoid it! (I always envision an enormous , wonderfully designed machine, programmed to go on forever, that is suddenly unplugged from the designer’s ‘energy, ‘ it’s plugged into another source of energy, but this other source tries to reprogram the original design…it subsequently develops flaws….eventually it grinds to a halt because the original design instructions were not adhered to…How to get plugged back in to the original designer’s source of energy? ) But, I digress…..
Paul then goes on to discuss those who are the “first fruits “ …who will receive this freedom and live forever….a “little flock” a heavenly class…(plugged back in to the original source?) …who will rule the earth from there (the heavenly Kingdom government) with the resurrected King (Christ) . However, what I find interesting after studying the scriptures for over 60yrs is that there is a secondary larger flock discussed , ( Jesus while on earth also mentioned these other ‘sheep’ ) who hope to live forever….not in heaven….but here on earth !
The book of Revelation gives further clues about this great crowd who hope to live forever on earth , turning it into a Paradise!
(Remember that was part of the instructions given to the first man and woman! But because of free will he chose to disobey his Creator; , decided he knew best, and instead of living forever here on earth , he ‘unplugged’ himself and threw that opportunity away , unfortunately selling us , his offspring, into ‘sin’ (*imperfection*) and its inevitable product….which is death! It’s our legacy from the first Adam! …
But, good news! God has a timeline ..He provided , in His mercy, a second ‘Adam, to buy back what the first man lost! So, His purpose WILL be achieved once this old corrupt system of things is done away with by God Himself at the war of Armageddon with the rulers of the earth who will not accept his provision for releasing the shackles of sin and death!!! They have a choice …God has never forced anyone to be released from slavery if they are happy with being slaves!!! ( Free will again! )
There’s fascinating evidence about this amazing provision of the ransom that was willingly paid, to set us free! A definite hope for a wonderful future of freedom and bliss here on earth once all the wicked systems are removed… ..I don’t want to go to heaven! Do you? But that’s me …please examine these two paths to freedom ..heavenly or earthly ……Go on jw.org I send ‘agape’ love to all
yes slowly your dream of humanities liberation from evil or sin can come about but it can only start in each individual soul, and then by reflection/actions of that soul within humanity as a whole, perhaps like the small light of a TV series I've heard about called "The Chosen" ?
It makes sense that when democracy is first set out it works well with the rules like the US Constitution. But then of course some evil sets in and then the many players and influencers get ideas on how they can work the system. Rome seems a perfect example but the US today is following Rome. But as this evil and greed sets in society starts to realize what the scammers are doing. Society seems to be realizing the scammers games right now with Trump getting a bigger lead. Society is seeing how the business interests are trying to control for their benefit and the steal from society. Lower interest rates being the primary clear example where the big businesses get to grow on free money supplied by the state to their donators. So will America see and make changes quickly enough to arrest the big scammers? Will the bug the hell out of their congressmen and women to allow the young newbies in Congress to realize what will get them elected. Seems to be happening. That's my read, Write your congresswomen! Let them know your thoughts on everything so they can stand up for those thoughts. Optimistic? Yes but the only hope. Even then there will be tough times for sure but you may keep your freedom.
There are two America’s “A violent America that sets a car on fire, throws rocks, burns cities and debates the exercise of democracy, and another America with workers waiting with great pain and sacrifice for the change that they worked for and voted for.” Two extremes coming to a head. Will the democrats, RINOs and useful idiots win? Or will Americans win? I certainly don’t have a clue, considering the incredible corruption of this banana republic, but I’m certainly prepared for whatever outcome befalls us…hope you are too🤔
“Will the democrats, RINOs and useful idiots win? Or will Americans win?”
That is the question!
Glad I do not have to obey Rousseau. I do not like contracts such as His. I have to worry about What My current Government is doing to Me. Without any contract!
Milei has lit a beacon of hope not just for Argentinians but everyone concerned about a world that’s FUBAR.
Joel your writing is always exceptional but this is above and beyond .. an educational and historical reflective masterpiece that should be mandatory reading for the entire youth of planet earth .. if they are ever to find and practice the individual liberty and freedom that so depends on their strong and enduring resistance against tyranny and oppression .. May the flicker of liberty and hope grow into a massive conflagration that spreads into every Argentinian soul that loves liberty!
All people in this tired and dilapidated humanity, are hoping and praying that the miracle of Argentina can gain sufficient momentum to create a pandemic of freedom such as the world has been waiting for .. Viva Argentina !!!
Many thanks, Altschule! Please feel free to share this one at will 👍🏻
Thanks Joel .. it's already been shared to the small group of followers I have on FB but like you I'm hopeful that some of my compatriots will have the temerity to share such inspirational text on their pages as well .. small steps in a long journey as you well know ..
blessings on your journey in all domains !
We humans are easily bought and sold. The quest for individual freedom is a steep climb. Still, that yearning continues to exist, some small spark, an ember that doesn’t flare and yet doesn’t go away. It must reside in individual hearts or souls or somewhere in man’s DNA. All the Rousseaus and Stalins and Hobbes and tyrants can’t seem to extinguish it. There must be something ethereal and eternal about man’s search for freedom and Truth.
There are now 8+ billion of us habitating this planet of ours, in many differing ways from just survival to gross luxury.
Some more will arrive tomorrow
Some will leave tomorrow.
We as individuals, will get to meet with, talk with, debate with, work with, love with, laugh with, cry with. etc, such a small number of that global quantum, in our lives of usually less than 36,500 days.
Does it not seem trite that we get so very bothered about yesterday and what might happen tomorrow, when for each of us sooner or later there is not one.
What's all this talk about democracies? I thought we are a republic. That's what Ben Franklin said and he was a lot smarter than me. I have decided to conduct my affairs within the republican sphere no matter how difficult. To hell with democracies.
¡Viva la libertad, carajo!
Don't forget to vote!
Perhaps it is the journey itself, the “process” of thinking through freedom and its myriad implications that is important, and not the destination, which may well prove an unattainable mirage.
In a nutshell you have said it, Joel. Enjoy the ride the destination is unimportant. Nirvana remains a mirage. However the pearls of wisdom one picks up on the journey and the ability to share these with your readers is the reward for us all.
The common good is rarely good for the common man. The chain saw should now be directed towards the mainstream media outlets in Argentina. Honest reporting of the facts or be cut down.
Media malpractice should be met with lawsuits from those harmed by their malfeasance.
Thanks for another great article Joel. I wish Trump were a Milei, but that’s not the case. Trump has my vote as the only real choice, with reservations of his “deal making” with whomever, unfortunately The Deep State possibly included, especially after he and Speaker Johnson met and Johnson comes out with another deal to benefit Ukraine and not us. RFK just has too much left wing tendencies with his environmental stance and his leftist running mate. The current administration is truly the Deep State’s preference and definitely needs to be defeated before they get us all killed. Living here in Florida, we just had a Cold War flashback with Russian naval forces off our shores. Hey, at least life isn’t boring, potentially shortened in a nuclear flash, but not boring.
“Four walls do not a prison make.”
Most people encase themselves in a mote of self imposed suffering. The mind and spirit can always fly.
Happiness, for Solzhenitsyn, was a thin gruel, when it came. The suffering and plight of a Zech was horrendous, unimaginable , yet it created Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn the prophet no one listens to, like Tolstoy or Frederick Douglas. It’s the same old story with the same old outcome.
There is freedom and good in any situation. From Solzhenitsyn came the phrase of a song, “I ain’t got nothing left to lose, but I’m free.”
Most will never know that freedom.
Most imprison themselves in the love of things.