This entry was posted on 10/13/2006 3:28 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
The anti-authoritarian, religious radical founder of Quakerism, George Fox, was alleged to have challenged a group of listeners with the following query (this is an approximation, not a quote, so please don't sue)--"The bible says this, the church says that; what can you say?"
The message is clear. In a seventeenth century Britain, replete with monarchy, hierarchy, and orthodoxy he was challenging his listeners to think for themselves. And that was a big challenge, considering all the powers who knew better than the ignorant masses. But it is no less a challenge today. Perhaps the masses still consider themselves ignorant. Or better, they are just lazy. In any case, the organized religions, media pundits, and political parties are more than glad to tell them what to think. The best example of this is George W. Bush, arguably the absolute worst and most ignorant president in the history of the United States. However, he isn't so ignorant that he can't lead this nation down the path of destruction, crime, murder and theft, and still find a way to get Congress to get him off the hook before some predecessor comes along and tries to hang him for war crimes. But he shares culpability with all his supporters who blindly follow him just because he is Republican, not Gore, not Clinton, not Kerry, a Methodist, a Bush--whatever. Most of us who are intelligent enough to have passed six grade civics understand what is happening here. But somehow, the emperor still seems to be wearing clothes. Go figure.
Back to Fox: George was a trouble-maker, in the fashion of Martin Luther, John the Baptist, Galileo, St. Peter, Jesus, and Plato who preceded him, and Tom Paine, Roger Williams, Sojourner Truth, Henry Thoreau, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandella who followed. His faith was primary, to everything, especially the opinions of the rest of the world. Fox didn't rely on the words of St. Paul or Elijah, or the leader of any earthly church to tell him what God says--he found out for himself. And he proclaimed it as a possibility, even a responsibility, of anyone and everyone. And like the protagonist of Plato's "Cave", he was prosecuted for his individuality, as were all the great individualists--some noted above.
So, can you expect prosecution if you step outside the box and speak your mind? If you are espousing original thoughts running against the current of the majority, I would imagine so. You can accordingly use such prosecution as a gauge of the strength of your opinions. It is the lack of original thought and individual opinion that is dooming our nation. It is past time for a new paradigm. So, please, speak up. What can you say?
Systemic Sanity (because)
