Category: Philosophy

Posted in Philosophy

Democracy dies with blind loyalty and uninformed, intimidated voting

Posted on by simplebender

Democracy dies because of uninformed voters, misinformation, blind loyalty, and masked intimidation. The idea of a people-controlled government necessitates the populist cast ballots and respect the outcome. Your turn to let democracy win is now. Be an informed, knowledgeable, non-single issue, country before party voter. While every vote is sacred, an uninformed, ignorant vote is dangerous because elections have consequences.

Our system of voting, and our form of government, are more at risk today than ever before. It’s up to us to ensure their survival. The risks are real; ignorance, misinformation, intimidation, gerrymandering, and least of all fraud.

The airwaves and multiplatform media are awash with half-truths, slanderous snippets, blatant lies and a never-ceasing, bot propagated, flood of misinformation. Every minute of every day a new incendiary hoax is proliferated to influence the ignorant and the blind followers. It’s hard to pierce through the noise and find the truth. Remember, hate speech isn’t free speech. Those who want to influence voting don’t want you to research and study. Don’t listen to the ridiculous, the outlandish, or the absurd. Stop funding those individuals and organizations which support them. Defy them, study, and research all the issues and candidates. Reach out to the League of Women Voters, read the Voters Pamphlet, question the nonsense. Educate yourself.

Voter intimidation and political violence is on the rise. A dangerous turn of events which cannot be tolerated. Masked and armed people in military garb are now ‘observing’ Arizona polling stations and ballot boxes. These vigilantes, reminiscent of the masked KKK, are afraid to show their identity yet they photograph the voters. Their presence chills the atmosphere of a free and fair election process and heightens the risk of political violence. In today’s polarized election cycle this could be anywhere, not just Arizona, especially after a Federal Judge refused to stop them. Polling centers and ballot boxes must be free of harassment, direct or implied. So, if your ballot box is being watched, cast your ballot, then turn and smile to their masked, cowardly, faces and give them the appropriate digit enhanced wave they deserve.

Gerrymandered voting districts are fundamentally wrong. Party controlled legislatures are redrawing election boundaries for their own benefit not for fair representation. During the years of Jim Crow Laws extraordinary efforts were made to limit black voters by determining the smallest amount of black heritage would disqualify voters. In a reversal of logic southern Republican legislatures are now determining people must have a high degree of blackness to be deemed as black to be a factor in redistricting. A perfect example of the means justifies the end, holding power no matter how unethical.

Voting integrity is an issue and yes, voter fraud did occur in the 2020 election. The Heritage Foundation, a heralded conservative organization, has documented an unimpressive 1380 proven instances of voter fraud across the country. A fraud rate of less than nine proven fraudulent votes per million cast. After spending almost six million dollars on forensic analysis, Arizona determined blatant, systematic, fraud did not take place. Yes, we have a problem but it’s not voter fraud. It’s the Big Lie and those who continue to propagate and benefit from it.

Our democracy is at our mercy. We have a responsibility to be independent informed voters who will politely and with civility take part in the process. We must not, cannot, be guided by blind loyalty, swayed by the attack ads, or the propagation of lies and inuendoes. Voting districts should be established by independent bipartisan commissions, not biased state legislatures. Our democracy depends on us standing up and being counted as thinking individuals, not manipulated party zombies. #NeverFearTheDream

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Posted in Philosophy

Question everything you think you know in pursuit of Truth

Posted on by simplebender

When we were children, we listened and absorbed the lessons taught by our parents and our role models. As adults we must ensure the lessons we teach and actions we take are based on truth and facts, not perspective and conjecture. Just as ‘the truth will set you free’ (John 8:32) and ‘I think therefore I am’ (Rene Descartes) we must challenge everything we think we know and view from every perspective before we can conceive it is the truth. We must escape from our own Plato’s Cave (The Allegory of the Cave, Republic by Plato), and seek the blinding daylight of reality, and encourage those who are still captive in their cave to escape.

The Allegory of the Cave is an excellent illustrative story for our times. Trapped in a darkened cave watching images parade upon the wall. All we can see are these images and hear their sounds as each creature passes. This is our only means of knowledge and therefore deemed our reality. Just as children we believe what we see and hear. If the figure of an ass passes by and trumpets, we have no choice but to believe the ass trumpets. We know no difference. Not until we are able to escape our bonds of our dark cave can we see a little more truth. We discover the visions we saw on the wall were shadows of silhouettes made with artificial light, not reality. Yet, we still think an ass trumpets because we know nothing different. The puppeteers stay in character as they move the silhouettes and continue the ruse.

It’s not until, once again, we strive to reach the bright daylight outside of the greater cave do we see reality. We are blinded by the brilliance of the sunlight. It hurts at first. We try to shield our eyes until they become accustomed to truth’s brilliance. We see and hear the real ass and elephant and are shocked, in denial and disbelief. We see the sky, hear the surf and thunder, and smell the wonders and stench of real truth. We think to ourselves; we must tell those left behind, still in their cave. However, after harassment and threats we understand another great reality. Each of us must find our own way out of our caves. Regardless of the amount of encouragement, each must decide to either stay in the comfort of manipulated delusion or face the enlightened discomfort of truth. But we can still encourage them and should.

And today the shadows projected upon our wall are controlled by mass and social media. One controlled by only a few for their financial interests and the other manipulated by inhuman bots programmed to disseminate disinformation. We are told ‘truth isn’t truth’ and follow our tribal instincts finding ourselves more comfortable to believe those in our groupthink world and our new puppeteers. For us to break free of their influence we must escape the chains by which they bind us.

So, here’s the deal; if you are not viciously challenging what you believe, or think, and those two are different, every day then you are not in a position to challenge or question anyone else’s ideas or comments. This is a pretty high bar, but one each of us is more than capable of jumping, every day. Through this self-challenge we can see truth is truth, not perspective or the chaos of conspiracy theory. Elephants trumpet like elephants and asses don’t, they heehaw.   #NeverFearTheDream

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Thanks….Stay well and Keep Questioning..everything

Posted in Current Events, Philosophy, Political

The Taproot of Racism Runs Deep…Don’t remain silent

Posted on by simplebender

In a Nation founded on the premise of White dominance, it is little wonder overt and covert racism runs rampant. This, unfortunately, is manifested so profoundly in our schools. This should be an embarrassment to and a lesson for every one of us. We and our children weren’t born racists. Racism is taught. We taught them, as our parents taught us. And our social, financial, legal, and educational systems support those incendiary teachings. To be clear, we are all racists, to some degree or another.

There are only a few types of racists. Those who are flagrant and overt and those who are silent and covert. Both racists, but one more troublesome than the other. I am less incensed by those who are flagrant racists and homophobes than I am with those who sit silently by and let the chastisement and harassment continue. The first is a group who are hardened and feel aggrieved by any minority advancement and want only to turn the pages of history back. The other stands idly by giving support and approval by their silence. It’s said a stupid person is the most dangerous type of person. However, a strong case can be made for a knowing person who remains silent in the face of abuse and harassment is much more dangerous and perpetuates the offense.

To the students and youth of the Nation. You represent our future. You have access to information your parents and grandparents never had, can’t understand, or arrogantly choose to ignore. Listen, observe, critique, and analyze everything you have been, and will be, taught. Don’t rely on anything, or anyone, without critically assessing all sides of the issue. Determine for yourselves what is right, just, and fair and then continue to viscously challenge your own conclusions. Above all else, take your school and community back. Don’t be silent. Silence is tacit support and approval. Let your voice be heard. Call out and be intolerant of racial and gender slurs and harassment the second they happen. Support and befriend those who are targets. Be intolerant to this abuse as you would any abuse. Use the tools uniquely at your disposal. Utilize social media, in your school paper, and your school clubs and organizations to support the victims and take the power away from the perpetrators. Express your disapproval of teachers and administrators who fail to act. Expect more accountability. Have the moral compass and moral fiber to do what’s right to break the chain of abuse. Don’t ever be satisfied with the status quo because it is inherently and systematically racist.

To my white brothers and sisters, I’ll be as blunt as possible. We are a product and beneficiary of the Nation’s Anglo centric beliefs and social systems. We have never experienced racial intolerance to the extent those of any color have and probably never will. To be very clear, we are not the victim of racial discrimination, no matter how much affirmative action. We, collectively, have not suffered or experienced racial stress. No matter how personally affronted and insulted you might be with the slightest form of racial ridicule you feel it is dwarfed by that which minorities have and are experiencing every day and have experienced since the formation of the Nation. It is systemic and toxic and holding back this country’s ability to reach new heights and achievements. And for god’s sake, stop looking and hoping for the next ‘Great White Hope’ because she/he might be an LGBTQ of any color.

#NeverFeartheDream

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Posted in Philosophy

Critical Thinking and Theory are needed now more than ever

Posted on by simplebender

Today, more than ever we need to practice Critical Thinking and the principles of Critical Theory.  We are bombarded by partisan media, politics, and opinions.  We face both sides of the ‘Big Lie’, ‘Stop the Steal’, and unabashedly biased ‘journalism’ and editorials.  Without a structured, normalized, approach toward analysis we are destined to wallow in unverified, unchallenged fantasies which can then become the structure of our society, institutions, and legal systems.

Critical thinking and theory do not profess any bias toward outcome, rather they focus us on a questioning process and let the outcome evolve and crystallize more with ever probing questions.  We must never just accept, but rather presume something is wrong, something can be improved, and/or be more holistically truthful.  Process and practices which encourage us to make explicit self-examination, and which are more concerned with preventing the loss of truth rather than being afraid of the resulting outcome are good for individuals, institutions, and societies in general.  Critical Thinking and Theory typically has three aspects: 1) presume something is wrong and identify what, 2) identify the aspects, or actors, which can be and/or need to be changed, and 3) establish norms for routine criticism and analysis. The only way to determine if our institutional knowledge are institutional myths is to critically challenge, probe, and analyze every aspect, on a continuous basis.  If it proves false, then let facts prevail. If it withstands the scrutiny either the challenge needs to be changed or the facts are firm.  Therefore, Critical Thinking and Theory are the anthesis of cancel culture.

As to Critical Race Theory.  Let’s agree; racism isn’t biological.  We are not born racists.  It is learned.  Therefore, racism must be a normal feature of our social fabric.  Woven into our education, public policy, and legal structure.  If so, then our responsibility as a society, as members of a civil order, is to critically ask ourselves, what needs to be changed in those institutions, and legal framework to eradicate systematic racism.  Consider how much fuller and richer our accepted history would be if it were written including all perspectives including those of race, religion, and gender.  Imagine how our legal system could be improved, presuming institutional racism could be recognized and removed.

If you are unwilling to accept the pretext of institutional racism and sexism, ask yourself why it took over a hundred years after the end of the Civil War for the Civil Rights Act to be passed and the Supreme Court to recognize the legitimacy of mixed marriages.  Ask yourself why the Civil Rights Act was even necessary.  Why were Jim Crow Laws passed and brutally enforced? Why, the Equal Rights Amendment hasn’t passed? And why are the Boards of Corporations essential devoid of minorities and women?

Those amongst us who refuse to challenge the social norms and status quo will forever be the pawns of those who want to manipulate the uninformed with disinformation, biased partisan partial perspectives, and conspiracy theories. Ironically, those claiming cancel culture are the ones who have tried for centuries to cancel and ignore the historical perspectives of others.  All of us, to some degree, are racist and sexist; our social culture made us what we are.  Maybe we should be engaging in Critical Gender and Critical Religion Theory as well.  

And who am I?  I’m an engineer, trained to question everything, challenge the status quo, and continually search for a better way to make things, systems, and processes work.  Trained never to accept anything at face value regardless of who propagated the thought or policy.  The one who practiced the art of Critical Thinking and Theory as an engineer and executive in the private and public sectors to advance engineering, as well as corporate and public policy.

#NeverFearthe Dream #CRT #CriticalRaceTheory #woke #cancelculture

Posted in Philosophy

Fifteenth and First, Celebrate Both

Posted on by simplebender

Fifteen years ago, on Father’s Day, June 19th, a soft-spoken, conservative, stoic, son of Georgia, member of the Band of Brothers 101St Airborne, and my Dad past away, losing his battle with cancer.  And today we also celebrate the first anniversary of Juneteenth, as a recognized National Holiday.

I think my Dad would be very happy with how these are now forever tied together.  You see, he and his twin sister were orphaned very early and were raised by various aunts and uncles in and around Atlanta.  His life was not easy, but it was so very full.  He lost half his fingers and fractured his back parachuting into combat in WWII but never missed a chance play baseball with me and my brother.  He was always there for us, no matter what, no matter when, no matter where.

He was careful with his words and by being so he quietly taught many valuable lessons.  You knew, when he said something, it was worth listening to.  He said, ‘treat everyone with respect until they prove otherwise.’ and ‘never let your handicaps define you’ These were not just words with him.  He lived them and taught them by example.

So today, we celebrate the life he led, the lessons he taught, and the power of respect as we recognize, and welcome the celebration of, Juneteenth.  Too long in coming but with us now forever and rightfully so.   #NeverFeartheDream, #Juneteenth, #respect

Posted in Philosophy

What have we become; what are we afraid of?

Posted on by simplebender

We have witnessed and experienced a lot in the last year, as individuals and as a country.  However, the capitulation and implosion of the Republican party maybe the most shocking.  The Grand Ole Party which once championed global influence based on principles and global trade has become a Group of Patsies wallowing in self-delusion, fearful of shining the light of truth, and idolatry.  The party, in my lifetime, faced down the tyranny of Soviet Russia now embraces its own form of tyranny, race-based caste system, and isolation.  It is now a party which advocates hiding behind walls rather than tearing walls down.

The party, which once proudly advocated for fact-based decision making, is now advocating hiding from the investigation of the January 6th insurrection.  Burying their collective head in the sand trying to make believe it did not happen.  That a mob; flying the flags of a corrupt defeated dictatorship, the flag of racism and slavery, and those of idol worship; did not attack the Capital, did not assault Capital Police and the foundations of our Constitution.  Nope, didn’t happen.  It is fake news and was a group of peaceful, law abiding citizens exercising their freedom of speech and having a ‘tour of the Capital’.  Denial does not mean it did not happen.  Denial does mean it will happen again.  How many members of Congress will stand up for the Constitution and this country and try to determine what happened on the days before and after January 6th.  And how many will prove they are panderers and patsies only vying for votes from those who are too afraid to seek truth.

What are we afraid of?  As we consciously and unconsciously practice our unique form of race-based caste system.  What are we afraid of?  Are we afraid of losing some of our race-based privileges?  Are we afraid of equal rights, equal treatment, and equal access?  Are we afraid, that on any given level playing field, we can no longer compete?  That maybe, just maybe there are those who are better who have never had a chance to show just how good they are?  If we consider ourselves a team; TEAM USA is failing.  It is failing to play the best the players or even to let them try-out for the team.  We must look forward and recognize everyone has more talents and more to offer.  Exclusion based on race, gender, creed, orientation, nationality, education, or anything else succeeds in maintaining a false based caste system and inhibits all of us from moving forward toward greater goals.  It succeeds in allowing those who strive to see us fail drive wedges of misinformation into the fabric of our nation.

The principles of fiscal discipline, personal responsibility and accountability, global leadership and trade, and social compassion have been cast aside.  Cast aside for denial, scapegoating, isolation, and radical racial divide.  The Republican Party I was a part of for more than half a century has been displaced by a cult, worshiping a demigod in the hopes of maintaining a failing direction and whose leaders care more about being re-elected than taking a stand for the principles of the country.  The Party was bigger than one person and now is as small, and as shallow, as one.  The party, whose leaders, once stood in defiance of tyrants and dictators now embrace them rather than standing for freedom, truth, and democracy.  The idea of ‘truth will set you free’ can only come to reality if we actually seek the truth. 

#NeverFeartheDream #GOP #Jan6 #BigLie

Posted in Philosophy

Sudden Death Brings Life into Focus

Posted on by simplebender

The pandemic has forced us to witness a lot of death and the pain the survivors experience.  But it’s the sudden deaths which really bring life into focus.  The treasure of a loved one suddenly and tragically ripped from our lives.  The last hug in the morning replaced with tears in the evening.  The sudden loss with no time to prepare, as if you can really ever prepare for such a loss.

This week a close friend suffered such an unimaginable loss when her husband was killed in a rogue avalanche in Alaska.  A trained and experienced mountaineer whose life was taken in the blink of an eye. 

And now, she and her daughters must cope with the unexpected loss of the man they loved and adored.  Tom Devine will be missed by many but mostly by his family.

The country has tied itself into ridiculous knots over too many petty issues of politics, lies, innuendos, and unwarranted slanderous comments.  The sudden death of a friend puts all this into stark perspective.  Life is too short.  Celebrate our differences.  Embrace your family and friends, as well as their ideas. 

Life is precious and death, especially sudden death, brings it into focus if you are willing to look. 

#NeverFeartheDream  #Tom Devine

Posted in Philosophy, Political

The Thucydides’s Trap of our own making

Posted on by simplebender

Thucydides, the ancient Athenian historian and general, claims the fifth-century BC Sparta and Athens war was inevitable because of “the rise of Athens and fear that this instilled in Sparta.”  More simply, war is a likely outcome as tensions increase between rising powers and those who are currently ruling and in power.  Are we on the precipice of our own Thucydides Trap and is it one of our own making?

Our trap has taken generations to build.  A failed and misdirected reconstruction, Jim Crow Laws, congressional district jerrymandering, ongoing voter suppression efforts, the Civil Right Act, and the Black Live Matter movement have collectively shored the frame of the trap.  The Republican party controls both the executive and legislative branch in twenty-four states and legislative control in thirty-one; clearly distinguishing it as the ruling party.  And yet we are a country divided.  The past Presidential election and the slim majorities held by opposite parties in the U.S. House and Senate are manifestations of our divide.  The open hostility based only upon race, gender, and /or sexual orientation is played out in the news, and our streets every day.  We, collectively, find ourselves struggling with how we got here and how we get out.

Some of the more significant findings of the 2020 American Values Survey by PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute, https://www.prri.org/research/amid-multiple-crises-trump-and-biden-supporters-see-different-realities-and-futures-for-the-nation/) sheds insight and may clearly imply we are stepping on our own Thucydides Trap.  It shows Republicans are the only political organization which believes whites and Christians are being discriminated against more than any other ethnic or racial group.  More granularly, out of nine groups comprising multiple religious and racial affiliations, only white evangelical Protestants, shockingly, maintain whites and Christians are more discriminated against than Blacks, Hispanics, or Asians.  And then, not surprisingly, the white evangelical Protestants maintain the Confederate flag and monuments are symbols of Southern pride and not symbols of racism. Those currently ruling feel they, and their beliefs, are under siege.  The spring of the trap is being pulled taunt and the trigger about to be set.

The corollary from the survey is that in total, Americans, collectively by a large margin, believe Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians are discriminated against on a daily and systematic manner.  Americans believe Whites and Christians are the least discriminated against and the symbols of the Confederacy are racist.

We can escape the Thucydides Trap of our own making by strongly standing together as Americans rather than subsets of the whole.  The country’s direction has never been straight and true.  We have grown, matured, and changed with the times.  We should not feel threatened by change but embrace it and help mold it to benefit the majority of us.  The political tents have to be big enough for all of us.  The trap is built.  The spring is taunt.  The trigger set and probably tripped unless we, collectively, decide to recognize the trap for what it is, step away and have the faith and strength of character to determine the best way to dismantle it and do so.           #NeverFeartheDream

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#BigLie, #Jan6

Posted in Philosophy

Greatest Generation v. COVID-19

Posted on by simplebender

Is this how we’ll say goodbye to the Greatest Generation?

This virus doesn’t discriminate on who it infects; but it does discriminate as to whom it kills.  The Greatest Generation and their children are predominately the victims of COVID-19.

The generation who were raised by those who endured the Great Depression and learned the lessons of conservation, re-use, and sacrifice. The generation which came together in their youth to save the world from tyranny.  They faced discrimination at home and chose to take the first bold steps toward Equal Rights and continue to lead the fight today.  The Generation which embraced the challenge of space exploration ‘and doing the other things not because they were easy but because they were hard’.  The Generation who survived the hard life lessons of sacrifice and who were determined to give their children a better life than theirs.

And today, sequestered in nursing homes, assisted and independent living centers, as well as isolated in their homes which they fought so hard to own; they wait for COVID-19’s dark shadow to take their breath away.  Their families almost helpless to give them the care and love they deserve and have earned.  We avoid them not because we don’t love and respect them, but because we do.  And they, the fiercely independent generations struggle with understanding while missing our touch and can’t see the warm smile behind our mask.  They see only the love and concern in our eyes and the compassion in our muffled voices which are so hard for them to hear.

This virus doesn’t discriminate who it infects; but it does discriminate as to whom it kills.  In the United States those 50 and above comprise over 85% of all deaths.  In some states, those above 60 comprise over 90%, and the worldwide numbers are just as staggering.  They are the most vulnerable for infection and death.

Their fate could be in the hands of those they raised and love so much.  As hard as it is, please stay away and mask up. By doing so, you show your care, concern, love, and appreciation.  Applaud the facilities which have enforced lock-downs and refused visitors.  As hard as this is on the residence, families, and the staff, they are saving lives.  For those facilities which haven’t, let your moral conscious be your guide and judge, as the next ambulance drives away from your front door.

For those in these generations, you too bear responsibility.  We understand you might be confused, frightened, angry, and alone; yet, just as you have all your lives, lead by example.  If you must go out, be vigilant on social/physical distancing and mask up.  Greet those you encounter from a distance, behind your mask, with your compassionate smiling eyes.  They will understand and the person you save could be a loved one.

And who am I?  I’m the masked gray-haired guy, in-line behind you at the grocery store, trying to give both of us space while I get supplies for my family and medication for my senior, isolated, mother.  The concern you see in my eyes isn’t for me, it’s for you, your family and friends, and those of the Greatest Generation.  We will get through this, but many of them won’t and let’s hope we don’t lose the memory and generational lessons taught to us.  It’s wrong that this is how we might have to say goodbye; but stay strong and never forget. That’s what they taught us.  #NeverFearTheDream

 

Posted in Philosophy, Political

1619: We’re Better Now, Right?

Posted on by simplebender

1619:  Twenty score years ago the first African slaves came to America. Twelve score years of slavery before the Emancipation Proclamation and a country torn apart.  Four score and ten years of Jim Crow Laws, three score more of separate but equal.  Five score and nine years from Emancipation to the Equal Rights Amendment.  And yet still we have a racial divide which seems to be growing not healing.  We’re better now, right?

Shamefully, slavery was a globally accepted and biblically supported practice.  A global industry with Arabs and Africans capturing and shipping other Africans around the world.  Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.  But today’s ‘right’ can’t be the benchmark for the past or the future.  Those time-frames have their own standards for right and wrong.  Yet, those past practices set the stage for today and should be forcing us to ponder; how many generations does it take to transition from being property to being a person?  If all your life, and all your forefathers lives you were told you were inferior; how much internal strength does it take to stand up and declare you are not? How long would it take you to overcome the constant, unrelenting, message that you are less and unworthy? Is an apology needed, or wanted?  You can’t really apologize for what your forefathers did, you can only apologize for what you do.

Have the federal projects and affirmative action programs created an environment of reverse discrimination and resentment?    If so, just know it’s a slippery slope from resentment to racism.  Those of ‘privilege’ will never be able to empathize until they have lived what others have endured.  The few incidents where they feel they have ‘suffered’ will never compare with the score of years others really have.

A keystone of this country is ‘majority rules, minority rights.’  We are far from this tenant.  As efforts increase to ensure the rights of the minorities are respected there is a false perception that these directly result in the demise of the historic privileges of the majority.   And worse, the more vocal the minority the more resentful the majority. When will we decide to choose to accept and give an opportunity for respect? A few quirks about respect.  It’s not a right or a privilege. It must be earned and cannot be demanded.  It’s easily lost and hard to regain, a lot like trust.

All we are owed is to be accepted, an opportunity to show we should be respected, and freedom to pursue your dreams; but not at the detriment of others.  We may be a long way from “I want no negro government; I want no Mongolian government; I want the government of the white man which our fathers incorporated.” (Sen. G. Davis D-Kentucky, 1866). However, we might be just as far from the dream of “not being judged by the color of our skin” (religion, gender, or orientation) (Rev. M. King, 1963).  Discrimination persists, against racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, women, and LGBQ because we allow it and silently condone it.  Those who stand firmly on ‘majority rule’ should consider someday you will be the minority and will want all your rights protected. We would do well by remembering the thoughts of Jesuit monk, Fr. A. DeMello, the three hardest intellectual things to do are, 1) returning love for hate, 2) including the excluded, and 3) admitting you are wrong?

We’re better now, right? Right? (#NeverFearTheDream)