The needed revolution is internal not external.
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| Milady sugars her tea, I don't. That's called personal control. |
"Some things are in our control and others not." ~ Epictetus, Enchiridion, Chapter 1
Animal Farm (George Orwell)
George Orwell gave Animal Farm a subtitle ~ A Fairy Story. A long, long time ago I took a university course dedicated to a Freudian view of fairy tales. It's been a long time since I've considered myself a follower of Freud, but the darkness that he found within fairy tales has stuck with me.
The Darkest Truth In Animal Farm.
It is a rare revolution that changes more than whom the boss is. The American Revolution got rid of King George the third but ends up with King Trump the 1st. The French Revolution got rid of the king. But Macron still uses the Palace of Versailles for important state events. Russia deposed the czar and his family. Now Russia has Putin and his oligarchs. China got rid of the emperor and ends up with Xi.
Without knowing the problem you can't find a solution
Epictetus, and here I will grossly simplify his teachings, realize that some things we can do something about and some things we can't. This is simply a very early expression of the Alcoholics prayer; God give me the strength to change what I can and the wisdom to know what I can't change.
This is not a philosophy about changing rulers, or society. This is a philosophy about living well where you are.
Today the BBC is running a story on Trump showing off his new Air Force One that the Qatari government gave him. The most telling bit of Trump's speech is when he declares that no president has ever traveled in such luxury.
There's a real temptation to put all of that into a separate blog, get real upset, yell scream and shout. But I'm not going to. All that would do would be to raise my blood pressure which I'm working so hard to lower.
The simple concluding truth
Some things I can change ~ some things I can't. It just doesn't make any sense to get mad about what I can't control.
I believe that the transnational capitalist class is the ruling class of our world. I also believe that what's good for the transnational ruling class is more than likely not good for my class. But my final belief, that controls my actions, is that I can't do anything to change how they're gonna rule our world.
All I can change ~ is how I live within that world. How I live has changed over the decades. Now as I approach the end of this life I've come to the conclusion that I can't do better than to do justice within my own community, to offer mercy where I live, and walk humbly.
I am a retired pastor living on the side of a sleepy volcano in the Visayas. Social Gospel? Liberation Theology? How the Transnational class oversees the world. How we can accept our obligations and duties and yet be free. Such are the topics you will find here.
Brian
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thekeeperofthelight@proton.me
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