Thursday, May 28, 2009

A Healing Prayer

A Healing Prayer

Great Mother, look upon this beautiful blue world and see her wounds. I have left scrapes, scars and open sores across the land, sea and skies. I cannot roll back the pages of time and make the ugliness go away, but I can learn from my mistakes. Help that process to begin in my heart today, and every day.

Teach me to hear the whispers of the wind, the welcome of the waves, the symphony of the cosmic lights, the reveling of the rain, and all the other voices of the elements as they join in the chorus of life. Teach me to honor those voices, and those of all Earth's creatures, and treasure them with reverance. Give me the strength, vision, and wisdom I need to become a good caretaker for the sacred space of Earth. So Be It.

This version adapted from a prayer posted by Feona Willow at Kuan Yin's Temple and Garden

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Patriarchy Is Impotent

Goddess, Shakti,
source of all energy,
She who embraces the entire universe,
She who dances Her way into our lives.
The Patriarchy Is Impotent

The Great Guru Shankaracharya once went to Kashmir, wanting to engage in debate the followers of Goddess (Shakti) known as the 'Shaktas.' No sooner had he reached the place than he was rendered immobile by a severe bout of dysentery. So seriously was he affected, that unable to get up from his bed, he for the moment, lost the power to speak.

Soon after, a twelve-year-old girl came near him and whispered in his ears: "O Shankara, do you think you can negate the cult of Shakti?"

Feeling helpless, Shankaracharya said, "Devi, I have come here for this very purpose, but right now I feel devoid of any potency. When I gain enough power to speak, only then will I be able to do so. Without Shakti, I cannot do anything."

The charming girl replied thus: "O revered preceptor, when you yourself cannot move an inch without your Shakti, how will you refute its cult? O Wise One, know me to be Shiva's Shakti - The supreme power activating this world. Charged by my own energy, you want to negate me?"

His mind now at rest, Shankaracharya bowed to Goddess, and left Kashmir as soon as he recovered.



(the top picture, of the dancers, is the Shakti Dance Movement: http://tribes.tribe.net/shaktidancemovement and http://www.myspace.com/shaktidancemovement and http://www.shakti808.com/ )

Monday, May 25, 2009

A Thousand Lambs

A Thousand Lambs


A thousand lambs shall be slaughtered
to create the emptiness which, from I,
moves death to lift the Bane of Minos,
all appeals to live, in peace to die!

Cursed not by deeds but by words, mine was
the crime of the spoken murder, for I did
slay another with word alone, and with word
alone death did come. As surely as if I had
wielded a sword, bright eyes did turn dull and
glaze over, quick mind ceased to function, and
warmth drained from that smile in that
single moment I first said "Believe." For as
the essence of human is born into wonder and the
young eye lofts above meaning, long shall life
be who can see things anew, when knowledge
serves life and not points of view. On that day
when I first spoke of "Truth" then did "I"
die, this being that was me, and only the fading
echoes of thoughts thought long ago did serve as
the reminder of life once remembered, such
was my curse on the Isle of Minos, a
lesson of distant voices which harbor blackened
water. A blessing be upon ye, ye who look anew,
leave curses for the empty, the feeble blinded
who must sayeth "True."

Saturday, May 23, 2009

E.DIN

(re-posted from
The End Will Be Where The Beginning Is http://doubleserpent.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/e-din/
)

E.DIN

“In a recent study of this conflict between the story and the mythical relics it preserves B. S. Childs has remarked that ‘behind the figure of the serpent shimmers another form still reflecting its former life.’ A tension exists because this independent life of the original figure still struggles against the framework of a simple snake into which it has been recast.” (p. 20. John Martin Evans. Paradise Lost and the Genesis Tradition. Oxford, England. Clarendon Press. 1968, citing from B. S. Childs. “Myth and Reality In the Old Testament.” Studies in Biblical Theology. Vol. 27. 1960. pp. 45-48)

The story of Eden in the biblical book of Genesis is a retelling of an earlier Sumerian story. The similarities are striking, but you will see the changes that were made by the authors of Genesis in order to switch the narrative from polytheism into monotheism, creating the inconsistencies and problematic points in the text.

In the Sumerian story, we find a race of Gods called the An.unna.ki (a name that translates as “from heaven came to earth”.) The supreme ruler of these Gods, Anu, had two sons named Enlil and Enki. Enlil is given superiority and the two descend to earth with a fleet of siblings and followers. They make their home in the E.DIN (later known as Mesopotamia.)

The An.unna.ki exist on earth for thousands of years, but eventually, the younger gods get tired of doing all the manual labour. They revolt and put their case before Enlil in his capacity as head of the pantheon on earth. A council of the elder gods is called, and at this meeting Enki suggests that he make a primitive worker, someone to do the grunt work and relieve the younger gods of their toil. Enki is the god of science, wisdom, and civilization. His symbol was the double-helix serpent, which everyone today will be familiar with, mostly without realizing the origin:

caduceus

Enki’s idea is approved, and the council gives its support to the plan.

Back at the E.Din, Enki, his half-sister Ninhursag and Enki’s son Ningishzidda set about making the primitive worker. They make fourteen pieces of ‘clay’ mixed with the blood and flesh of a slain god of “intelligence” and “personality”, and the spit of all the gods, and impregnate fourteen ‘birth goddesses,’ much like the cloning and in vitro fertilisation we do today. The resulting children that were born comprised of seven males and seven females.

ningishzidda

(Here: Ningishzidda, Enki and Ninhursag, with a worker on her lap)

Interestingly enough, a professor of human genetics at Oxford University has now claimed that Europeans are descended from exactly seven women ancestors, as reported by the BBC here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/719376.stm

In The Old Testament, Adam and Eve are innocent until tempted by the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit from the Tree. The widespread theological theory goes that there were in fact two “trees” in the garden of E.Din. One tree was the knowledge of good and evil and the other was the gift of eternal life. These were both attributes of the Sumerian gods that had been supposedly bred out of the primitive workers at the behest of the council. The original plan had been for these workers to be sterile and short lived.

But Ningishzidda (”The Winged Serpent”; “Lord of the good tree”; messenger of the gods; the Sumerian equivalent of Anubis, Quetzalcoatl, Odin, Hermes, Mercury, and the Archangel Gabriel) had already given the fruit of the first tree, by breeding the workers as able to sexually reproduce. This is what is being alluded to in Genesis, I believe, by the mention of Adam and Eve realizing that they were naked.

sumer_adam_eve

(a Sumerian depiction of “Adam,” “Eve,” the “tree” and the serpent)

Upon finding out what had been done, Enlil (the Sumerian equivalent of the Bible’s angry and jealous God) became enraged, and kicked the workers out of E.Din, thus preventing Enki (the Sumerian equivalent of Samael, the serpent in the garden, Satan) from giving them the fruit of the second tree, that of eternal life.

All the problems that arise from the narrative of Genesis are fixed when one views it as a polytheistic text reworked into a monotheistic format. Enlil is given the full role in Genesis, while his brother is relegated to a mere “serpent.” Thus Enlil looks to be indecisive, throwing them out at one moment, and clothing them in pity the next. The story actually involves two gods locked in a moral argument.

This argument continues into the Sumerian flood myth (also predating the biblical account of Noah) in which the sound of humans copulating is repulsive to Enlil and he convinces the council to let him send the flood to kill everyone. Enki has other ideas, and tells one man and his family to build a boat and keep on board two of all the animals, much like we are doing today with our Doomsday Vault.) The fact that the flood myth of the Sumerians concerns two deities again fixes the problem in the biblical narrative, where God appears to be wiping out mankind and saving them all at once. When what we have, in fact, are two Gods: One who sends floods because he doesn’t like humans who aren’t servile and ignorant , and another who tries to give humans enlightenment and save them from these floods.

Let me leave you with this thought:

‘The Bible informs us that the serpent in the Garden of Eden was overcome before it was able to complete its mission and give Adam and Eve the “fruit” from the second “tree.” Enki (who was also symbolized as a snake) was banished to Earth and was extensively villainized by his opponents to ensure that he could never again secure a widespread following among human beings. Enki’s title was changed from “Prince of Earth” to “Prince of Darkness.” He was labeled other horrible epithets: Satan, the Devil, Evil Incarnate, Monarch of Hell, Lord of Vermin, Prince of Liars, and more. He was portrayed as the mortal enemy of a Supreme Being and as the keeper of Hell. People were taught that his only intentions were to spiritually enslave everyone and that everything bad on Earth was caused by him. Humans were encouraged to detect him in all his future lives (”incarnations”) and to destroy him and his creations whenever he was discovered. All beliefs and practices named after his various appellations (”Satanism,” “Devil Worship,” etc.) were to be made so horrific and degrading that no right-thinking person would (or should) have anything to do with them. He and his followers were to be viewed with nothing but the utmost loathing.’ (p. 55. William Bramley. The Gods of Eden)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Joan Jett, Fly Grrl

Joan Jett, Fly Grrl


[New York, May 19. Image via AP.]


In this photo released by the United States Navy, entertainer Joan Jett prepares to board a Navy helicopter en route to USS Iwo Jima for a tour of the ship during Fleet Week New York, Tuesday, May 19, 2009. Approximately 3,000 sailors, marines and coast guardsmen will participate in the 22nd commemoration of Fleet Week New York. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Laurie L. Wood)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Basic Grounding Meditation by Starhawk

A basic grounding meditation led by Starhawk, and done very well. The visuals are an amateur's attempt (artists don't use jpg, and especially not blurry ones) and most are poorly adapted to this video, but some are OK. I closed my eyes -- it's the voice that's important.

This video originated at: http://www.hypnose-leben.com/?p=847

Monday, May 18, 2009

Kinship

Kinship
Do you ken me
when I call you
kin?
As we sit
around
a green and white
tabletop
that displays
the deep unknown
of the encompassing
all
in its design?

Do you ken me
when I call you
kin?
Though our views
sometimes
run
contrary?

Do you ken me
when I call you
kin?
When I bow
my head
in acknowledgemnt
of your genius?

Do you ken me
when I call you
kin?
When I accept
all your
faults
and hurts
as my own?

Do you ken me
when I call you
kin?
Though your inklings
tinkle
like fae blossoms
to my
coughing crow call.

Do Not Tame Me

Do Not Tame Me
Do not
Do not tame me
Do not tame me so that
Do not tame me so that I will never
hear again
my wild kin
call to me
to me
me!
across the midnight sky.

Let my wild kin Be.
Let my wild me Be.

Tiny Twigs


Tiny Twigs

tiny twigs fall upon a riverside boulder
creating a precise particular pattern
that mimics the moss growing on the rock
which mimics the fractal that is always wrought
when mimicking temporal transition states
where Time can birth anew, and so can you.


Is this just fantasy? Open your eyes
and see what your ignorant voice denies.

I Like To Walk

I Like To Walk

I like to walk the streets
at night,
prowling,
marking territory,
hunting.

I like to walk among
the tame,
alone
wild
hungry.

I like to walk and suddenly
stop,
change direction,
part the herd,
survey the prey.

I like to walk and see
the fear,
in eyes,
weak knees,
ready to scream.

I like to walk and watch
for predators,
in my territory,
invading my space,
stalking my game.

I like to walk
and be the fucking king.

Fragile Beauty Sparkles In Thunderstorms

Fragile Beauty Sparkles In Thunderstorms
Weeds are flowers
that nobody loves.
Wild, tenacious,
infectious.
Seeking, always seeking
life
new life
no borders.
Deep green fighting,
always fighting
for life.
Ripped up, torn
and tossed.
Dug up
by the roots.
Still seeking, always
seeking
life.
Weeds are flowers
that nobody loves:
pesticides
herbicides
gasoline
agent orange
napalm
dark green struggling
for life
seeking, sun
seeking, water
seeking, food
seeking, life.
Life
bud
blossom
flower
raindrops
beautiful
life.
I
love weeds.

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Goddess of Rock and Roll

Goddess of Rock and Roll
Joan Jett
I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
You're living in the past, it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do
An' I don't give a damn ' bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me

An' I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
Never said I wanted to improve my station
An' I'm only doin' good
When I'm havin' fun
An' I don't have to please no one
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn
'Bout my reputation
I've never been afraid of any deviation
An' I don't really care
If ya think I'm strange
I ain't gonna change
An' I'm never gonna care
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

Pedal boys!

An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my reputation
The world's in trouble
There's no communication
An' everyone can say
What they want to say
It never gets better anyway
So why should I care
'Bout a bad reputation anyway
Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me

I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation
You're living in the past
It's a new generation
An' I only feel good
When I got no pain
An' that's how I'm gonna stay
An' I don't give a damn
'Bout my bad reputation

Oh no, not me
Oh no, not me
Not me, not me
I can see the sadness in your eyes
Hard knocks an' hurt are hard to hide
It can be a long an' lonely ride
But it makes ya strong inside

When you're down an' out the streets get rough
You need love but ya just don't enough
An' ya feel like no one's on your side

When you wanna throw it all away an' you've had it

Don't surrender don't surrender
Cause the fight inside your heart's
Your best defender don't surrender

Ya try so hard but ya feel just like a clown
An' there ain't enough luck to go around
All your dreams they crash right to the ground
You wanna get right outta town

You can say "What the hell I've given up lay down to die" but it's just a bluff
Cause ya know there's no place left to hide

Sometimes life seems like a war an' you're surrounded

Don't surrender don't surrender
Cause the fight inside your heart's
Your best defender don't surrender
Don't give up when ya know you're right
When you're feelin all alone just remember
Don't surrender

When you wanna throw it all away an' you've had it

Don't surrender
Don't surrender

Life is never what you think
Give a sentimental wink
There ya go you don't know what's in store
But you felt it before

Hey, I'm warmin' up to your insides
I don't worry cause I got no ties
Not a guy not a girl not a thing
Not a thing in this world

Come on out, come on out
Come on out and play with me
Come on out, come on out
Come on out and play with me

Hey baby did ya ever feel like being crazy
The borderlines are getting hazy
Rules are what we forgot, you're a blaze
Leave them reeling for days

Come on out, come on out
Come on out and play with me
Come on out, come on out
Come on out and play with me

We'll have lots of fun, let our emotions run
Nothing tonight is gonna get us down
We'll have lots of thunder, let our emotions run
They go round and round and round round

Come on out, come on out
Come on out and play with me
Come on out, come on out
Come on out and play with me
(Lyrics: Bad Reputation, Don't Surrender, Play With Me: Joan Jett & Kenny Laguna)

Monday, May 04, 2009

Utopia

(written 01/25/07)

Utopia
or
"We all want to get laid, but nobody wants to get screwed."
Anonymous


Democracy is the holy grail, and since this is of the mythic Eutopia (“Wherefore not Utopie, but rather rightly / My name is Eutopie, a place of felicity”. -Anemolius (Thomas More, Utopia) it is only right and proper to write a perambulatory idyll. My apologies in advance if reading this proves it to be only palaverous chatter. In recompense, I offer this short version in the following three sentences and three parenthetical notes.

It is natural for the individual to yearn to be free to determine the course of its life (“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom.” -Albert Einstein). The individual needs help to do this because life is perilous (“Life means suffering.” Buddhism, The Four Noble Truths). Therefore, the individual excogitates a science of politics whose true end is to coordinate a community of effort to enable the individual to overcome hardship and reach fulfillment (“And this will be found to agree with what we said at the outset; for we stated the end of political science to be the best end, and political science spends most of its pains on making the citizens to be of a certain character, viz. good and capable of noble acts.” -Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics).

Now for the long version . . . with quotes to highlight concepts, and illustrate that while none of these ideas are mine, I make them mine with my words.

I wish that every human life might be pure transparent freedom.
-Simone de Beauvoir-

Human have rights that arrive with us at birth, and incur an obligation upon adulthood. These rights are unalienable and thoroughly essential for humans to realize a fulfilled life. Each individual owes the same rights to every human at all times. What use is it to be human if we are not allowed to be fully human all the time? How can we be fully human without ensuring the race of humans can fulfill whatever destiny awaits. The goal for the individual is by definition the same goal for the race: fulfillment. It is natural among all things that in the best course of existence each and all live to be fulfilled. Only when calamity of some sort befalls the individual does fulfillment remain out of reach. Even a single failing adversely affects the whole race no matter how many individuals it contains. Every successfully fulfilled life expands the boundaries of the racial capacity. When human rights are not universal the advancement of the race depends on whim and chance. History is replete with extraordinary and lucky happenstances that contrived to preserve specific bits of individual knowledge at key times that advanced the capabilities of the race. Quick examples are Tycho Brahe's astronomical data being made public through a conniving Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton publishing his physics only at the determined prodding of an incredulous Robert Hooke. It is self evident that individual knowledge dispersed to the race is what makes the racial capability limitless (“The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man.” -Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, France, 1789).

All animals, except man, know that the principal business of life is to enjoy it.
-Samuel Butler-

The natural order of things makes it self-evident that all organisms have a specific role in the geosphere. The fulfillment of this role is good for the species. Any corruption of the greater good is a corruption of the individual good. Examining all the organisms of the geosphere, and their place upon it, the self-evident truth revealed is that the only role in which humans are a natural fit, that no other organism can fulfill, is that of caretaker of the geosphere.

No one's immune now, to a world of problems.
No one's exempt now, from a world of pain!
-Joan Jett-

To be human is to use our minds. To be human is to live to our fullest potential. To be human is to follow our instinct. But life is not easy. Life is hardship and suffering. Life is often far too short and tragic. Therefore, humans band together in social groups where individuals of different talents can help each other tackle the serious business of overcoming hardship and living comfortably and prosperous. The best social groups are the ones best prepared for any adversity, and therefore are by definition the most diverse group of talents available. Governing the actions of the human race in order to benefit every individual requires the science of politics. In order for the human race to fulfill its natural potential the science of politics must design utopia.

Government does not exist of itself. The individual creates government to use as a tool in the construction of a good life. The fundament of government is to benefit the individual. Conversely, it is the fundamental right of the individual to accept or refuse government. Therefore government must be responsive to the individual in order to exist.

I love my man as my fellow; but his scepter, real, or usurped, extends not to me,
unless the reason of an individual demands my homage;
and even then the submission is to reason, and not to man.
-Mary Wollstonecraft-

Fundamentally, there is no government if the individual chooses not to acquiesce. Government is merely a tool, and a fictional construct at that. Government on it's own is merely a notion. The individual, however, is real. Government has no rights. Only the individual has rights, and the purpose of government is to safeguard the rights of the individual.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
-Declaration of Independence-

It does not matter what the writers of these words thought when they sent people to die to make sure we remembered them. All that matters is what we do with them now that we have remembered them. This is where it starts. These words are ours now. These words are mine now. I wield them as weapon and armour.

Independence I have long considered as the grand blessing of life, the basis of every virtue; and independence I will ever secure by contracting my wants, though I were to live on a barren heath.
-- Mary Wollstonecraft

The nature of the individual is independence. The individual chooses to tolerate government in order to be able to live in safety and order, comfortable and prosperous, free and happy. The individual's good is dependent upon the good of all the other individuals met during the course of life. Harm done to any of those connected to an individual's life, whether directly or indirectly, will adversely affect that life. The greater good is by nature the individual good. The two cannot be separated.

"I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands
- one nation indivisible -
with liberty and justice for all."
-Original Pledge of Allegiance-

Note that it is “my” flag that is pledged allegiance. Globalism is by nature individualism. The global network is by nature the community network. Extended families are a step toward tribalism, as tribalism is a step toward nationalism, as nationalism is a step toward globalism. Globalism circles back to extended families to complete the circle successfully. Before we can organize the world we need to clean up our neighbourhoods. The collection of homes known as a neighbourhood is the basic building block of human society. Each neighbourhood is naturally unique. The people within form a community separate and distinct from other neighbourhoods. A network of independent neighbourhoods working together creates a society. This cooperative balkanization is a good thing as it allows culturally distinct enclaves to prosper individually and collectively through union. Diversity is a good thing. Union is a good thing. A single community cannot prosper alone. The global community cannot prosper fully if any single community within it does not prosper fully. Any disparity in the scope of the rights of the individual in any community will result in corruption, rebellion and repression. This revolt will spread in multifarious ways, attacking every institution of government – hence debilitating the ability of every individual to attain fulfillment. This is all self-evident.

In fact, it is a farce to call any being virtuous
whose virtues do not result from the exercise of its own reason.
-Mary Wollstonecraft-

The individual elects representatives for him to influence government at the following levels: family, neighbourhood, borough, municipality, county, commonwealth, region, nation, continent, hemisphere, and world. At each level except the two extremes there is a council that governs. The scope of this government is twofold. Firstly, government of those directly represented within the specific council. Secondly, government of the cooperation between all the councils of the lower level. The primary government is the council of neighbourhoods. Next is the council of boroughs, then the council of municipalities, the council of counties, of commonwealths, of regions, of nations, of continents and of hemispheres. Ultimately, the first and last decisions made in any neighbourhood are made by the neighbourhood council, the actual people being affected by those decisions, not someone far away in a mansion on a hill behind an electrified fence, stone walls and armed guards. People will naturally take care of their own backyards, and in this way we can take care of the world.

At each level the councils govern for the greater good of the integration of the units smaller than them. The government in this instance becomes part of the extended family. The government is no longer outside and other. The individual has immediate and lasting influence on the government, being able to walk over to the neighbourhood council member's house and chat over coffee and muffins. The individual has intimate access through geography and the neighbourhood council member to the borough council member, and on to the municipality & county council members. In effect, the individual has direct access to the workings of government, can influence government directly, has government as a part of everyday life, and can make government affect local life directly. Government will be responsive to the individual yet the chain of councils ensures there will be a long, deliberative process before any wide-sweeping changes are enacted. Changes can flow up or down the chain of councils, or even from the middle out in both directions, but never can a change be enacted over any geographic area without the consent of all the appropriate councils. In the end, no change takes place in your neighbourhood without your neighbourhood council agreeing to it. The individual has a direct and influencing voice on all matters of government that concern that individual.

The progression from smallest to largest is natural. Nature works from the inside, out; from the bottom, up. The smallest always defines what the largest will be. It is insanity to force humans to live backwards from the rest of nature, and cause them to work from largest to smallest; outside, in; top, down. The flow of nature is inexorable. Go with the flow, man.

"It is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world."
-Mary Wollstonecraft-

The individual is free to pursue happiness in safety and equality as long as the individual respects the rights of other individuals to also live free to pursue their happiness in safety and equality. Transgressing an individual's right to live equally free limits the exercise of the perpetrator's right to act freely in a manner consistent with the offense. In that regard, rehabilitation is the only form of correction that does not abrogate the basic rights of life and safety of the perpetrator. Liberty is not freedom to do whatever one wishes regardless of consequences. There are consequences to every action. Therefore an individual's unalienable rights are contingent upon those same rights being unalienable to the entire human race. This equality of rights is the regulating force. If an individual decides to abrogate anyone's human rights then the individual has also decided to forfeit its own. This is an act of insanity. What else can it rationally be? Therefore, by action, it is obvious the individual is unbalanced emotionally, spiritually, intellectually or physically. The individual is in need of aid from the race, and it is the race's obligation to provide aid through proper government of resources.

He who does not prevent a crime when he can, encourages it.
-Seneca-

The individual cannot have any rights the race does not inherently possess. Naturally, the only acts that can be classified as crimes are those acts hostile to another individual's unalienable rights. The voluntary act of committing a crime is also voluntarily suspending the criminal's unalienable rights to liberty, equality, the pursuit of happiness, and all the other rights that flow from these limitless headwaters. The rights to life and safety can never be diminished. Without these there is no use for any other right. All other rights can be temporarily weakened by adjudication until the individual has received successful rehabilitation for its aberrant behaviour. Rehabilitation always includes making amends to all those who individuals who have been harmed. Treatment, rehabilitation and recovery are the only correctional tools for a just legal system. Punishment is not an option (“The punishment of criminals should be of use; when a man is hanged he is good for nothing” -Voltaire). A criminal act suspends the full exercise of one's unalienable rights to a degree commensurate with the crime, but never wholly negates any unalienable right. The actions of an unbalanced and criminal individual is not an open invitation for others to also commit crimes. A criminal act is a criminal act regardless of the excuse. Criminality is a disease of the mind, and needs be treated as such.

Sometimes I'm right then I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my songs
A butcher, a banker, a drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I'm in
I am everyday people.
-Sly and The Family Stone, Everyday People-

The government will provide education for the individual. The right to good education is self-evident. Without education no individual can fulfill its purpose, and likewise, the race cannot fulfill its purpose. Access to good education is crucial, and government's only task is to make good education as free and as unfettered as possible. All individuals have the obligation to educate themselves in whatever talents they are adept. Education is successful when the individual can use its knowledge for the betterment of the race. In other words, when the individual can make a beneficial living using its education it is then free to leave school. The individual is never forced to leave school, though it is proper that lifetime students repay the community by working as teachers or teacher aides. Knowledge gained by the individual naturally benefits the community.

There must be an equal and cooperative branch of education that deals hands-on with the realities of work. This branch of education shall be the professional guilds. Every profession must be governed by a network of guilds in the same manner as the government has a network of councils. Every profession will have a guild repository where the sum total of the art and science of that profession is kept. Additionally, the guildhalls will serve as focal points of the communities and extensions of the education system. The number and placement of guildhalls will be as the density and placement of professionals necessitates. Membership and advancement in any guild is based solely upon knowledge of the art or science. Guilds will provide shelter, sustenance and advanced schooling for any who wish to apprentice. Mechanics (graduated apprentices) must work for their rewards, but still have access to all guild services unfettered by other restrictions. Artists, those mechanics lauded for their knowledge and excellence of achievement, are required to teach within the guild structure in order to have access to guild services.

It is natural that people that share the same interests help one another in all aspects of life. Let us not forget that all those marvelous artworks from the renaissance were the works of many artists, masters, journeymen and apprentices, working together in guilds. There probably was not ever a work of a single individual during that golden age of art. This cooperative effort may explain why many believe that period to be the highwater mark of artistic excellence. The same idea of cooperation applies to any endeavour, and is natural to the science of politics. Guilds will provide for the health and welfare requirements of all its members.

"Who is secure in all his basic needs? Who has work, spiritual care, medical care, housing, food, occasional entertainment, free clothing, free burial, free everything? The answer might be nuns and monks, but the standard reply is 'prisoners'"
-Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn-

The general health and welfare of the community at-large, that is, for all individuals, is the task of government. The object of government is to aid the individual in overcoming the hardships of life. What more need be said on the subject of hospitals, health care, medicines, therapies, etc, etc, etc. The individual is responsible to the community, and the community is responsible to the individual. Nobody falls through the cracks, nobody is abandoned, nobody gets a free ride. Recipients of any and all government aid must naturally reciprocate that aid in some manner best suited to the abilities of the individual. However, there is never any fetters upon aid given. Basic food, shelter and clothing should always be available to any who need them. Medical care is never a question of what can be afforded, only of what is the best treatment. The individual does not exist for government, government exists for the individual. Get real, people.

"They will have no private property. They will eat together, and their houses will be open to all. We'll tell them that they have no need of gold or silver because mere earthly wealth cannot compare to the gold in their hearts. Shall we make this law?"
-Socrates, The Republic, Plato-

Yes, make it law. Doctors, lawyers and politicians shall have no property, shall eat together in their guildhalls, and have their needs met by the community. The reason being is that these three professions are critical to the health of society, and there can be no individual in these professions striving to accumulate wealth and power. These professions are solely concerned with helping the individual and the community. They need no personal wealth. The community will naturally take care of them commensurate with their talents. In this way the best individuals will gravitate to these difficult jobs.

Speak softly and carry a big stick.
-Theodore Roosevelt-

Law creates order, but safety equals power. The ability to defend without self-injury is paramount to safety. Safety requires having the wherewithal to overcome any danger. Safety is preparedness not avoidance. The individual must be self-sufficient in this regard. A community-level, multi-functional, wholly networked militia is essential for the safety of every individual. The protection and care of the communities through any disaster or crisis is the responsibility of this civil militia.

"It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
-Emiliano Zapata-

Defense of the greater unit (i.e. nation or larger) against mortal danger from outside must always be evaluated, and be countered with appropriate preparedness. Along with an armed forces (including a strike force, an occupation force, an air force and a naval force) there must also be a technological corps, an earth corps, a medical corps, a space corps, an ambassadors corps, a peace corps & etc. There must be a corps and guild for every general profession. Every guild will maintain its own defense, and through cooperation, the defense of the greater unit. In this way the mobilization of the individual for the benefit of the community against hardship is natural. All the guilds and corps are configured exactly as the government of councils, and constitutes a separate but equal branch of government – that of welfare (Definition of welfare according to Merriam-Webster: Etymology: Middle English, from the phrase “wel faren”, to fare well. 1 : the state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity. 2a : aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need. 2b : a program through which such aid is distributed) services, charged with nurturing and protecting the health and welfare of the individual.

KISS -- Keep It Simple, Stupid
-Alcoholics Anonymous Slogan-

No blood should ever be spilled without just cause, and the only just cause is the defense of human rights. If war is thrust upon utopia, the reaction must be swift, decisive and always partnered with a diplomatic effort toward peace. When attacked, utopia will strike the attackers with indivisible and irrevocable force. When utopia wins, the enemy is helped back up again as a friend.

Dope will get you through times of no money better than
money will get you through times of no dope.
-Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers-

The individual must hold this truth to be self-evident: all resources are finite except the human capacity. Finite resources and individual freedom naturally converge to provide each individual with an equal share of resources. Land, minerals, water, air, food, shelter, money, life, everything is finite except the ability of the individual to overcome all hardship. Preparedness is the natural human answer to hardship. In this regard it is self-evident that every individual needs community in order to overcome the major hardships of life. Therefore the right to community is inviolable. Further, the right to travel freely between communities in order to pursue happiness is a self-evident right of the individual. Resources being finite, and the geosphere being what it is, that all individuals must be able to move freely around the world in order for the race to prosper is undeniable. Chaining the poor to their own shores is slavery (Speaking to the concerns voiced by Benito Mussolini, the Father of Fascism“We deny your internationalism, because it is a luxury which only the upper classes can afford; the working people are hopelessly bound to their native shores.”).

Every individual has the right to gain as much resources and wealth as they possibly can, with only one caveat: wealth and power that does not benefit the community is obviously in the possession of an unbalanced individual. No healthy individual would leech the vitality of other individuals for personal gain. The only good reason to gain power and wealth is to use them as tools to benefit the community. It is already acknowledged that benefit to one individual is benefit to all individuals in any way interconnected with the life of that one individual. Therefore power and wealth naturally used can only be to benefit all. So, the parameters of this proviso is nothing more than an affirmation of the individual's unalienable rights (and there should be no need, actually, to go further about this because greed, hence capitalism, is so obviously a crime against human rights).

Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights,
human rights must prevail.
-Abraham Lincoln-

Property is a mischievous thing. Quickly then, the high points and then I will then move on. Only individuals can own property of any kind. Only one individual can own a thing. Owning a thing incurs an obligation to use the thing in a manner that respects every individual's rights. the individual has no right to inherit anything from any dead individual. Upon adulthood every individual gains an equal share of utopia's resources. Upon death everything the individual accrued during life reverts back to the community to be redistributed. During life the individual has its beginning stake to exercise its full rights in finding fulfillment. Should the individual fail, and lose the ability to provide adequately for itself, then the government's obligation to the individual is clear. The government must rehabilitate the individual so that the individual can strive for fulfillment. It is clear that any individual who squanders its life stake is in a state of unhealthiness, and must be aided. Treatment, rehabilitation and recovery are again the catchwords for this problem.

"As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death."
-Leonardo da Vinci-

It is self-evident that all individuals have equal rights, and that only individuals have rights of any kind. There is only the individual, all else is construct. Birth and death are obviously the beginning and end of the individual. Birth is life for the individual and the race. Death is the end of an individual and a dying of the race. Birth and death define the lifespan of the individual. Alive is alive, full of unalienable rights. Dead is dead, without any rights. The individual has no claim to any rights outside the limit of the individual's unique lifespan. The fetus does not have a right to life, children do not have a right to inheritance, adults do not have a right to anything after death.

Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism
because it is a merger of state and corporate power.
-Benito Mussolini-

Corporations are a crime against the individual. Corporations are a lie given rights. Obviously the situation is an impossible one, for how can an imaginary entity have rights? Even more insane, how can a fictitious entity have more rights than an individual? Society must deal in realities not fantasies. Shall we bow in homage, and suffer up our tithe to the god of Archer Daniels Midland? Corporations are simply a swindle. As such, they have no place in a healthy community.

"There's this man who lives in the sky, and he has ten things he doesn't want you to do,
and you'll burn for a long time if you do them.
But he loves you."
-George Carlin-

Religion, by nature, is an individual's connection to the divine within one's self. As such it reinforces every aspect of this utopia. It needs to be said that any removal of religion to a power outside the individual is nothing more than a vicious lie designed to enslave the individual. There is no power in life greater than the free will of the individual. There are no gods or devils save nature and self. All else is fabrication and hallucination. Individuals can believe in whatever religion they wish, or no religion at all. Religion is in the business of individual spirituality, not government. As long as religion does not place one individual over another individual it presents no threat to utopia, and is, in fact, a reinforcing strut in the society.

Condemn me, it does not matter, history will absolve me.
-Fidel Castro-

The transition to this system would be chaotic as the old power elites tried to hang on to their status quo. There definitely will be intense conflicts as the criminals among us try to become feudal warlords within the new system. Holding fast to the principles of human rights against all adversity is the only way to to achieve a utopian system. Fundamental to all law and law enforcement must be the protection of every individual's human rights. Every decision made must uphold, at its core, the inviolability of human rights. That is paramount. Everything else will come out right if the system retains integrity. Individuals will be allowed to express themselves in life to the best of their own ability, and communities of individuals will be able to seek to fully empower the race. What exactly people would accomplish under this utopia is entirely up to them, and that's the point – to allow humans to be human, no matter where it takes us. Are we good or evil? I don't know, and frankly, I don't give a damn. My only concern is for the individual, and therefore the future of the race.

This utopia is predicated upon the paradox that the individual and the race are one at the core. That never can individual virtue exceed racial virtue, and never can racial virtue exceed individual virtue. What is virtuous for one is virtuous for the other. The reverse is also true, what is vicious for one is vicious for the other. Fulfillment lies on the path of virtue, despair lies on the path of viciousness. I am speaking of heaven and hell.


It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!
-Ernie Banks-



What would I change in Utopia in order for me to be ruler for life?

The more corrupt the republic, the more numerous the laws.
-Tacitus- Common paraphrase from “Life and Customs of Giulio Agricola”

If I were to ensure my position as maximum leader I would argue, rightly, that Utopia does not blossom full-blown. Naturally, Utopia is the result at the pinnacle of the growth cycle. There would need to be a transition to Utopia. Here I would slowly take the people down a side road, so to speak. I would introduce a series of laws designed to refocus the individual's identity toward specifically defined groups. Once there are well-defined 'others' it is a simple matter to accelerate the process of making the individual forget that everybody is 'other.' The idea that 'others' don't have the same rights as 'we' do is central to corrupting the system. I would make all the others forget that it is self-evident that every individual has unalienable rights or no individual has unalienable rights.

“Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep. It starts when you're always afraid. Step outa line and the Man come and take you away...”
-Stephen Stills, For What it's Worth-

I would define artificial limits on individual rights. I would control the collective identity. I would accentuate the differences in groups of people, and set one group against another in competition for power. I would keep the population tame with entertainment, and spotlight a bugbear ever-present, ever-dangerous, ever-outside, to instill fear in the masses.

Justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger (338c)
Justice is obedience to laws (339b)
Justice is nothing but the advantage of another (343c).
-Thrasymachus-

How? There are a myriad ways. One way is to change in common parlance the meaning of words. For example, changing the usage definition of “ethical” to “legal,” and then engineering laws that favour inequality between groups of people. The result is that people can do bad things yet claim them legal, therefore ethical, and, most confounding, the perpetrators are not only untouchable but to be lauded and emulated. Another way is to use the old opiate for the masses trick -- keep the population misinformed, confused and comfortably numb. Yet another way is to present some great adversity that must be overcome that necessitates a unified response. If I can take away the people's right to bear arms I can proceed without fear of retribution because only terrorists (by my new legal definition) will have arms – and I can deal with them as I wish. I would also ensure control of a media that pretends to be fair and balanced. Putting the media in the hands of a very few people, all connected to me, I would then use it to manipulate a bugbear to scare and cow the masses into submission. As a built-in reward for accepting the status quo I would provide endless entertainment on all media outlets, and lubricate society's sores with plenty of state-approved recreational and therapeutic drugs (e.g. alcohol and xanax). I would allow a coordination of perks (i.e. wealth) to enter the system whereby those who help me maintain power get more material wealth than they deserve. I would take the focus off the individual and put it back onto the national identity. Of course, I would be the personification of that identity . . . thanks to the media and money. Oh yes, money. Ahh, the religion of capitalism . . . what better way to control the masses?

There are many ways but all require a bit of luck to last until the existential end. This all works better if a little of each kind of subterfuge is used. That way no single offense rises to the level of inciting large numbers of individuals. Since one of the methods is to divide the people, it is a simple matter to direct the attacks at different groups, whereby no group is likely to help another. Fundamentally, I must constrain the rights of the people I would rule. I must put blinders on the people so they must follow my voice to 'safety.'

However, if I could live in my utopia I would have no need to be ruler . . . because I, the individual, would be master of my own destiny. That is more than any ruler can say.

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why, can't I?
-E.Y. Harburg, Somewhere Over the Rainbow-