October 23, 2008
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Beans
Those familiar with Plato's account of the trial and subsequent execution of Socrates will understand why our nation was founded not as a democracy but rather as a democratic republic. It's why we pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands. It was human beans who allowed Plutocracy to murder the wise and gentle Socrates. It was the mob rule of the human beans that released rivers of blood in France during the French Revolution. It was ugly little pockets of human beans responsible for the vigilantism that lynched black men in this country for more than a hundred years. No form of government is perfect because human beans are not perfect. What we can do as a population is limited by the guiding principles of a constitution. Perhaps it would be fair to say human beans are not very good at self-governing without the guidance of higher principles. If this is true for human beans in general it is true for individual beans as well.Not being a social activist I do not direct my energies to human beans in general but rather to my own bean in particular with a willingness to share with other individual beans who may be attracted to the ideas I embrace. Because we do not all share the same level of understanding this can be a risky business as witnessed by the execution of Socrates for the high crimes of, engaging in inquiries into the things beneath the earth and in the heavens, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger, and of teaching others these same things (Apology 19). Perhaps someone will say, Why cannot you withdraw from Xanga, James, and hold your peace? It is the most difficult thing in the world to make you understand why I cannot do that. If I say that I cannot hold my peace because that would be to disobey the god, you will think that I am not in earnest and will not believe me. And if I tell you that no greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living, then you will believe me still less (Apology 39).
Please, do not for a moment think that I am pretending to be equal with Socrates. I consider he was a virtuous and wise man while I consider myself quite small and crude by comparison. Even a lowly acorn could become a mighty oak under the proper conditions. Isn't this the hope of all mankind? That we could be more than we currently are? Isn't this why we have heroes, standards and examples? It is precisely because I am so weak in character that I must use Socrates as an example of the possibility latent in all human beans. Socrates referred to himself as a gadfly but I do not intend to irritate or provoke people to anger or self-justification. These questions I ask myself because I am so imperfect yet wish to improve my lot. It is the ideas that drive me, not anything that originates with me. I beg your pardon for any offense you may have taken.
Comments (14)
"...humans beans are not very good at self-governing without the guidance of higher principles" I joined a new small group about photos on another site, and the first thing they decided was that there were 'no rules' to anything within the group. You could discuss anything, post anything, it was to be 'free' discussion...and self governed. The first thing they started to discuss was sex, and not in a photographic use or artistic sense. It took 2 days of non photo related increasingly nasty sexual posts for me to decide that I love rules, and one button press to leave. So much for self government.
Interesting post, James... We certainly are poor at self governing. Human beans are poor at alot of things, collectively.
I agree. Our best is what we can do well. Nobody can make us, our best is our deal. We need to take that to heart. Not to be better but to improve and evolve. I guess that is what I am trying to do around here. Personally for me, getting better than I was when I got here is something that I hope teaches my kids to start with better from their beginning. I guess I have my selfish motives but I am ok with that. I really like this blog.
It's not offense. Ir's totally something else. It's inexplicable. To you. To me. To everyone, except perhaps your ideals...
Live long, love srtrong and
prosper.
I'm glad for your beaneficial wisdom James. I love that you always inspire me to think, feel, ponder, write, and be more of me. Be well dear. I love you my friend - Karyn
Interesting, if anyone could be offended by anything you say, then they don't need to be here. You are valued more than you could know!
I want so much to be more than I am. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I am not "there" that I become less than I am. I do better when I remember being better is a process, not a destination.
It makes more sense to me to to be guided by higher principles, as many of the most horrific crimes of man against man have been done in the name of a high power. The men who attacked our country some seven years ago felt divine guidance in their mission.
Please put to bed for once and for all this foolish notion of leaving us and Xanga! I confess I have stayed up too late more than once hoping to see a response from you to one of my posts...
This post is another one that I will be very disappointed if in a week or a month from now I try to recall something inspirational here and I go back to read and *poof!* It will have vanished.
After reading the title all I have in my head is the little childrens ditty about beans...
beans beans the more you eat....
Frijoles humanos are imperfect because the process of evolution is aimed at survival and reproduction, not at being perfect. Gradually, over perhaps four billion years, we evolved. Those with a bit of intelligence often survived a bit better than those lacking it, but that intelligence wasn't directed at being good. Being nasty was a successful strategy long before some of us discovered that cooperation would also help us survive. Eventually, perhaps two hundred thousand years ago, some of us developed language, which helped us share knowledge and skills to keep us alive. Somewhere between seventy thousand and thirty thousand years ago we learned to think using the new language tool, symbolically. We think we're pretty good at this logic business, but we have a long ways to go. Evolution hasn't stopped, nor has the ability to communicate led to everybody getting the word. I read in the newspaper just a few days ago that somewhere in our now tiny world a young student was condemned to death (the sentence was eventually reversed but he will languish in prison for years) for asking in class about the place of women in his society, particularly in his religion.
Socrates taught us to ask questions and to examine our lives. We're still killing his followers.
@WordJames -
Yes, sadly and we likely will for a long time into the future, if we have that long.
I learned not about Socrates when in school. But I learn plenty from you and your human 'beans' has a smile on my face that hung in all the way through.
We beans can be a scary bunch when in mob mode. Most of us are relatively harmless when taken individually. We can show incredible compassion and bravery, but also astonishing cruelty and pettiness. The good news is that we are capable of learning and change--when we want to.
@Ella_Mental -
The sad part is so few think they need to.
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