I have been asked by an old friend to write a small dissertation on how I went from becoming a GOP cheerleader to a harsh critic and seemingly insane leftist. I shall try my best here.
For a few years now, I had become disillusioned with Republicans as a political party -- not conservative/libertarianism in general, but with the party as led by Bush. I was not a fan of his social conservatism, and after a few years in office, it became apparent that he was not fiscally conservative. The only thing he had going for him was a willingness to use lethal force to remove terror threats abroad...and for that alone, I continued to support him.
Then, two things happened that caused me to rethink things. One, the economy collapsed, and two, I started to consider that maybe I was wrong about supporting war in Iraq and/or Afghanistan.
Now, Ronald Reagan has long been one of my heroes. Among his many alluring, powerful statements was the quip that "government is not the solution. government is the problem." For most of my adult life, this has been the guiding force behind my politics; indeed the sentiment carried over into my relationships, my religious thoughts -- really, any realm involving power and control.
When the economy collapsed, and it came to be known that it was unchecked, under-regulated banking interests who (one could argue purposefully, but at least greedily) destroyed the economy (at significant profit to some), well, that caused me to rethink things once more.
Here are my thoughts:
Our republic works because the power is divided and shared. The courts, the congress, the executive branch; none can dominate the other, each has a check over the other.
Modern day corporations upset this balance. They wield tremendous power over our lives -- they are, in essence, an unelected and un-recallable government. And it is for this reason that I have come to see that Mr. Reagan was wrong. Government is not the problem, unless your interest is in raping the american people for every cent. Government IS the solution, because it is government alone that can reign in and regulate away the power that private business has claimed for itself. Only government can restore the balance between citizens and their lives.
It is for this reason that I have chosen to back Barack Obama, and a soft liberal-socialism in general principle. I believe he represents a philosophy that understands that business exists now, not as a mere provider of employment, but as a quasi-government -- and its power must be regulated or removed, and returned to the people whenever possible.
This is why I support a public health care plan. This is why I support public armies (not private contractors; that is abhorrent). That is why I support public hospitals and fire departments and schools and police stations and universities and research facilities.
The profit motive is good for many things...and is functionally invalid and morally false in so many other realms. The republicans do not and cannot accept this fact...which is why they have lost my support. After 23 years of membership, I am no longer affiliated with those people.
And that, Heather, is why I support Barack Obama.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 1, 2010
Born again atheism
We've all seen someone get in to dire straits and suddenly -- poof! -- they love Jesus. They emerge a new man, turn their life around, and are reborn. What happens when that happens to someone who happens to not believe in gods? Basically, you get me...
I call it "born again atheism". In my case, I was reborn in love, not to some pretend god or some other being, but reborn to my true self, to live life on my terms, to love freely and deeply and openly, and to damn the consequences!
I've often said that I am my own god. The truth is, we all are. All the things you think about god are just a reflection of how you view yourself, your parents, your role in the world, and even your self-esteem. All the power you give to god, RECLAIM IT! It is yours to use.
Of these powers, the most wonderful is the power to choose love. Every day, with every person you touch, you make a choice: love them -- yes or no? You ask and answer that question a million times a day, every day, from birth to the grave to rebirth and back again. Don't "pray" and leave it up to god to heal or help someone -- open your heart and use that power yourself.
In my life, I took a three step approach to this. First, I eliminated from my life all the negative people. Some of them were family, and some of the rest of the family is not happy about my choice: but again, notice the words -- it is MY choice. I would challenge all my friends to look around your life, make a list of everyone you know, and simply see if the majority of your clan is positive or negative.
I bet, without knowing who your friends/family are, I can tell you after a 5 minute conversation with you whether your circle is positive or negative, because the thoughts and assumptions and roles of the people around us -- conscious and unconscious -- effect and change who we are. Have you ever spent time around an extremely negative person and found yourself developing a bad mood? Same idea.
Second, I made the choice that, regardless of whatever else I do in my life, I would love myself above anyone else. Religious people cannot do this -- they have other obligations to their gods and, depending on their culture, their families. I choose no such entanglements. I love myself above anyone and everyone.
BECAUSE I do that, I am energized and capable of giving more than I otherwise could. If you did this, you would be too.
Thirdly, the people I did keep in my life, and the people I choose to bring into my life, I love them. Not some kind of fake bullshit love. Not love in a generic sense. I love my friends the way you love your brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts. They are as much my family as my traditional family, and in many cases, they are closer to me.
This causes some problems for some people, mostly because I believe LOVE = TRUTH, and i spare no one the indignity of a lie. I am the kick in the ass some people need. I am the phone call that's available at 3 am to talk. I am the calmer of storms and the provoker of rage. Like I said before, take the power you give to god and give it to yourself. If a friend needs redemption, redeem her! If a friend needs forgiveness, be merciful! Or do not -- it is your choice, your life, your power.
You are a god. When you understand how awesome a responsibility that is -- how much power you have to do good in this world, trust me, you will change your life. And you will love, freely, openly, deeply, with a zest and zeal that none can match.
Be the light. Be love. Be a god -- for once you think it, you already are!
Love
john
I call it "born again atheism". In my case, I was reborn in love, not to some pretend god or some other being, but reborn to my true self, to live life on my terms, to love freely and deeply and openly, and to damn the consequences!
I've often said that I am my own god. The truth is, we all are. All the things you think about god are just a reflection of how you view yourself, your parents, your role in the world, and even your self-esteem. All the power you give to god, RECLAIM IT! It is yours to use.
Of these powers, the most wonderful is the power to choose love. Every day, with every person you touch, you make a choice: love them -- yes or no? You ask and answer that question a million times a day, every day, from birth to the grave to rebirth and back again. Don't "pray" and leave it up to god to heal or help someone -- open your heart and use that power yourself.
In my life, I took a three step approach to this. First, I eliminated from my life all the negative people. Some of them were family, and some of the rest of the family is not happy about my choice: but again, notice the words -- it is MY choice. I would challenge all my friends to look around your life, make a list of everyone you know, and simply see if the majority of your clan is positive or negative.
I bet, without knowing who your friends/family are, I can tell you after a 5 minute conversation with you whether your circle is positive or negative, because the thoughts and assumptions and roles of the people around us -- conscious and unconscious -- effect and change who we are. Have you ever spent time around an extremely negative person and found yourself developing a bad mood? Same idea.
Second, I made the choice that, regardless of whatever else I do in my life, I would love myself above anyone else. Religious people cannot do this -- they have other obligations to their gods and, depending on their culture, their families. I choose no such entanglements. I love myself above anyone and everyone.
BECAUSE I do that, I am energized and capable of giving more than I otherwise could. If you did this, you would be too.
Thirdly, the people I did keep in my life, and the people I choose to bring into my life, I love them. Not some kind of fake bullshit love. Not love in a generic sense. I love my friends the way you love your brothers and sisters and cousins and aunts. They are as much my family as my traditional family, and in many cases, they are closer to me.
This causes some problems for some people, mostly because I believe LOVE = TRUTH, and i spare no one the indignity of a lie. I am the kick in the ass some people need. I am the phone call that's available at 3 am to talk. I am the calmer of storms and the provoker of rage. Like I said before, take the power you give to god and give it to yourself. If a friend needs redemption, redeem her! If a friend needs forgiveness, be merciful! Or do not -- it is your choice, your life, your power.
You are a god. When you understand how awesome a responsibility that is -- how much power you have to do good in this world, trust me, you will change your life. And you will love, freely, openly, deeply, with a zest and zeal that none can match.
Be the light. Be love. Be a god -- for once you think it, you already are!
Love
john
Rinato Con Amore!
Why a new title?
Why not?
It's italian for Reborn with love...and that is what I am. More on this in a few minutes.
Why not?
It's italian for Reborn with love...and that is what I am. More on this in a few minutes.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Over time, I am like written Hebrew...
...best understood as moving from right to left.
It's the damndest thing, really. I spent 23 years working on a political world view, weaving in and out of conservative and libertarian arguments. The theory was simple: government power is a necessary evil, tolerated in small, unimportant doses and feared in larger roles. The more power government has, the less freedom we all have, so for almost any political question, the correct answer is "whatever reduces or limits government power".
And then there was Fred. Fred is Erinn's dad. He's a lawyer, which means he's spent the last few decades getting paid to argue. This is good, because when my anxiety doesn't overtake me, I enjoy a little back-and-forth with someone intelligent.
Fred has been a liberal since, well, since "liberal" meant something noble, you know?
So, anyway, we were spending the night at Casa de Foley and the Bill Maher program on HBO turned into a conversation on health care. I was trying to argue what is basically the republican and "moderate" democrat plan -- private insurance as opposed to a government run plan. It goes back to the original point behind my politics: government power is too rich a power to be allowed to control something as precious as our very health, life and death.
And then Fred made this point (and i'm paraphrasing because I didn't think to write it down). Basically, he said that libertarians (the closest thing to my thoughts) mistrusted government consolidation of power but that we had nothing to say about PRIVATE consolidation of power. His thought was that, not only was private power an evil to be reckoned with; it was probably also an evil worse than government power.
I had never thought of it that way. I mean, corporations are generally soulless bastards leeching all that is good from the earth, buying up shares of our democracy while enriching their friends via a pipeline of public money and government-sponsored monopolization...but it never occured to me that they were WORSE than government.
So if you're wondering how the hell I went from Bush apologist to Health Care crusader, now you know why...because of Fred. It's all Fred's damn fault. Haha.
It's the damndest thing, really. I spent 23 years working on a political world view, weaving in and out of conservative and libertarian arguments. The theory was simple: government power is a necessary evil, tolerated in small, unimportant doses and feared in larger roles. The more power government has, the less freedom we all have, so for almost any political question, the correct answer is "whatever reduces or limits government power".
And then there was Fred. Fred is Erinn's dad. He's a lawyer, which means he's spent the last few decades getting paid to argue. This is good, because when my anxiety doesn't overtake me, I enjoy a little back-and-forth with someone intelligent.
Fred has been a liberal since, well, since "liberal" meant something noble, you know?
So, anyway, we were spending the night at Casa de Foley and the Bill Maher program on HBO turned into a conversation on health care. I was trying to argue what is basically the republican and "moderate" democrat plan -- private insurance as opposed to a government run plan. It goes back to the original point behind my politics: government power is too rich a power to be allowed to control something as precious as our very health, life and death.
And then Fred made this point (and i'm paraphrasing because I didn't think to write it down). Basically, he said that libertarians (the closest thing to my thoughts) mistrusted government consolidation of power but that we had nothing to say about PRIVATE consolidation of power. His thought was that, not only was private power an evil to be reckoned with; it was probably also an evil worse than government power.
I had never thought of it that way. I mean, corporations are generally soulless bastards leeching all that is good from the earth, buying up shares of our democracy while enriching their friends via a pipeline of public money and government-sponsored monopolization...but it never occured to me that they were WORSE than government.
So if you're wondering how the hell I went from Bush apologist to Health Care crusader, now you know why...because of Fred. It's all Fred's damn fault. Haha.
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