There’s a cliché running around the world these days: “Do one thing every day that frightens you.” Taken in its tritest form, this little saying could mean something like “Zophiel should pick up and kiss one spider every day.” Which is ridiculous, as everyone knows that spiders are the handmaidens of Satan, and thus should be exterminated with extreme prejudice. That aside, the sentiment is a good one, with the understood caveat of “But don’t be a stupid-head”: I am afraid of accidentally driving my car off a steep mountain pass, this does not mean that I should seek to do so.
However, the true sentiment of the phrase is to confront your fear on a daily basis. Not necessarily your phobias, whatever they may be, though if your phobias impair your ability to function in your daily life, they need to be addressed. Still, phobias and reasonable wariness aside, we all have fears that hold us back. Fears that sap our will and our ability to be who we want to be. These are the fears that must be confronted on a daily basis.
This has never been more necessary than in these chaotic days, when it often feels like reality is unraveling all around us. We need to be courageous. We need to stand up without fear, to raise our voices and plant our spears and push back against those who would destroy all that is Beautiful, Good and True.
But how? So many of us are so well groomed in “Civility” and being “Nice”, which is really just training in “STFU” and “Censor Yourself!” Sadly, there have been but a few, shining examples of courage, and so many of us stand by saying “I wish I was like that!”, but no idea of how to get there from here.
This started some time ago. I tend to dwell and ponder matters. One thing I dwell on is my role in the world: What am I doing, what purpose am I serving in doing what I do? I also expand that out to various groups of friends, notably my dear friends at The Conservative Treehouse. What is our role? How does what we do serve the greater community?
In the midst of these ponderings, that great towering giant of a man, Andrew Brietbart, shocked the lot of us by skipping off for heaven waaaay before we expected. And my ponderings upon the role and place of The Treehouse got tangled up with ponderings on the lessons Breitbart left us. I’m going to try to sort that out now.
As I am a Christian, when I ponder and consider the roles of my self or those near me, I often flash on the following words from Jesus (Matt 25):
33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
34Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:
36Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.
37Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?
39Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?
40And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.
41Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
42For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink.
43I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.
44Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?
45Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.
46And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
You’ll not that He says nothing about blogging. He says nothing about writing at all. But that does not mean that writing, and blogging, are <I>not</I> ways of ministry. (Mind: I am not saying that if one blogs, that excuses one from following the literal interpretation of His words. Also, I’m writing primarily about the commentors before the posters– the entire community.)
When I read the posts and comments at the Treehouse, I consider that our role, what we do, is as follows: We see those who naked of language– they know the Truth, but cannot express it, or defend it. We, in our open ponderings and occasional bickering, provide them with words to use. We see a world hungry for Truth- and we give it, as best we can. We see that people have been brainwashed through our public education system and media, and we try to show them the way out of their mental prisons. Believe me, the thought-patterns of the Left are a prison even without concrete walls.
In terms of posts, we are a varied, Rag-tag (if you will) lot. We are not a news service like Hot Air or Insty. Nor are any of us Bill Whittle (though we do try, and Sundance comes closest!). We’re somewhere in between, headlines and essays, activism and kitteh pics. A little bit of Ace, a little bit of Anchoress. But that’s just our style. What we do, our purpose, started as a little refuge for our band of misfits. Many (most?) of us never really fit in anywhere else. We started out fleeing from one site, chased from our first hide-out, and here decided to make our stand.
From those campfire days, we’ve developed into quite the little village, with each writer and each commenter valued, and an active Troll-Patrol. Here we gather, we Rag Tag bunch of Misfits, from varied backgrounds, and bring share our insights. In doing so, we encourage each other to go out and proclaim Truth to the world– whether on facebook, other blogs, caucuses, the street, family, friends, random strangers. . . We learn to deconstruct lies, to dive into the hearts of issues, to expose the lies around us for what they are, and to succor those who seek Truth, who are confused and need an environment where they can work out their confusion.
[I count myself among the latter. Most of my blathering is me trying to Sort Things Out, and you lot have been remarkably patient with me.]
The size of our ministry is, at this time, rather small. But we emphasise quality over quantity. If we grow, we grow. If we stay the same size, we stay the same. We may not always agree on things. Our thoughts and insights may not always be original to us– but one thing we count on, is that each of us is sincere and honest in our writing. And that is what makes this place a Refuge, a small shining village of Trust and Truth in the grim forest of Fear and Madness.
In the midst of these thoughts, that great warrior Breitbart went and bought the farm. He was, is, our model of Fearlessness, of brazen courage, raging against the falling night, uncowed by any attack. So much has already be written on what we are to do now, how we all need to follow in his footsteps. I couldn’t agree more.
Last Thursday, I had taken the day off. I was cleaning my living room when the word first came onto Fox News that he had died. It was like a punch to the gut– I was so shocked, I thought that surely I’d misheard, or it was someone with a similar sounding name. . . I heard Jonah Goldberg reminice a few minutes later, himself clearly in shock and grieving. Soon, I could bear no more, so I switched to the Funimation Channel. And there, they were showing the final eposides of the anime Soul Eater. A very strangely appropriate thing to see at the time. I was very moved the first time I saw the final episode, and seeing it again in this context gave it even more meaning for me.
There’s so much that I think is appropriate for reflection that I want to share it with you. The guy wrapped in bandages is the Kishin (Demon God) Ashura– he is the embodiment of Fear and Madness. His weapon is fear, and he radiates madness. Maka, the little girl with the pig-tails, in our heroine. She attends the DWMA (Death Weapon Meister’s Academy) in Nevada, where she, along with her fellow students, learn to weild their living weapon companions– her companion, Soul, is a scythe. They hunt down evil souls and harvest them to protect the innocents of the world, under the direction of Lord Death. She and her team are trapped insode a barrier with the Kishin, while her father, teachers, and other friends are locked outside, unable to help. At the beginning, all of her teammates have fallen, and only she and Soul remain. Watch her progress as she faces the Kishin, and note the moment when the tide changes, and what it was that changed things.
Watch the whole thing. It’s 23 minutes long, so bookmark it if you need to come back later.
And, yes, I chose the subtitled version for this. Usually, I’m not such a snob about such things, but the Dubbed translation was just off enough that for my purposes, the original was what was needed.
UPDATE: Related (h/t Gracie over at TCT). Remember, the word is: Courage!
Ok, ok . . . let me first say that I believe that Osama binLadin is Dead, for realsies. He is an ex-terrorist, he is no more, he has gone to meet his maker, to wonder why his virgins are so ugly, and why it’s so goddamn hot in Paradise.
And, I admit, I’m quite pleased and happy at the notion. To every servince man and woman who was part of bringing this rabid dog down, THANK YOU! May God Bless and Smile upon you and your way.
Now to the part where I prove, once and for all, that I am a total KillJoy.
Something here ain’t right. I can’t put my finger on it. I know it’s rooted in the fact that I don’t trust this administration any more than I can throw them. Not only is there no trust, there is a lot of distrust. So yes, much bias to begin with.
My first thought, when I heard they buried him at sea was “Really? Well, I hope they got some good pics, or kept some essential parts behind for DNA purposes . . .”
Timing is questionable as always.
And my intuition is pinging me like sub on crack.
Let me explain a few things, first. Back in college, I went to school in New Orleans. I and a bunch of other out of state kids got to be good friends. We used to sit around in common areas and talk about the coming storm that would drown the city, and we all swore to each other that we’d be out of the area before it came. This was 1998-2002. The last of us left New Orleans for good three months before Katrina hit.
A little after Katrina, I started getting those feelings again, that lingering, approaching doom, ticking on me like the 24 clock. tick-thunck, tick-thunk, tick-thunk. My eyes were drawn to economic matters, and the feelings just mounted and mounted. It felt like the world was spinning out of control. I discussed this with my old college friends, many of whom felt the same thing. In Dec 2008, one called me, and I remember telling her I felt like we’d tipped off the edge, just didn’t know it yet. “It’s going to get bad out there,” I said. “It’s gonna get so much worse before it gets better. . .”
Witness the last several years economy, and various political issues, and the strain our society is experiencing.
Understand, I only recently studied economics, finance, all that. I didn’t know any of these things at the time. I was a Music major, with a love for theory and a talent for Tarot.
Interesting, that it’s these latter talents that, I believe, inform my intuition to such a degree. I have training in recognizing patterns, in stringing together signs to form larger pictures, in analyzing rhythm and harmony.
The news of Saddam’s Capture was a major chord, played by shining brass and snappy drums.
The news of Osama’s Death is a minor chord, a cadence signaling a shift of key, played by low strings and piccolo. That piccolo is trying to draw our attention, but what the hell are the cellos and basses up to? Where are the brass? The percussion?
My intuition, that warned me years in advance of Katrina and the economic collapse, is telling me that something here ain’t right.
Moreover, the other manifestation of intuition is that I get suddenly ill before major Badness happens– with no explanation. I was suddenly very sick the night of 9/10/2001. Likewise before Mumbai and Ft. Hood. Last night, at 9:30 pm EDT, I was suddenly very nauseated. I was able to forestall illness by dosing myself liberally with ginger, but there was no cause for me to be feeling this way. Nothing has been “going around”, dinner was perfectly cooked. No cause for illness.
Then I awoke to the news this morning, and my first reaction was not the jubilation I expected, but wariness.
Look, right now, I admit, this is all baseless. I just want it written, for the record. Something ain’t right.
UPDATE: Ann Barnhardt hits on my concerns re: timing: Continue reading →
Well-a-day! Sometimes, when pondering the mighty battles before us, when contemplating their complexities and vagaries, we forget the basics. Sometimes, these basics are thing that we didn’t learn in school, but learned from the culture– from movies— because the tellers of those tales knew things, important things, that we didn’t know.
Every American child knows that when the bad guys come to town, it’s time to call out the sheriff. Wyatt Earp will come and sweep those no good, yella bellied, damn fool cowards out, don’t you worry none now, chile. . . A cultural stereotype. And image of our youth.
Based in real, Supreme Court Supported Law. Lawd Almighty! It was the Valiant Ann who has brought this to my attention. Since her place doesn’t link to individual posts, I’ll just borrow her words and hope she doesn’t mind (and be sure to click on the link and read that. Very good stuff to know!):
Question: What is the most powerful law enforcement office in the United States? Who has the power and authority to arrest Obama? Who could override the Secret Service?Answer: The County Sheriff of any county that Obama is physically inside. The single most powerful office in the United States, even more powerful than the President, is your friendly, local County Sheriff. This dynamic was built into the fabric of this nation by the Founding Fathers, and has been VERY recently affirmed by the SCOTUS.
This is the principle of governance called “subsidiarity”. Subsidiarity is the principle of governance taught by the Magesterium of the Catholic Church – no matter how many Marxist bishops there may be, and no matter what lying Marxist filth they may spew. Subsidiarity means that the most power lies with the sovereign individual. The next highest level of power is LOCAL (and there’s your friendly county sheriff), the next most powerful level is the state, below that is the federal level, and the weakest level of governance is INTERNATIONAL (such as a body that would arbitrate trade disputes). The further away governance gets from the individual, the weaker it becomes. Golly! That kinda makes sense, huh? This principle can be applied to different governmental structures, from representative republic to parliamentary constitutional monarchy and even to hereditary monarchy. This is why Jesus didn’t call out a SPECIFIC form of government – because there are multiple possibilities that can totally work SO LONG AS subsidiarity is observed. And how did Christ identify subsidiarity as the true governmental principle? He did it by dying on the Cross for us personally. The Most Powerful Ruler there is submitted Himself UNTO DEATH for the sake of, and in service to the individual.
For anyone who might be interested, this is how the Catholic Church works, too. A priest is in charge and has authority over his parish. It is his responsibility. The bishop calls the shots in his diocese, and the Pope is a suffering servant, who is tasked with the BIG PICTURE issues, such as setting down in official writing the Church’s teachings on matters of faith and morals as needed. But in terms of the day-to-day stuff, the governance is definitely a matter of subsidiarity. This is why Rome had such a slow and admittedly not aggressive enough response to the sex scandals. They were trying to let the bishops assert their own power – but they didn’t fully appreciate how infested the bishopric had become with Marxist homosexuals. Rome understands that now. But I do wish they would be even more aggressive. It is now a matter of wolves attacking the flock. The shepherd needs to come out swinging.
But I digress.
Isn’t it interesting how this stuff is all tied together? Yep. Mighty interesting indeed.
So what we need to do is get Obama to go to Maricopa County, Arizona for a campaign fundraiser and then have Sheriff Joe Arpaio arrest his felonious, forgering, treasonous @$$. And guys, I’m not really kidding. This is a VERY viable tactic.
Well, Boy Howdy! Who would have thought that, at the moment of our need, Providence would have programmed in us the very answer we sought? That when the outlaw posse comes to town, you call the Sheriff! That symbol mixed between Knight and Cowboy, the man who stands against the agents of chaos to protect the towsfolk from those who would do them harm!
Now that said, I believe my local sheriff is absolutely useless for this particular job. I live just outside the 9th ring, which is to say, I’m in the DC suburbs. Ain’t no sheriff ’round these parts with the desire, much less gumption, to do what’s needed. Simple fact, that.
But across this fine nation of ours? We need to remind the Sheriffs of who and what they are. They have the authority–recently upheld– to do what must be done. To see this through to the end, and to defend our Constitution when no one else is in the position to do so.
[This was first posted at The Last Refuge. I’ve been meaning to repost here, but the time never seemed right. Good Friday is a good day for Confessions, so here goes. . .]
I must start by admitting that I don’t know exactly why I’m writing this. All I know it that since reading Dagny’s Women’s Voting piece, I’ve felt the need. Nagging, pressing, annoying. That usually means there’s some manner of Divine impetus behind it. Maybe somewhere in this story is something one of you needs to read. Maybe I just need to tell the tale to some people who haven’t actually met me personally. Maybe between the telling and the reading, some measure of clarity or understanding is offered. I really, really don’t know.
What follows is a partial autobiography at least to this point in my life, an attempt to explain why I approach certain topics from some rather strange angles. Many details will not be shared. Sometimes I may seem to go off onto a tangent—if so, it is only because I am trying to prevent at least some of the seemingly inevitable misunderstandings. Many of you will find some of these experiences strange—I will be as clear as I can and, if you ask questions, I will answer to the best of my ability. But that’s no guarantee to understanding—much I don’t even understand myself.
Please, bear with me. And yes, when I figure out what the point to all this is, I’ll let you know.
The fact of the existence of God was never a problem for me. From my earliest memories, the fact of God was as apparent as the clouds in the sky, or the fact that water was wet. “Du~uh, of course God’s real, dummy!” This has never changed, though to my great joy, my relationship to that Truth has changed a great deal over the years. No, my problem in my earliest years was that fact meant nothing to me. One might say: the brain knowledge was not connecting to the heart. Continue reading →
The Left is fond of proclaiming “We’re all connected!”, and then proceeding to behave as though every person and action were entirely independant and unrelated. I’ve noticed over the past few days a fair number of stories that do connect. some of which only from certain perspectives. Just look at them in context with each other, that’s all I ask.
Many of the links that follow are stories that were covered by The Conservative Treehouse, or by the commentors at that site in various threads. Most of the credit for finding these things goes to them.
From Ann Barnhardt (go to her blog, scroll down. There’s no handy direct link. And while you’re there, read the rest of everything she’s written. It’s good for you):
GEORGE SOROS/GAVILON AGGRESSIVELY BUYING ELEVATORS
POSTED BY ANN BARNHARDT – MARCH 29, AD 2011 9:23 PM MST
SOROS ALERT. My cash grain broker source sent me notification while I was in Oklahoma that the evil man who is actually controlling the White House (with and through the twin witches Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama) has purchased another HUGE grain elevator company and SOROS is now the THIRD LARGEST grain company behind only Cargill and ADM. Here is the text of the Reuters story:
————————
Gavilon to buy Union Elevator PNW grain elevators
* Gavilon acquisition allows it to support PNW export mkt
* Elevator purchase equates to 8.4 million bushel capacity
CHICAGO , March 24 (Reuters) – U.S. grain firm Gavilon Grain said on Thursday it will buy Union Elevator and Warehouse’s 16 grain elevators in the Pacific Northwest , the company’s second big purchase of U.S. grain facilities in the last six months. Privately held Union Elevator, where employees own a significant share of the company, approved the transaction on Wednesday, with sale expected to be completed during the second quarter of 2011.
The purchase of 16 elevators at 12 locations in eastern Washington will expand Gavilon’s grain capacity by 8.4 mbu.
“The addition of Union Elevator’s grain facilities and origination capabilities position us well to support the growing Pacific Northwest export wheat market and serve the Columbian Basin feed grain market,” Greg Konsor, VP and GM of Gavilon Grain, said in a statement. The PNW is the No. 1 wheat export terminal in the United States .
Omaha, Nebraska-based Gavilon — a commodity trading firm formed in 2008 when ConAgra Foods sold it to investors — purchased grain handler DeBruce Companies last year, making it the third-largest U.S. grain storage network behind ADM and Cargill Inc.
(Reporting by Christine Stebbins; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
————————
This is BAD, BAD NEWS, kids. George Soros is Gavilon. As I say over and over again at my schools, he who controls the FOOD controls EVERYTHING. And George Soros is rapidly maneuvering to control the food in this country. Everyone remember the name GAVILON. I promise that it is just a matter of time before he makes a move for cattle feeding capacity. ANY CATTLEMAN OR FEEDLOT WHO SELLS OUT TO GAVILON/SOROS WILL BE A TRAITOR TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS CONSTITUTION AND ITS PEOPLE. Let’s see who the first one is. I have some educated guesses . . .
Each set has stories that relate to each other, even if not obviously. Put these things together, please. What you see is not the architectural blueprints for the Kingdom of Heaven. Think about that for a little while.
In addition to my own little entry below, some other folk, waaaaaaaay smarter than I, have written some intersting things about 8/28, or closely related topics.
If you’ve only time for one read the first of the Chicago Boyz articles. If you have a little more, read them all. There is definitely something interesting afoot!
[Note: I have pics to go with this, ut I’m having trouble uploading them, so I’ll add them later]
It’s taken a few days to process my thoughts on the 8/28 Restoring Honor Rally on the Mall. I feel as though a duty has been laid upon me, while at the same time my spine has been stiffened against the brainwashing of my youth.
Snape and I left the house around 0630, arriving at the Mall about 0800. We were well prepared, with plenty of water, GORP, granola bars, first aide kits, N95 masks, journals, iphones, cash, and other supplies for “just in case.” This is because we are firm believers in Thatcher’s Law: The unexpected happens, so be ready for it. Likewise, we further propose that if a thing is expected, it won’t happen.
There was a crowd at the Metro station we started at, almost all of them headed to our same destination. Getting off at the Smithsonian Station was a steady stream of people leaving and turning left, toward the Washington Monument. People the whole way there were cheerful, pushing strollers and carrying fold-up lawn chairs.
We stopped a moment at the Washington Monument, taking a picture of it from the bottom, and then at the vistas around—the rising sun behind the Capitol, the White House, the Jefferson Memorial.
People were respectful of the WWII Memorial, setting up their places all around, not on, the Memorial. Snape and I worked our way around to the right (the north side of the Reflecting Pool), eventually finding a place on the hill in the trees, close to the first jumbo-tron in from the Memorial.
From my journal: It is packed here. I and [Snape] are among the trees, northside, closer to the WWII Memorial than the Lincoln. Neighbor peeps say more here than 9/12 last year. People like sardines the whole way, and beyond, still streaming in. People wearing T shirts w/ G. Washington kneeling in prayer, or the Founders’ Virtues Shirts, or Beck shirts. Everyone seems happy, upbeat. Some Gadsden and US Flags about. Flag purses. Uncle Sam hats.
[Snape] just mentioned that we should have brought popcorn, we are sitting on a hill, after all. [This is in reference to a funny Apocalypse dream I had in college.]
People around us from FL, MA, NY, ME. We’re apparently in the East Coast Contigent.
Weather is pleasantà low humidity, relatively low temp.
[Snape] opines: “Wish we had these numbers for March for Life”
Canada Geese, flying in formation over the Reflecting Pool get applause. . .
I’ll not go through blow by blow, as my journal does. Glen started by talking about the scars of America, saying that yes, America has done some terrible things. But she has also done marvelous things. We must learn from those horrible things and move on, not wallow in them until we become so sickened be wither away. Today, he said, “we focus on what’s good about America!”
It was quite something hearing Mrs. Palin speak about Marcus Luttrell, James Eddie Wright and Tom Kirk. So touching and inspiring. I confess I didn’t know about any of the award winners, but they too were quite something: Rev. CL Jackson, Albert Pujoles, and John Huntsman.
Hearing Dr. Alveda King speak was quite something, as well. She and Sarah both got standing ovations—much more than Mr. Beck himself. Dr. King reflected on the problems of America today, and what has and hasn’t changed since her Uncle (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) spoke at that same place 47 years ago. She also led us in singing “Life Every Voice and Sing!”, a sing we sing from time to time at Church.
At the end, Glenn addressed the crowd. There are, at this moment, no transcripts available, and I was unable to scribble much down at the time. He spoke of the 40 day pledge he had people make in July, which was structured on the Cardinal Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. For Faith, people were to pray, on their knees, at least once a day, and let their children see them do it. People needed to have the physical reminder of their relationship with God. For Hope, people were to remove all lies from their life. Stop lying to others, stop lying to themselves. Seek the Truth, and then follow it. “The truth will set you free,” he said “But it will make you miserable first!” For Charity, he considered that Charity begins at home. So, he had people pledge to do one loving thing for someone in their family each day. Start with these things, he said, in preparation for Restoring Honor.
In his speech, then, he issued the challenge anew, this time framing it in the context of the final sentence in the Declaration of Independence: “. . . with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” The first part, about Providence relating to Faith, Hope relating to “our lives”, Charity to “Our fortunes”, and that these together can preserve and uphold “our Sacred Honor.”
He spoke of the coming troubles, which I have been sensing for several years, so I’m afraid I cannot describe this knowing to someone who doesn’t have it. Just as we knew the storm was coming to drown New Orleans back in 2002, so too I have known about this storm. Either you can listen to the wind or you cannot, I suppose. The only quotes managed to snag from the air around me were: “The storm that is coming is not just an American storm . . . it is a human storm . . . it is a global storm.” and “God doesn’t choose the able, He enables the chosen”
If I get a hold of a transcript, I shall correct a quoted errors, and perhaps add more excepts in the future.
[I’ve posted a round up of other writings on the event, here]
It sometimes feels like all this is playing out according to a script. I suppose, from the point of view of a person at the culminationof time, it very well has. In a strange order, threads come together, twine, move and weave at specific intervals.
This evening, what I believe to be the first noteworthy call for the current President’s Impeachment: Tom Tancredo in the Wash. Times. Let me clarify: by noteworthy, I mean: “From a well-known name, someone who’s been in the business and has the connections to actually get balls rolling.” Unlike the average Sam T. Party, who can rant and call for impeachment while everyone else ignores him. The timing on this is actually predictable– the first laying out of the case several months before the mid-term elections, laying the groundwork for something should, as seems ever more likely, the election go poorly for the Opressives currently in office. I expect a few more articles or comments of this nature to be coming out between now and November, likely from different parts of the Faithful Opposition, likely from people retired from elected office. That latter would just be my bet, since they would likely have the best credibility for this sort of thing.
Then, come November, everyone sees how things stand, and progress from there. *shrugs* It will be interesting.
I’ve been thinking about Honor, lately. It might seem a horribly Gryffindorish concept, but the fact that it’s shoved off on them is a measure of how far the idea has fallen in public consciousness. As Slytherins, it is only required that we like sneaky things, and act terribly haughty in public. And do well in potions so our head of house doesn’t get too disappointed in us.
I’ll confess right off that it was Mr. Glenn Beck who prompted the thoughts. For a muggle, he has a terribly accurate perception of the world around himself. Mr. Beck will be hosting an event downtown in late August focused on restoring honor to our lives. This is, simply put, a grand and worthy goal, and one I whole-heartedly support. In response to this upcoming event, I’ve been thinking about Honor, and how it needs to be restored, because various Dark Forces have been deliberately attacking the very concept for at least as long as I’ve been alive.
One incident stands out above others, and it took place sometime in my sophomore year of college, so late 1999 or early 2000. Let’s first off admit that, like most college students, I was horribly stupid and insecure. Books smart and nerdy, so not that kind of stupid. The kind of stupid that comes from insecurity and utter lack of experience. The very worst combination of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, if you will.
One of our group of friends was named Karin and, much like the Dane Cook routine, she ended up being the girl that everyone secretly couldn’t stand. It was years later that she claimed that position, mind. At this point in our lives, she was the cool girl. Intelligent, beautiful, funny, seemingly unafraid of what anyone thought and very willing to speak her mind. In many ways, she was everything I wanted to be.
Karin. This isn't her, this is the one from Naruto. But if you know the one, you know the other. Weird, huh . . . even kinda looks like her . . .
She was (and likely still is) a raging libtard, but we were only starting to get the first hints of this problem that would go on to ruin her life and friendships at this point.
One evening in our dorm-room, the lot of us were discussing something that I honestly cannot remember and I expressed an admiration for some person’s actions, saying “I thought it was a rather noble thing to do, myself . . .”
Well. Karin laugh derisively, looking at me with pity. “Noble? ‘Nobility’ is such a stupid idea. . . maybe in your Candyland life of rainbows and gumdrops it means something, but not in the real world. . . ”
. . .
And I, stupid and insecure and thinking that she was cool and smart, I was stung by her scorn and ended up halfway believing her. Halfway, mind, never fully. Just like I could never go for Total Pacifism due to the nagging thought of Indiana Jones villains, so too a part of me couldn’t let go the idea of Honor. Which was really the core of the idea of what is “Noble.”
Indeed, only a few years later that persistant belief began to influence my actions to the point that it influenced my personality. But it’s an odd place to be, knowing on the one hand that one is one of the few people left who actually believes in honor, but on the other not blaming others for their learned disbelief.
See, people will often complain that humans these days aren’t honest, that everyone is only out for themselves. Truth is, though, that’s only because we’ve chosen to make life that way. Like the third wave feminists who destroyed chivalry and then sue when men treat them like “one of the guys,” the very people who destroyed honor are the ones who then sigh over the consequences.
Listen, there’s only one thing people can do. You want people to start behaving better? Start with yourself. Stop whining. Stop fussing. Stop being so concerned for Number One. Just stop. Take a deep breath and deal– life happens. Get over the emotion and face your problems.Do your Duty– stop slacking at work, start taking care of your family– even the ones you don’t like. Take care of what is in your realm of Responsibility first, then start treating the people around you with the courtesy and respect you’d like for yourself. Be honest, not just in your words, but in your actions. Honesty is the core of Honor. You be the example of what you’d like to see in the world.
No, not everyone will always be honorable. People, sinful creatures that we are, will always fail. But that’s no reason to abandon standards. We can bring Honor back. We just got to do it, and expect others to do the same. We might be surprised at the results a few decades from now.
American Slytherin 