Friends, Romans, Countrymen, I come to bury Caesar not to praise him

"Those who claim that information is power, Are either naive or scurrilous.
Power is power and information is particularly useful to those already in power"

had a most interesting discussion today on politics and the like during one of my classes
I have been thinking lately about political realities
the subject of statecraft versus the biological consciousness of humanity

The topic of discussion was governance, its failings and more to the point
how to establish a more perfect union
that is what our forefathers sought and in its essence the fabric of the American dream

democracy is a failing institution, failing here as it did in Athens
denigrating into mob rule because people at their core are unable and unwilling to rule themselves
our founding father understood this which is why they set up a republic not a democracy
the fathers of our country recognized the essential truth that people live and act based on fear

Machiavelli wrote "If one must choose between being loved and being feared, it is better to be feared"

but that in itself is not enough fear motivates people but necessity drives them
to wield power one must strike at that inherent necessity
therein lie the power of the demagogue the ability to turn self-righteous indignation into fervor
and align himself with the people's necessity

so how do we govern?
when man is fallible and that weakness is inherent in all our institutions
The weakness in man is constructed of necessity

necessity

We all do whatever seems most necessary to us at any particular moment
You might argue with me, but it would just waste both of our time
look around you, look in the mirror even if by some chance you avoid this trap
[although I would wager that you forgot that the nile is not just a river in Egypt]
you see it a million times every day
someone making a bad decision not out of ignorance or a misunderstanding of the consequences
but out of need, greed, or lust
people make purchases with credit cards going into debt for things they do not actually need
but things they perceive to need
people stay in miserable relationships out of a perceived need for companionship
ignoring the obvious and hurtful reality that they should move on

I will correct myself
It is not necessity which drives us but the perception of necessity
not whatever we truly need at that particular moment but what we perceive our need to be
and if all human action is derived from the perception of necessity as opposed to actual necessity
then we are all as a whole living in denial, deluding each other and ourselves
This delusion of perception is caused or subdivided into three distorters

Stupidity
Greed
Lust

These are the things which cloud our perception of reality,
of our true necessity, and bind us to the perception of necessity
These attributes also share one common trait they are limitless in their capacity
Einstein once wrote "The difference between stupidity and genius, is that even genius has it's limits"
A state ruled by Stupidity, Greed and Lust is corrupt to the core
the people blame their rulers, claim they have been betrayed by the interests of the wealthy
they have indeed been betrayed but they were not betrayed by the wealthy but by themselves
The wealthy are no different than the masses they have the same biological needs
they are driven by the same necessities often even deluded by the same three factors
the only difference between the wealthy and the masses lies in capability
the wealthy, either directly or indirectly through inheritance
have shown a greater capacity to pursue their needs

so we are back to the original question

how do we govern?
what form can that more perfect union take?

Democracy has failed
Communism has failed

both are more similar than we have been lead to believe
and both have failed for the same reason
they rely upon the inherent goodness of man to succeed
there is no greater hallmark of man than his failure to live up to even the slightest of that standard

Is tyranny the answer?
ruthless yet benevolent oppression of the people?
for their own good so to speak?
one could argue that perhaps
Plato's concept of a meritocracy was dramatically authoritarian in nature

the problem therein is that people want freedom
no let me alter that slightly
people insist upon the perception of freedom

9/11, Columbine these two events show how quickly we are willing to give up our freedoms
for security and for stability

stability

that is the key word
that is what people want
what people find most necessary

unfortunately it is also a pipe dream
stability, safety and permanence are unattainable
the laws of entropy will not allow it
either something is growing or it is decaying

this land we live in like the roman empire before it is decaying
We are the new romans and Caesar has already been assassinated
the decline has begun, we slide from stability to chaos
our institutions are corrupt, our people fat and weak
the carrion birds circle openly listening to our hoarse breaths
waiting for that familiar rattle of the lungs before death

New institutions must be formed, simple reforms are not enough
renovating the building is not enough when the foundation is rotten
it all must be torn out and built anew

so we go back to stability
stability is the primary need of the people
therefore it must be the primary focus of the government

unfortunately true stability is unattainable
therefore the most a more perfect union could hope to attain
is the appearance of stability

if we accept this, then we must admit ourselves to be unwilling to accept a basic law of reality
and therefore require that our government deceive us so that we can live with perceived safety and stability
deception receives far worse a reputation than it deserves
after all we deceive ourselves everyday, we demand that others deceive us as well

to twist an old turn of phrase

what is good for the goose, is good for the gander

even those few of you who are following me thus far are probably having a hard time swallowing my words
this is an essential problem as the masses who will never waver from their flawed perceptions
will have an even harder time accepting this
therefore a more perfect union must be founded upon deception
not to betray the people but to prevent them from betraying themselves

A more perfect union must be able to present the appearance of stability and safety
while remaining flexible and expansive to prevent the onset of entropy
and most importantly must be able to maintain the deception

what deception? what exactly do I mean by this?

It is quite simple really, to understand where we must deceive
we must understand what the people want from government

These are

Freedom
Stability
Power

In America we use a complex system of checks and balances
to ensure that the power and freedom remain in the hands of the people
but this system has failed us, because it is flawed in its conception
checks and balances do prevent to a limited degree an abuse of power
but more importantly they utterly prevent the exercise of power
it mires us in mediocrity unable to achieve either great good or great evil

Let me address each of the peoples desires

Freedom - for all the claims to desiring freedom, it is not what the people want
what the people want is to be unhindered in the pursuit of the dreams
which their stupidity, lust and greed convince them are most necessary
most telling is how easily we are willing to give up our freedoms
for stability and for security

In world war two we interned Japanese
In the cold war we threw our constitution out the window to root out communism

all in the name of safety, security and stability

Stability - as we have already discussed is an impossibility, the laws of nature do not permit it

Power - this is really the crux, people want nothing more than to feel powerful
they want to feel like they control their lives and their destinies
unfortunately people are not fit to control either
people attempt to hoard power, to collect it

power is fleeting
it cannot be stockpiled, hoarded, collected for some rainy day
power is in its nature a force of chaos not order
it will not be ridden around like some showcase pony at the county fair
power can only be wielded and it allows no margin for error
power can be used correctly, efficiently, even for good

the masses have shown time and time again
throughout history that they are incapable and unwilling to wield power,
to control themselves and therefore inescapably unable to govern themselves
when a man can not be trusted to govern himself in the most minute matters of daily life
he cannot be trusted to guard other peoples interests either
only those with exception self-discipline come anywhere close to this mark
and the masses lack nothing more than self-discipline
therefore the masses are unfit to rule themselves

How do we establish a more perfect union
where governance is provided for the best interest of the people
by those capable and possessing the will and self-discipline to look beyond their immediate self interests
yet still provide the illusion to the people of empowerment, freedom and stability

To that we must look to the essence of the state

The state is divided into three essential realms

political
economic
social

when a man or group of men control these realms openly
we call it tyranny and no matter how benevolent
the people will always balk at tyranny

this is where deception must be utilized
a man or group of men must be raised in each sphere
each acting supreme within his sphere seemingly unconnected and unaccountable
each sphere must govern itself securely with no thought to the other
this will provide the appearance of checks and balances

but three groups controlling the three spheres is not enough
there must be a fourth group to coordinate the actions among the three
and to watch over the grand design

this allows for maximum flexibility to mold the appearance of governance to the will and whims of the people
power can appear to shift back and forth between the realms
construed conflict will serve to motivate people into a fervor of belief
each realm appearing only to gain momentary advantage, a delicate dance of the puppet master
while allowing for power to be wielded uniformly and effectively to good purpose

In this way can the people be satiated and permanence achieved
the people will have their appearance of freedom and power
their perception of security and stability
while underneath those who govern will have the ability
to wield power effectively and respond to the ever changing reality

and finally assuming anyone gets as far as to read this
a caveat

this is not meant as a complete argument nor even a complete thought
I realize that I have gone into some areas in great detail and others I have but merely touched upon
call it a failing of a man with many unformed thoughts trying to spill them all out in the wee hours of the night
while maintaining the slightest element of cohesion.

think of this more as a concept to ponder, an idea to flesh out
rather than a statement of cause and direction

as always, your thoughts, ideas and reflections are most welcome

and with that complete I take myself off to sleep
as it appears I may be soon succumbing to some sort of illness
and would prefer to rest that I may avoid it

mind games ... or ... oh yeah you suck

Below are four (4) questions.
You have to answer them instantly.
You can't take your time, answer all of them immediately.

Let's find out just how clever you really are.


Ready?

First Question: You are participating in a race. You overtake the second
person. What position are you in?

( Answer: )

To answer the second question, don't take as much time as you took for the first question.

Second Question: If you overtake the last person, then you are...?

( Answer: )

Third Question: Very tricky math! Note: This must be done in your head only.

Do NOT use paper and pencil or a calculator. Try it.

Take 1000 and add 40 to it. Now add another 1000. Now add 30. Add
another 1000. Now add 20. Now add another 1000. Now add 10. What is the
total?

( Answer: )

Mary's father has five daughters: 1. Nana, 2. Nene, 3. Nini, 4. Nono.
What is the name of the fifth daughter?

( Answer: )

dont feel bad now it could be worse
you could look like this

Ode to selfishness ... or ... in defense of the wrongly accused

how often do you hear someone complaining that this person or that person
is a selfish bastard [or prick]

generally it is the accuser who is being
excessively selfish, not the accused

serving ones true self interest is among mans highest calling
in fact
were we are to serve our true self interests
the world would be a far better place

but the common man is unable

impulses, emotion, weakness
all direct action from it divine course

from realized self interest

you see we have but one call on this earth
[in my opinion obviously]
[if you have a different opinion]
[go fuck off and enjoy it]

the complete actualization of self

self-improvement is masturbation
masturbation is self-improvement

knowledge of the self is strength
control of the self is power

true self interest is positive influence
it is difficult to truly improve oneself
and truly improve ones condition in this world
without positively benefiting other around you

to clarify, if you are acting solely in your best interests
and considering your actions in their entirety
that you can ensure that your actions limited
to those which are in fact in your best interest
then you will enhance not hinder the civilization around you

many I am sure will think of hundred of examples
to contradict this statement

from greedy dictators to polluting corporations

I will refute all such examples with a single rebuttal

These are all examples of someone acting only
in a limited scope of self interest

the corporation which pollutes to save money
is focused only on a particular aspect of self interest
in this case boosting their earning report

if they were acting in true self interest
they would realize that polluting their own environment
poisoning the land and from the land their own children, families and employees
and if they were willing to see the true cost
the would be unwilling to act in those methods because it would be against their best interests

a person who profits through the victimizing of other people
also is unable to conceive their true best interests

"those who live by the sword, die by the sword"

their ability to satisfy their best interests
exist only as long as they are the biggest boy on the block
unfortunately in life, there is always someone better
so the despot is borrowing against his future best interest
to satisfy his perception of his immediate needs

such an arrangement can not ever be sustained

a well disciplined person
who strives to understand and ground his perceptions in reality
does no greater service to humanity
than to serve his best interests to the best of his abilities

unfortunately
as I discussed last night
well disciplined and grounded people
are the vast minority in this world

but we villainize self-interest
because we are too cowardly to admit
the problem lies within ourselves rather than selfishness

it is easier to claim the pursuit of ones self interest evil
than to admit humanity is weak and imperfect
to admit that you are unable to even exercise simple control over yourselves

for our society to survive
for our species to survive
we must learn to differentiate between our true self-interest and our immediate lusts

we all want to save the environment
but we also want our SUVs

a recent poll I saw said that something like 84% of Americans
felt that protecting the environment was a high priority
but when the poll went on to ask about specific actions
the numbers started dropping rapidly

we want to save the environment but only if it does not cost us anything
or affect the style and comfort of our lives

it comes down to priorities

how many of you define your priorities and stick to them

I know my priorities, I know exactly what I want
[except perhaps in romantic relationships]
[but my current struggle is to redefine that]
[it would be foolish to simply accept the easy answer]
[and so I expect it to take some time to resolve]

I always have known what I wanted and where I was going

I have always kept my eyes on the prize
and refused to be distracted by all that glitters

have I made mistakes?
absolutely and I can identify every one of them
and understand how the mistake was made
and more importantly how to avoid it in the future

until recently, I drove a 1987 Honda civic
not because I could not afford a nicer car
but because I was so focused on other [greater] priorities
that the idea of diverting resources to a nicer car was an anathema to me

so pick your goals, your priorities and charge after them

next we must discuss choices

the act of making a decision, a choice
is how we wield power in our lives

you see you can have anything you desire in this world
notice above that thing is singular
you have to focus your energies on one particular thing
that does not mean you can not shift your focus after achieving it

you must first make the choice of what you want
then you must decide how you plan to get it

if what you want is a new car
then you need plan how you will get the money
this requires an income of some sort and a plan to save
next it requires sacrifice

if you want that car, you have to sacrifice the sweater or the video game
that doesn't mean you cant have the sweater or the video game you want
just that you have to wait until you achieve your first goal
then you can reevaluate and decide if you want that sweater or not

besides with the glory of economics the longer you wait to purchase that sweater or video game
the less it will cost you, which frees up more resources for other items

impulses are the fatal flaw
to indulge is the highest of weakness

I allow myself my whims and impulses as many of you will have noticed
but that is not weakness as I have already passed through trial by fire
and what you do not see is the method in which my whims and impulses are indulged
What you do not see is that I have developed a framework which allows me to indulge myself
while not hindering my goals and diverting my focus

for my such indulgences are a reward to strict discipline and focus
this makes sense

like when you were a kid
you got desert after eating a nutritious meal
not before

the question I have for you and I do not require an answer
only for you to think about it yourselves
[although you may if you feel the need share it as well]

Are you trying to eat your desert without finishing your nutritious meal?

because what you are doing is ensuring your continued slavery
sure you will be comfortably enslaved amidst your pile of consumable goods
but a slave you will always be
and trust me over time
that desert will leave a bad taste in your mouth

you must nurture yourself and your interest before you go for the desert
to do that is the realization of your self interest

not the new video game or the new sweater
those are just distractions which weaken and enslave you

the choice is yours

Empowerment or Slavery

What do you want to be when your grow up?

Simple pleasures

Tonight I have crossed the line
from an optimist to a pessimist

perhaps not entirely in seriousness
but if my glass says so then it must be true

and a glass containing
twenty two year old scotch
is rarely if ever mistaken

and since I am curious I have made this handy poll

[Poll #75627]

I have been thinking
about using scotch as a guide for dating
using it as an age line

i.e.

you must be at least this old to ride this ride
[which is convenient as well]
[cause I can always tap a younger bottle]
[should I want to tap a younger filly]

back to my original comment
I have this glass which I adore

the glass is from Italy
shaped like an oversized shot glass
and contains about six ounces of liquor
when filled

now granted it is the size and shape
which I appreciate most

it is perfect for gulping down
obscene amounts of liquor in one sitting
while
this is not my activity tonight
it still among my favorites

the glass is solid and clear
the only markings
a white line encircling it
somewhere about the middle

with the words

Ottimista
above the line

and

Pessimista
below the line

the idea of course is that it is bad form
to allow a glass to fall below the line
and should be rapidly refilled
whenever that becomes a danger

hence the ease at which
one can consume such quantities

of course
it is hard not to be pessimistic
when drinking so fine a scotch
as
one realizes a little too quickly

that this elixir contains more
depth and strength of character
than
the vast majority of people out there

that this simple drink
is a better human than most of you
is it any wonder

that alcohol seems preferable
to human interaction?

I think not

I however am not an alcoholic
I just drink like one
*wink*