We the People,
in order to create a more perfect union…
Close up of the most famous portion of the United States’ Constitution’s preamble
First two lines from the United States of America’s Constitution — the law of the land. Note: it says more perfect, acknowledging right there, right at the start, that a perfect form of government may be impossible, but can be striven for. In other words, we can, if we choose, have a system that is continually “more perfect” all the time. Potentially better than yesterday; potentially always getting better.
[Note: I say “America” here, but it is my hope that these postings have something for the entire world, at least here and there, now and then.]
How do you accomplish “better than” or “constantly getting better?” How do we keep that wonderful ideal of ever “more perfect” going?
Simple, really, but not easy. You must be neither “Sheeple” nor “Rebel.” Neither leads to Freedom nor long term Survival, nor general improvements in the Common Good or the future our great-grandchildren will live in. You must choose your own path, each moment, rationally and with verifiable facts or experience as appropriate, and per your heart. All else gradually (or quickly) spirals down the rabbit hole and becomes a footnote(1) in history, at best.
Definition: Sheeple: is a person who does whatever the Herd does. Sheeple don’t think about their actions, don’t choose. They do what they’re compelled / told / required to do, or simply do what keeps them from looking “weird” to the other Sheeple.
“We the Sheeple, in order to create a more uniform Herd…”
Definition: Rebel: does the opposite of something. He is “against” something, and that determines all his actions. He is no more free than the Sheeple. Maybe less(2).
“Against! Against! Against!”
Interestingly, the Jan 2021 storming of the USA’s Capital building was accomplished by people who embodied both Sheeple and Rebel qualities. They formed a “rebel herd” and consequently lost all sense of judgement. They were not only silly & naïve, they were incredibly embarrassing.
Is it actually better than drinking alone? That urge to form or join a herd can be overwhelming, but very risky.
A Rebel usually “chooses” the role of rebel for wholly unconscious reasons, what ever he thinks his conscious reasons or justifications are. He is against something, or “pissed off” about something and it becomes his purpose, which shapes his path and his decisions more than he knows. He’s not one bit better off than the Sheeple and his cause is already lost. Sometimes, he’s even worse off.
I’ve been called a Rebel many times in my life, even a Contrarian. Not so! [He insisted with great energy.] A rebel is still driven by the same forces that corral all the Sheeples. It’s an opposite reaction, but still a reaction instead of a choice. In neither case is the individual choosing for himself. I’ve been called a rebel simply because I disagree with so much of what “society” (aka, “the Herd”) does. Well, the same people who call me Rebel usually agree with my position when questioned or led step by step through the logic of my position, they just usually didn’t realize it until guided in thinking it through. And sometimes that process exposes where we really do not agree. And sometimes that means I’m the one who has something new to think about, and that’s wonderful!
I knew a woman once whose entire life style, philosophy and moral code were determined by what was “not her mother.” Her mother had been a hippy (she said), so therefore she herself was a right-wing Christian (so she said, though I can’t see that Hippy actually has an opposite and if it does I’m pretty sure “Christian” ain’t it — her ideas of both Hippy and Christian seemed a little simplistic). Her mother was loving and kind, so she was harsh and hard (she didn’t say that one right out, you had to piece it together “between the lines” as it were, and from her actions). She was an utterly miserable person, both to herself and to those around her, but she was being “not her mother” and that’s all that mattered to her. Hopefully she got over that at some point, otherwise what a wasted life for such an otherwise smart, talented and strong person.
Here’s the kicker: choosing for yourself may end up with your coming exactly back around to where you are now. That doesn’t matter. What matters is that now you know what you believe (at least on that one issue). Now you know why you believe that. Now you can participate with it and are Free to act further, with Knowledge Aforethought.
Rules
Now, concerning “rules” themselves. What I’ve discussed so far is about taking responsibility for one’s own life, rather than consigning the decisions to others or allowing others to actively determine your decisions. Now let me discuss another aspect: the why.
“The Why” is always a big deal with me. Don’t tell me the rule alone; don’t waste my time. Tell me the why behind the rule, then you’ll get my cooperation or you won’t, but at least now I can understand the reasoning there. “It’s the law,” “that’s the rules,” “it’s hospital policy” is never sufficient.
Rules, stacked up, lead to bureaucracy, and, fact is, Humans don’t do bureaucracy very well, not in the last 6,000 known years at least. Bureaucracy is an attempt at “one size fits all” on the how and why of doing things, to standardize methods and behaviors, to corral you into a Uniform Herd. Except, as any snow flake could tell you, one size can never fit all(3). Rules take away the in-the-moment or in-place judgement, the fine tuning, the option to do things better in real life.
An example: one of the biggest problems with new construction is the (so-called) uniform building code. It demands far too low a standard for construction(4). Actually, that wouldn’t be so bad, except for the fact of a building code which says “this is what’s acceptable” rather than “this is the minimum but we strongly urge you to exceed these minimums,” takes away any incentive to do better, except now and then, here and there. Another problem with new construction is that, very often, fire code, police / public safety statutes and building codes are in conflict with each other, so that it’s actually impossible to adhere to all of them. Which one(s) will you compromise? That’s bureaucracy…
If a bureaucrat can’t do it at least as well as I can myself, why in the world would I give over my own judgement to that office, to a set of “rules” that, while meaning well (usually, not always), nevertheless require me to compromise the quality of what I’m doing? (Try filling out a federal form honestly; often impossible. It’s always a compromise between reality and what the form allows for.)
That’s the problem with bureaucracy as we know it(5): inevitably it turns into no-innovation tolerated, no outside-the-box possible, no better-than allowed. There are many reasons for this; they are well studied, well analyzed, poorly known and almost totally ignored(6).
How can you possibly keep the “more prefect union” constantly becoming ever more perfect under such restrictions?
There are other ways those services could be provided, other models for “bureaucracy,” ways that don’t control or limit or force everything into a very narrow conformity, yet still add to the public good they were (said to have been) created for in the first place. To a great degree that right there is what this website is about.
We the Sheeple,
in order to create a more uniform herd…
Uniformity: the enemy of more perfect. And that’s Baa-aa-aad.
The miracle about snow flakes is not that they are all different,
but rather that all of them being different they are still all snow flakes.
Choose! Choose your own path, your own vision, your own beliefs. Look at your own Heart. No one else can do that for you — though many (and many times many) would like to. They’ll even try to tell you what is really in your heart, and they can’t do that, either, no matter how authoritatively they jump and down on their soap boxes. Only you can do that. (And even then it often takes practice to see clearly.)
Not by Rebellion, nor by Conformity — both of which are just “sheeplism.” Beware rebellion for its own sake; it is not a worthy motive for doing anything. Do what you do because, what ever it is, it’s the Best That Can Be Done at the moment — according to your own understanding at this moment, whether that’s creating a new form of government, planting peas, teaching your children to read, or picking out a new color for the kitchen (don’t let a fashion magazine dictate “this season’s” colors to you — silliness!).
Why do you do what you do?
Why do you do it the way you do?
How can you make it better?
Constantly ask those questions. All day long. Every day.
Short version: don’t you dare let some one else choose for you(7). Not even me. 🙂
“If you ever find yourself on the side of the
majority it is time to pause and reflect”
~ Sam Clemens
“Liberty and freedom have to be more than just words.”
~ Captain James T Kirk
The Flag of Earth. Didn’t know Earth had a flag? Well, it does. Click here: Flag of Earth
And it’s not just an American Thing, not any more. These are issues that affect the whole species and the future of Humanity in general and possibly the Planet, too, since the “Human Infestation” could have lasting effects upon that otherwise blameless ball of life, color and fun.
Thanks for listening…
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(1) Through out these postings I use a lot of footnotes. Usually. These are to-the-side thoughts or minor corrections, or notes of interest, amplifications, or… something that the main article could do without but it adds something all the same. You will find these, oddly enough, at the foot of each posting. Go figure…
(2) Note, however, that “rebel” can also be a relative term. Ben Franklin said it best (he said a LOT of things best, he did) when he said:
“Rebellion is never illegal in the 1st person as in ‘our rebellion.’
It’s only illegal in the 3rd person, as in ‘their rebellion.'”
(3) One size can never fit all, as “all” is an awfully big word. Which is why many of the clothes that used to be of the “one size fits all” sort are now labelled “one size fits many” instead. It was always a lie. “All” is an absolute and easily defined, and impossible to the claim; “many” is undefinable and so legally quite safe. This means we went from an understandable but impossible claim to a vague and empty phrase. Alas…
(4) Including toxicity in new construction — radioactive radon in new drywall, solvents and other chemicals that leach out of linoleum, paint, carpet, etc., are outrageously toxic, for example. I am horrified in my own way whenever I see proud owners of a new house move in the moment the builders are done. Wrong, sorry to say. It should be baked, run up to 100 degrees F, there abouts, for a couple days and the air inside totally exchanged out, probably captured in fact, not just dumped into the outside air. These chemicals, radon and other gross and impossibly toxic volatiles in a new house are a serious source of health issues. (By the way, that “new car smell” is also similarly toxic; it’s the solvents and other chemicals leaching out of the vinyl, carpeting, etc.) To me, a brand new house is worth much less than one that’s 10 or 20 (or 200) years old, for that and several other reasons. “The Herd” disagrees with me. Good for them.
(5) Bureaucracies follow a standard pattern of evolution, usually a pretty short pathway. They go from some good and valid reason for their creation, to “how can we get more control over this” to “how can we get a bigger budget here” to… well, and so on. It’s a standard pathway and very hard to prevent. Bureaucracies are a big part of what inevitably leads to the collapse of nations, societies, kingdoms, empires. Yet they are also essential to the very operation of that same nation or culture, at least they seem so. Very, very common pattern in history. Perhaps they need to be considered temporary, always. Alas… that has all sorts of problems of its own, some of which are quite obvious. Generally speaking when I say “bureaucracy” I am addressing a government bureau (or corporation middle management food chain, same applies there) that has reached that staid, obese and ossified (i.e., graven in stone, unresponsive to a fluid reality) state in the evolution of itself.
(6) Oh, alright. We can’t keep ignoring the guerilla in the living room. The most common justification for bureaucracies is “because the people don’t know how” to do, be, have what ever the bureau was set up to regulate or “the people can’t control themselves for their own good” as in government criminal enforcement agencies. Well, that’s a matter for education, then, isn’t it? Public education that actually works rather than dulling the natural desire to learn anything and everything, a desire that every Human is born with and only loses after exposure to the public education system (or other traumas) and to mass media, which is held to an extremely low standard, getting lower all the time. Take a look, for example, at state licensing boards, such as Oregon’s massage and nursing licenses, which are meant to ensure proper education and minimum competency in practitioners (says so on the website) and yet are why Oregon has such a hard time getting good massage therapists and keeping or importing good nurses. Ditto their contractor licensing, etc. Bureaucracy in a definitive back-fire. I pick on Oregon here because it is infamous for its cost of licensing, the extremely tedious (and expensive) classes you must attend no matter what credentials you already have from out of state, and their remarkable ineffectiveness in succeeding in their “guarantee” of quality in the given service. California’s Real Estate board is another infamous example. You believe people can’t or won’t (or shouldn’t), so you set it up to make sure they can’t and won’t. How’s that again? You dull public expectations of what learning or competence is possible, thereby lowering what people themselves believe they can achieve, which means the next generation gets what is already a lower bar and round-and-round you go. Bad, bad, baa-aa-aad Ok… enough of a footnote longer than the thought it was expanding on. 🙂
(7) Ok, the obvious exception to that. You can let someone else chose for you, if that’s your choice. If it’s a consciously thought out and definitively decided-upon course of action. As I said, thinking it completely through may end up bringing you right back where you were, but now you know why you believe or act they way you do and can now actively participate. Vastly better. “More perfect.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean movie made good use of this old quote. But like “revenge is a dish best served cold” which is now often attributed to Khan Noonian Sing (of Star Trek) but was actually from Genghis Khan (a real character of less intelligence but equal brutality), this quote is also from a much older time. Well, that’s Hollywood.