Discipline, organization and regimentation are vital factors in maintaining order in our society. And order needs to be implemented and stressed at all times.
No talking - Wait behind the white line - Your call is important to us - All calls are taken in the order received - Face masks required on campus - See something, say something - Maintain safe distance at all times - No smoking - All operators are helping other customers - We appreciate your patience - All rise - Court is now in session.
Well, hello again dear reader. I thought we could start out with a few of the everyday ground rules we hear all the time and ask what you really think of them.
The items above are but a few of the hundreds of such cautionary phrases of rules, regulations and restrictions you and I are bombarded with daily.
We adhere to them in a mind-numbing acceptance and think of them as a necessary inconvenience required to just get along. We certainly don’t want trouble.
Humans, a bit similar to animals, prefer to go along with the herd. If you stand out of line or appear out of place, well you’re just asking for it. The nail which sticks out gets hammered down (a Japanese saying).
If you’ve ever been in the military or similar organization, then you know this well.
This attitude and compliance are quite evident in oriental societies where the masses are well accustomed to bowing to their authorities.
These are acts of submission, I would say, acknowledging the dividing lines between the haves and the have nots.
Human rights, equality, liberation and such noble ideals are all relatively new to mankind and only made their first appearance around the time of the Declaration of Independence.
But that little glimmer of light sparked and ignited a renaissance of hope for the oppressed people of the world. It was a new and unique possibility to unburden some of their heavy load of misery and subjection to their emperor.
Throughout the world from that time on, practically all new constitutions written attempted to copy or mirror in some form that of the US Constitution.
I maintain that the ideal and cherished fresh breath of freedom cannot be modified, regulated or restricted and still remain in existence as true freedom.
It does not have different or varying degrees and categories. It either is or it is not free. And as you decline this scale you find only greater percentages of oppression, descending on down to complete slavery.
And mankind has known and suffered from this scourge from time immemorial.
And the real sad part is that each hope of a reversal from this doom promised by a new revolutionary movement to overthrow the present evil dictator, well it eventually resulted with an even more brutal dictatorship.
Also, the way I see it, the myriad of laws and restrictions implemented to maintain order and continuity in society do not necessarily further the cause of peace and freedom.
They simply serve to support the well-being of the rulers, the powers-that-be of the current ruling order.
If freedom had been the ultimate goal and desired destination for the nation, then we would currently have a much happier, successful and prosperous society, in my estimation.
But fragmented and divided societies with ongoing conflicts is what we see all down through history. Ruler from zone A leads his army in an invasion and conquest against zone B. Bloodshed, death and desperation continues.
And just as it ever has, here today, armed conflict appears never ending. Had it contained any humor, it might seem like Groundhog’s Day.
We should know better of course in our modern high tech and so-called advanced society.
Conflict and destruction benefits no one but the few who instigate and create it. Common sense and reason points glaringly to this, if we only look and see.
But I was just mumbling to myself. You know we’re not allowed to speak in line. Keep your head down or you’ll be noticed. You don’t want to be made an example of.
And, whatever you do - Don’t Smile!
Dan is at danhughoconnor@gmail.com