Romans 12:4-5, For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
The liberal left progressive socialists use terms like "common good," and the "community good" because they believe that the needs of the society come before the needs of the individual. On the surface, for some, that may even seem to be a noble gesture. Included in those collectivist thoughts are the desire to help the poor, feed the hungry and clothe the homeless. As an individual, those things should be important to us. As an individual we should seek to be charitable to those in need. As an individual.
I went to a fun run, recently, where my grandson ran beyond the 36 laps maximum. No trophies were given for the person who ran the farthest. "That would be unfair to the slower runners," I was told by one particular teacher's aid. Before the whole thing began, while the kids were gathered in their masses, eager to run, the organizers of the "mandatory participation" event at the elementary school led the children through some mantras, having them chant together, "I will be brave, I will be strong, I will be a good citizen." As they were chanting, I turned to my daughter-in-law, and said, "let the brainwashing begin." She laughed, and said she was thinking the same thing. I get it, those are good traits to have as an individual, but the children were not being taught to be individuals. The training was designed to teach them to be a good member of the collective.
Let's back up for a moment. Should we be good members of our society? Of course. Should we care about our community? Yes. But when that decision is not expected to be made as an independent decision, but from a collective point of view, it can be used by the leadership of the collective in a harmful way.
Tony Kushner, who wrote the screenplay for the movie "Lincoln," calls any thought that stands outside the collective, any person that rejects Plato's idea of a ruling elite, "psychotic individualism."
“You have people like these Tea Party people protesting government. . . There’s this rejection of this sort of basic idea of human community. . . Now that we’re facing challenges like climate change that absolutely demands a global, collective response…we have no hope for survival as a species if we continue down the path of this kind of psychotic individualism.”
History, however, does not agree with Mr. Kushner, or the statists that demand central control by a massive government bureaucracy. History shows that when local issues are handled by local government, and individuals are given the incentive to succeed and make their own decisions based on their own preferences, society is prosperous, and the communities meet with greater success.
When the English Colonists first landed in the New World, they originally tried to exist as a communal society. The collectivism, however, proved to be disastrous. With societal members not driven by personal incentive, and not worried about the consequences of failed individual actions, production for the central stores eventually dropped, until there were more takers than producers. The result was massive starvation, and the failure of the colony.
In Jamestown, as a result of their communal system, colonists endured Indian attacks, disease, and starvation with little assistance from the homeland. Bickering among themselves left the colonists with unplanted crops, and shrinking food supplies. In 1610 only 60 of the previous 500 settlers remained alive. These early struggles, however, had an important impact on the English colonies. The struggles, with limited help from England, taught them the importance of creating a system built upon individualism. The storms of failure instilled a spirit of survival, self-reliance, and independence into the English colonists. At that point, the settlers changed their system to one where the people were given their own land, and given the incentive of individualism. As individuals their success or failure depended upon their own individual accomplishments. They could keep what they produced, and if they produced plenty, they could then trade the excess in a free market. What came out of the new system was success, and eventually the emergence of a cash crop that gave the colonists something to trade with the Old World.
Colonizing by offering charters that would give a pay off for personal success had led the English Colonies to prosper. The colonies became self-sufficient, and England was profiting from the burgeoning farming industries.
In America, prosperity came when collectivism was tossed aside, and the individuals of the colonies embraced the virtue of self-reliance.
Individualism made the colonies prosper, and individualism has led to the United States becoming the greatest nation on this planet. The colonies, and later the States, also prospered from a concept of individuality. Like the citizens, each State is a unique, separate, self-sufficient, and independent entity. Each State has its own unique culture. Sure, for external matters, the States have united together to defeat enemies, but the strength of the union, and the innovation we have seen in America, has come from the individuality of the citizens, and the several States.
In our history, collectivism has always led to disaster, failure, starvation, and collapse. Individualism, an individual desire to make one's own life better, has led to a system where even the poorest members of the American society are wealthier than most of the rest of the world. Americans are charitable, while also encouraging others to succeed in their own right. While the Founding Fathers understood there needs to be a central government to handle exterior issues such as common defense, trade, and treaties, they also understood that the local issues needed to be left to the individual States. So, the central government was designed to protect, preserve, and promote the new union of sovereign states, while being limited in its authorities in order to preserve the basic rights of the individual States, and the American people.
Throughout the history of the United States, and the English Colonies, many forms of government were examined, and tried, but ultimately the framers decided upon a republic because the individualism promoted by a republic was what had the best track record. A Unitary government was out of the question, for the “Top down from a single ruling point” style of government was too much like the monarchy the United States had just won their independence from. A pure democracy was a dangerous thing as well. A democracy was just not stable enough, and it was believed that if the people were left to their own devices, the democracy would deteriorate into “mob rule,” and would ultimately become so unstable that an oligarchy would take over the government. History had proven time and time again that democracies destroy themselves, and become tyrannies after the system breaks down.
What emerged from the intense debates during the Constitutional Convention was a republic that uses democratic processes to elect the members of the representative government. The new federal government was a far more complex form of government than had been provided by the Articles of Confederation. To protect against the excess of democracy a system of limits, checks, and balances was devised. Three branches of government that were designed to practice a concept called a "separation of powers" were established, and even the power of the vote was divided as to diminish power in any one location. The House of Representatives were voted in by the voting public. The Senators of the U.S. Senate were appointed by the State legislatures. An electoral college was devised so that the President would be indirectly voted into office. The members of the judiciary were to be appointed, with confirmation provided by the voice of the States in the U.S. Senate. The U.S. Constitution became the law of the land, with a basic foundation designed to encourage individualism. The founders knew that the success of individuals was best for society. A vibrant society based on individualism creates leaders, competitors, and proud owners of property. Individualism, it turns out, is the best recipe for a prosperous community.
Throughout the history of the United States, and the English Colonies, many forms of government were examined, and tried, but ultimately the framers decided upon a republic because the individualism promoted by a republic was what had the best track record. A Unitary government was out of the question, for the “Top down from a single ruling point” style of government was too much like the monarchy the United States had just won their independence from. A pure democracy was a dangerous thing as well. A democracy was just not stable enough, and it was believed that if the people were left to their own devices, the democracy would deteriorate into “mob rule,” and would ultimately become so unstable that an oligarchy would take over the government. History had proven time and time again that democracies destroy themselves, and become tyrannies after the system breaks down.
What emerged from the intense debates during the Constitutional Convention was a republic that uses democratic processes to elect the members of the representative government. The new federal government was a far more complex form of government than had been provided by the Articles of Confederation. To protect against the excess of democracy a system of limits, checks, and balances was devised. Three branches of government that were designed to practice a concept called a "separation of powers" were established, and even the power of the vote was divided as to diminish power in any one location. The House of Representatives were voted in by the voting public. The Senators of the U.S. Senate were appointed by the State legislatures. An electoral college was devised so that the President would be indirectly voted into office. The members of the judiciary were to be appointed, with confirmation provided by the voice of the States in the U.S. Senate. The U.S. Constitution became the law of the land, with a basic foundation designed to encourage individualism. The founders knew that the success of individuals was best for society. A vibrant society based on individualism creates leaders, competitors, and proud owners of property. Individualism, it turns out, is the best recipe for a prosperous community.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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