Transcontinental Meditation - Evidence of Weakness?

Let's you and him fight!

I might be a reactionary, but as far as religion goes I'm afraid (almost literally) that the doctrine of selection or ideas of pre-ordained, select souls that are destined to success in this world, and the next, may be true. That in fact worldly success was proof of being "saved". How else to explain the eternally baffling why/how some people are golden and untouchable*, unless as favored by some terrible and perverse unknowable deity? You might think this is funny if you knew what a slacker I am, and many people are their own worst enemy, but it's world wide and history deep - the shit always rises. I don't think I can ever stop resenting what is evidently unalterable reality. I even want to resent it, but the non-religious explanation, that the strong and ruthless will always prevail, is almost equally unacceptable, and either would suggest that resistance is futile.

One of my biggest takeaways from Carlyle, was that political history is very continuous and deeper than wars, revolutions, genocides, etc., which seems almost like mere noise and drama compared to the steady unchanging nature of man to breed, plant, build, and trade, while being continually harassed, threatened, robbed, enslaved etc. by their superiors, who are treated similarly, but sometimes more gently, by theirs. Carlyle was miffed, 150 years ago, because the worst had risen, by sham of democracy and reform, to replace the natural order of rule by a true elite, under God (for him a necessary pairing, logically, if the elite were not "elect", they would not be "true"). The only difference with today's situation is we can only know that the elite is not true, but have no real explanation beyond the lengthy indictment of facts and allegations. They obviously suck, yet somehow never suffer any temporal punishment beyond the occasional fine.

At least Caryle could be content that sins would be eventually paid and justice rendered. What do we have? Resentment, ridicule and occasional schadenfreude (my favorite!), and a dim hope that more people can get their personal lives in order and leave the other peasants alone while the "nobles" fight it out. Despite the endless discussions, we don't seem to have evolved much, and maybe worse, the standards of conduct seem to be getting lower as the firepower increases. Please fasten your seat belts and put your trays in the upright position. Note the location of emergency exits (if any).

PM update; from commenter Radical Marijuana on Zero Hedge

"Basically what has happened is the human ecology has bifurcated into a relatively small minority that acted like Vicious Wolves, and a much larger majority that acted like Zombie Sheeple. The Wolves have taught the Sheeple to bleat their morality. The majority of people are constantly told that everyone needs to be better Sheeple. The reality is that the actual systems are run by the Wolves, and the only good solutions are for everyone to become better Wolves. ...
None of the other economic problems could ever be resolved better without that quantum leap to understand evolutionary ecology better. Blaming the lying politicians, or the public that is tricked by them, is way too superficial, although it is partially correct. The greater TRUTH is profoundly paradoxical, since it requires understanding how and why warfare was the oldest and best developed social science, and therefore, understanding the psychology of the various actors within that system."





* I like this guy Israel Shamir.  International man of mystery

Fecal Cliff

Again, from the Latter-day Pamphlets;

  " For, in fine, the tragic experience is dimly but irrepressibly forcing itself on all the world, that our British Parliament does not shine as Sovereign Ruler of the British Nation; that it was excellent only as Advisor of the  Ruler; and has not, somehow or the other, the art of getting work done; but produces talk merely, not of the most instructive sort for most part, and in vortexes of talk is not unlike to submerge itself and the whole of us, if help come not!"

  "The beginning of all business everywhere, as all practical persons testify, is decidedly this, That every man shut his mouth, and do not open it again till his thinking and contriving faculty have elaborated something worth articulating, Which rule will much abridge the flow of speech in such assemblies! ... and this, alas, is precisely the rule which cannot be attended to in constitutional Parliaments."

Carlyle on Blogging

"If the young aspirant is not rich enough for Parliament, and is deterred by the basilisks or otherwise from entering on Law or Church, and cannot altogether reduce his human intellect to the beaverish condition, or satisfy himself with the prospect of making money, - what becomes of him in such case, which is naturally the case of very many, and ever of more? In such case there remains but one outlet for him, and notably enough that too is a talking one: the outlet of Literature, of trying to write Books.  since, owing to preliminary basilisks, want of cash, or superiority to cash,  he cannot mount aloft by eloquent talking, let him try it by dexterous eloquent writing. Here happily, having three fingers, and capital to buy a quire of paper, he can try at all lengths and in spite of all mortals: in this career there is happily no public impediment that can turn back; nothing but private impediment that can turn him back; nothing but private starvation... To the British subject who fancies genius may be lodged in him, this liberty remains; and truly it is, if well computed, almost the only one he has.
   A crowded portal this of Literature, accordingly!..."

Thomas Carlyle, Latter-day Pamphlets - "Stump-Orator." 1850

Church of the Latter-day Pamplets

Thomas Carlyle, Latter-day Pamphlets, "Stump-Orator" - 1850 (fer chrissakes!)

"Probably there is not in Nature a more distracted phantasm than your commonplace eloquent speaker, as he is found on platforms, in parliaments, on Kentucky stumps, at tavern-dinners, in windy, empty, insincere times like ours. ... Alas, he is in general merely the windiest mortal of them all; and is admired for being so, into the bargain. ... Not empty these musical wind-utterances of his; they are big with prophecy; they announce, too audibly to me, that the end of many things is drawing nigh!"

"While the many listen to him, the few are used to pass rapidly, with some gust of scornful laughter, some growl of impatient malediction; but he deserves from this latter class a much more serious attention."

"If speech is the banknote for an inward capital of culture, of insight and noble human worth, then speech is precious, and the art of speech shall be honoured. But if there is no inward capital; if speech represent no real culture of the mind, but an imaginary culture; no bullion, but the fatal and now almost hopeless deficit of such? Alas, alas, said banknote is then a forged one; passing freely current in the market; but bringing damages to the receiver, to the payer, and to all the world, which are in sad truth infallible, and of amount incalculable."

Cicero (106-43 B.C.) is quoted as saying, 'Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi' (The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter). Nailed It!

Mitt Got Uns

"In this world there is but one appalling creature: the Stupid man considered to be the Missioned of Heaven, and followed by men.  He is our King, men say, he; - and they follow him, through straight or winding courses, and I for one know well witherward."

Thomas Carlyle,  Latter-day Pamphlets

thanks to Mencius Moldbug for opening the soot-stained and opaque window of True History.