Warnings of a Free Thinker. C. S. Lewis versus the Progressives.

One of my favorite writers of all time is C. S. Lewis, the creator of Narnia and any number of works of fiction and nonfiction. He was a Christian apologist without apology. And he could not be called a conservative.

For one, he was English, not American, so terms like liberal or conservative did not really apply. Instead, I would describe him as a Free Thinker. By that I mean Professor Lewis reached his opinion by careful study and thinking through the issue and came to rational, reasonable conclusions. He was not swayed by his emotions the way so many of us are. And in the process of his thinking, if he leaned in any direction, it was in the direction of freedom – freedom in Christ under God to be sure, but freedom.

For two, Lewis was a keen observer of the politics of his day. He understood Hitler and what the Nazis represented, but he did not dwell there. Instead, he applied his thoughts to people down through the ages and knew that the current events were only a symptom of a much larger disease.

For me, I see the history of humanity as a struggle between anarchy and tyranny. And we human beings for the most part find true anarchy so destructive and abhorrent, we willingly and have willingly given ourselves over and over to whatever tyrant promises safety, security and bread. This absolute, historical trend is continuing to this day.

In America, we have this tradition: “Give us your tired, your hungry, your poor huddled masses yearning to be free.” The founding fathers understood that this nation was an experiment, not drawn out of whole cloth as the Magna Charta, the English Parliament (in particular the House of Commons) and English common law will attest, but an experiment all the same. In America, we are trying to walk the tightrope and not fall to the left or right – neither into tyranny or anarchy. This had never successfully been done before in all of history.

Yet here we are, and presently there are those in power offering all sorts of wonderful sounding things with regard to safety, security and bread. And we are falling. Lewis well understood the danger. He said:

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. C. S. Lewis

We are told that to stand in the way of change is to stand in the way of progress. Entitlements, we are told, are only meant to make life fair. Social Justice is the high ideal and individuals need to get in line. Morality is legislated and enforced by rules and regulations. And all of this is justified under the idea of making people equal, which in actual practice means making everyone the same. As far as that goes, I recommend another author, Madeleine L’engle and her book, Wrinkle in Time where you can see how this sort of thinking inevitably plays out.

Lewis also had a word for this kind of progress. In fact, I recommend it for everyone who calls themselves a “progressive” or who is tempted to jump on the progressive bandwagon:

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. C. S. Lewis

I believe this is the only understanding a Christian can have. Our faith is built on the idea that we are able by God’s grace to turn around and go the other way. And Jesus would have no problem applying this individual idea to a whole society – exactly as the proponents of so-called social justice make the application. Think about that one!

At the same time, I see where following the path we are currently on, the path so overwhelmingly supported in the media and our institutions of higher learning is currently shredding liberty in America. Freedoms are being lost. Someone is offering safety, security and bread, but before we swallow that bread, I believe we all better look carefully at where we are likely to end up. The current entitlement based, progressive bread may well be poisoned. Again, the warning:

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. C. S. Lewis

I encourage everyone and certainly every Christian person who is willing to stand up for freedom and against tyranny. I would like to see my nation filled to overflowing with Free Thinkers. The alternative is to be a slave to one’s emotions. Consider: Hitler was not the first person to take advantage of a whole population that fell into that emotional, slavery trap, and he won’t be the last.


-Michael

The Secret of Prosperity

Unity + Liberty = Prosperity. That is the formula.

Unity does not mean uniformity or conformity, but a people who are willing (voluntarily) and able to unite around an ideal such as the American ideal in the last century. When these people share common (universal) values – stand on common ground – they are able to be self-policing and free. Liberty is the key that allows people to pursue their dreams without interference. From this environment of unity and liberty comes innovation, invention, inpiration and ultimately prosperity.

But what can kill prosperity?

Diversity. It may encourage us to respect one another, but it deletes the unity.

Relativity. When even universal values come into question, the common ground soon becomes quicksand.

Oppression: When the solution to quicksand is seen as government rules, regulation and laws, liberty dies the death of a thousand cuts.

Offense. When it appears that the wicked are not punished, either by legal or social sanctions for fear of offending someone, and
Greed. When the engines of society become the worst and lowest of motivations instead of the highest expectations – the ideal, then the good who strive to live up to the ideal cease to be rewarded. No society can long stand when the wicked go unpunished and the good go unrewarded. Ask Pavlov.

Entitlements: Work (contributing, doing your part) is a good thing which must be included in the unity (shared values). When contributing is replaced by greed, prosperity will die. And it does not matter if the greed is pursued by some corporate CEO or some third generation welfare mom who never worked and never plans to. It is greed all the same.
Indeed, entitlements of any kind are society and cultural killers. Why should one do anything at all when everything has been promised for nothing (for free)? Food, shelter, clothing, health, retirement, etc.

To succeed and prosper, aspiration must become perspiration.

Taxes: While neither directly unity nor liberty killers, taxes (with entitlements) are incentive killers. The more of a person’s hard earned money is eaten up by government and pension obligations (for some and not others), the less that person has for their family obligations, much less to pursue their dreams.

To prosper, people must be united and free to live a life worth living. The above is a short list, but certainly something to think about.



-Michael The Fiction Side:
The Storyteller http://mgkizzia.wordpress.com/
The Non-Fiction Side: Word & Spirit http://michaelkizzia.wordpress.com/

Fair: The One word that defines our generation, culture and world

Fairness. It drives the world (all but Islam) in this age. It is the reason why American politics is so rancorous – why some accuse others of being mean, heartless, cruel, evil. What is fair? There are three views (four with Islam) and they are as follows.

One side cares. The concern is for the poor, hungry, homeless, and in every way what history is calling the disadvantaged. To be sure, fairness is most often spoken of in the negative: that to apply ordinary justice to such people would not be fair. The disadvantaged need extra help, special breaks, a hand up. They need compassion, not punishment. They need access to education and real opportunities which have otherwise been denied them.

When those who think this way look at those who appear advantaged (successful), they feel it is only right (justice) that the advantaged people share. Share, like we are taught when we are infants. These caring believers see the sin inherent in the human species, but only one side.

It is greed and selfishness that oppresses others. Therefore, it is the right of the collective (government) to force the advantaged to share – to give up their advantages in order to create a more level playing field – in order to make things “equal.” And the focus is certainly on the results.

The other side… cares. But the concern here is for the people who struggle to make a good life, who try, who fight the good fight and seek to do what is right for themselves, their families and their neighbors (if not their nation). These good people make the effort in life and it is only fair that they should be rewarded and be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. In recent years, this view of fairness is also beginning to be expressed in the negative. For the collective (government) to take that fruit and give it to others through excessive taxes and punitive rules and regulations is not fair.

When those who think this way look at those who appear disadvantaged, they point to people in similar circumstances who have become successful, or they point at themselves and say no one helped me. I worked hard and made something of myself. These people invest their lives in a job or a business and believe it is totally fair that they receive a fair return on their investment and the government should not “steal” it. These caring believers also see the sin inherent in the human species, but only one side.

It is well documented that these people are the first in line and give the most to those who are truly disabled, sick or in need; but when they look at the so-called disadvantaged, they also see the lazy people who have learned how to game the system and take advantage of the taxpayer. Helping an unwed mother is one thing, but by the third, fourth or fifth generation, it is no longer a mistake, it is a lifestyle with no end in sight.

For these hard working people, the government is not the answer, it is the problem – making a hard life all but impossible. In America (it is believed), regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, socio-economic level or any other qualifier, there is opportunity. One can still strive for the “American Dream.” The playing field here is essentially level at the start. It already is “equal,” but the focus here is on the starting gate, and what a person does with their life is left up to them.

On the third hand… I won’t comment significantly on Islam. That is a world unto itself. Let me just say it has historically been the case where a few clerics, scholars and strongmen (never strongwomen) have had the advantages of this world and most of the people have not. As such, caring or fairness has not much entered into the equation. It is “The Will of Allah,” and any social, political or economic discourse is subservient to the religion.

Finally, there is the older Judeo-Christian view of fairness, and while it will have to wait until the next post, let me just say it recognizes the sin inherent in the human species, both sides.


-Michael
The Fiction Side: The Storyteller http://mgkizzia.wordpress.com/
The Non-Fiction Side: Word & Spirit http://michaelkizzia.wordpress.com/