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The phrase "I got mine" manifests in various ways. It might be a team leader who quits at building his team after he's attained some achievement or completed some deployment. It might be a man abdicating from his community. It might be a concerned citizen who's only care extends to the end of his driveway while he complains about how the community is going to hell.
The phrase "I got mine" is a blight, a stain on our record, an entire generation that abdicated the responsibility of raising a child to the state, only to complain when their offspring turn out resentful. It might be a law abiding citizen who is satisfied with challenging tyranny only when it's convenient.
"I got mine" is the attitude of the corrupt military officer, who cares more about his career than his charge. "I got mine" is the attitude of the man who sees danger on the horizon and discards morality in order to so-called survive. It's the excuse of the moral degenerate, it's the logic of the looter who lack the courage to say what he really is.
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
What is property without privacy? The double-speak of politicians continues to ramp up as we approach another election. At the same time, California passes a new form of safe-storage law that, at best, invades on the privacy of its serfs. I'm sorry, did I say that correctly?
There is something worse than Gun Control and we're seeing it arise in the west once again. That is normalcy for political leaders to belief they have the authority to invade the homes and lives of their people in order to assure compliance the bureaucrat's will.
The Second Amendment does nothing if the individual's privacy is trampled upon, and certain politicians are advocating for it, even campaigning on it. In this episode learn about the sub structure of the Second Amendment, why privacy is more than an ideal, and where it is under attack.
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
War never changes, yet war fighting never remains the same. The tactics and strategies of the last war have been analyzed in pursuit of countermeasures. Instead, we are approaching the forever war with the individual as the target.
Like the word "tactical," these two words often get used without understanding what they mean. The Insurgent and the Sniper represent two very different roles in a 21st century war. Where the sniper focuses on one target at a time, the insurgent sets his sights on a whole population. Bother are after a strategic goal, but they differ in what or who they use as weapons.
Books mentioned in this episode: War of the Flea by Robert Taber Counterinsurgency by David Kilcullen Why Young Men by Jamil Jivani
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
The Bible makes many references to war, some of them as if they were already history to the penman of the Old Testament, some of them yet to come, and some which illuminate a grand narrative, a cosmic war. The evil we face in this world does not always evade detection, and we would be fools to believe that it does not influence the ways of men.
Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus includes a call to a higher war. Our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood, but against a greater darkness which rules over this dark world.
But that call to action is so very often followed with commands to lay down one's spiritual arms, as it may go. We are called into action, then condemned acting in the ways appropriate to the ways we are called.
As we consider the consequences of decentralization, we look to history to consider what the past has to show about different types of combatants. As part of this year's Moon's Haunted Series, we dig into some of the important foundational concepts when considering the rules of engagement and what it means to act ethically in a war, and what serves as justified causes for engaging in war.
The employment of Irregulars isn't a new thing in our age of globally observed conflicts, even when the fighting is localized to a specific area. Regulars, and regulated warfare appear more as the outlier in human history, including that of America.
The idea of war isn't as simple as the Patriot or Braveheart like it to be. How do we consider the weight of conflict in an regularly more complicating game? The problem with that easy category of criminals on one side opposed to clean honorable warfighters on the others paints a nice picture that doesn't hold as fast as Tolkien would have like it.
But that doesn't directly imply that there are no good guys in the fight.
So this is an early start into the Fall's conversation in the Moon's Haunted.
The opposite of elitism should be something like equality. But the inverse of gatekeeping in Gun Culture has manifested in resentment. This isn't a new subject in human history, but instead of merely document it, as agents acting in Gun Culture, it is our responsibility to oppose both gatekeeping citizens from upholding their responsibilities and those who have gained a seat at the table in our community.
And history has shown what happens when a revolution results in a tyranny of the resentful and when it turns to its principles to begin anew.
The graveyard of Empires and male suicide both point to the same thing: without a solid moral foundation you open yourself up to not only to the temptations which draw us away from living rightly, but can even undermine our will to live entirely. Tyler comes over from the Longhouse Podcast to talk about moral foundations, philosophy, theology, and what we believe to be right and true and good. In a world which simultaneously complains about lecturing while searching for a moral foundation, we engage in a conversation over what sits at the foundation of Gun Culture.
On Thursday, the 22nd of September 2023, the Biden Administration announced that a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention would come into being under the guidance of then Vice President Kamala Harris. This arrives soon after the Governor of New Mexico decreed that the citizens in and around Albuquerque were subject to a suspension of their right to bear arms, open or concealed.
What happened in New Mexico drew attention, and after the backlash, instead of rescinding the order, Governor Grisham stated that she would be "dialing back" the limitations of the order.
With that as context, this new move by the Biden White House appears partially planned, and fully partisan, as the persons identified to be part of this office hail from exclusively far-left organizations.
Measures include normal talking points regarding assault weapons bans, safe storage, and increased background checks, while including increasing police activities on the matter.
Politics aside, we're intuitively aware that there's a difference between killing and shooting. When Gun Culture gets dramatic with itself, it pits the two against themselves. The ability to hit a target isn't the same as the mental and moral aspects of a gunfight or a night raid. But we know that.
When we consider the moral environments where the use of force can be found, we recognize that, while we desire to protect our lives and the lives of others, we also can be concerned about the legal ramifications of our actions. Much deeper, whether we call it morality, dignity, or honor, at our core rests the question of, "Is it Right," and if so, by what standard?
While the utopia of Multiculturalism tempts with ideas as thorough as us "all getting along," it quickly breaks down in the real world when faced with conflicting worldviews and their consequences. While the subject has been addressed in the past, it is worth revisiting, as we once again witness the consequences of abandoning the very foundation necessary to produce that often-desired-but-never-realized ideal of a world in harmony despite our differences.
When the Walker Art Center hosted a family-friendly demon summoning, it revealed the worldviews of those responsible. However, since we do not live in a vacuum, we may use this event as key example for considering how we think about society, culture, metaphysics, and its consequences.
You have heard it said, "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord." You have also heard it said that those who pursue Vengeance will need to dig two graves. The romanticization of Vengeance has long included the warnings of the Cost, but it most often presents itself as a warning that in the end, everyone loses. But those who succumb to the temptations of Vengeance are often weakened, blinded by their single mindedness that it impedes their goal entirely. Vengeance makes us weak, while promising an illusion of passionate strength, which is easy to say for critics who have made themselves weak, and a different thing entirely for those who not only have the motivation, but capability as well.
The Overton Window gets referenced most in political and social conversation, and it refers to the spectrum of socially acceptable norms in a given society. This places it squarely in the realm of political philosophy.
And the recent event of the New Mexico Governor's executive order suspending citizen's right to carry a firearm lands as the perfect example to discuss this subject and its ramifications. My observation of the current window places impeaching the governor not on the fringes, but in the center.
And normative nature of this has its consequences.
The subject of Stolen Valor often travels through Gun Culture, and rarely reaches general politics. Recent events have drawn attention to one Vice President who was accused of Stolen Valor. So when we consider what it means to steal valor, we are able to see how the double lie or the double fallacy should not be effective. Tim Walz has been selected as the the VP pick for the Democratic ticket. Quickly his self-proclaimed military activities were called to question. But why? Why would anyone make such a simple mistake?
There are typically two types of stolen valor: tragic and nefarious. Listen in and understand the difference.
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
One of the three fundamental laws that dictate formal logic is the law of excluded middle. In propositional logic it looks like this:
A v ~A A or not A
In life, this looks like choice. When we are faced with a decision, we have the option to make a choice, or abdicate that choice. But what we don't have before us is the option to opt out.
With great passion, people across the internet and the world will try to convince us not to trust the government. To some, this is a novel concept, but not to many. The assumption that we can trust something as vast and complicated as the government as a whole is itself a head-scratcher.
At the same time, from time to time, and for some, with increasing rapidity, we are seeing a breakdown of trust between the citizens and their government. To end there, however, is to be consumed by cynicism. Even when we are betrayed by one person, does it justify that we throw out all trust for all mankind?
And this applies to worldviews and beliefs as well. When we see the cracks in our own worldview, do we abandon any pursuit of a firm foundation?
That is the message in this Monday Exhortation: what to do when a failed foundation collapses beneath us.
When I joined the Army, I distinctly remember one man in basic training say that he had enlisted so that he could be a part of the biggest gang in America. "Why wear red or blue," he said, "when you could wear green." Admittedly the scene felt a little stereotypical, and it didn't help that each of us was undergoing the culture shift from our hometowns to the Army.
But Gang life draws more mysticism from the unknowing and uninitiated than it does from those who have seen the inside, and left of their own accord. Angel Cortes, a fellow Ranger, community leader, and selfless kidney donor joins the REDACTED Culture Cast to talk about not only how his life has changed over the past decades, but what he came to understand about violence during that time.
The REDACTED Culture Cast is dedicated to add value to how we think about violence, be it in the form of ethical structures, or diligent discipline. And Angel Cortes has plenty to offer, if only we will listen.
Have you ever heard someone go about explaining the two sides to an argument, only to later discover they're involved in one side of the controversy? While a situation like that isn't exactly the view-from-above fallacy, it closely resembles the rhetorical strategy of one. Not directly a logical fallacy, the speaker presents themselves as an objective observer looking down on the battlefield between two subjective parties. While doing so, they make normative claims about the environment as if they had no impact or binding influence over his ability to observe.
Gun Culture is regularly faced with this type of rhetoric, and we dive into both a recent article published by Relevant Magazine, as well as the worthwhile read "On Killing" by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman as this fallacy is sometimes referred to as the Psychologist's Fallacy.
Those of us millennials who grew up in the American church will likely find this sentiment familiar: we read of the faithlessness of the Israelites, shuddering at their unbelief in the presence of God, and then turn the page to apologetics which argues for the rationality of creationism over a naturalist origin story for the cosmos. It is not all too unfamiliar to confuse belief with faith in this sense, or at least see them as near synonyms. The consequences play out in our own lives as we struggle to do what is right, even when we know the right thing to do. And it rises to the level of our Western Culture with never-ending identity crises which take the public form in the shape Transgenderism and the decline of masculinity in the church. In order to solve this, within our own selves or in our culture, we must understand the relationship between faith, identity, and belief.
Telos, Teleology, and the question of what is the end goal? In addition to the existential crisis, which turns out to be the contemporary edition of such, we engage with the long lasting effects of what we believe to be right and true and good. The mid life crisis perfectly encapsulates the identity of the 80's husband. Only, we live decades later and have our own problems to bear.
Teleology remains the application of logic to what is to come.
Both Politics and Theology place a heavy weight on the concept of sovereignty. Just like the idea of Human Rights, there's a difference between when these ideas began to see common use in history, and what we ground them in. It's one thing to claim that God is Sovereign, but it is another, entirely, to act accordingly.
The same goes with politics. In philosophy, we must distinguish between the story of how a concept or word came into use, and what that concept is grounded in. What is it that makes it real, as opposed to who discovered it.
And these ideas remain well below the trivial surface.
What kind of answer are you looking for? Are you looking for a worldview or a set of moral imperatives. Are you asking if it is possible for a man to be a Christian while they are in the Military, as if there were some inherent contradiction, or are you asking the question of "How then shall we live?" Because they are not the same.
Just War Theory deals with both of these premises. Whether you are looking for the Jus Ad Bellum answer or the Jus In Bellow one, just let us know.
So as not to be mistaken for a trap, Betteridge's Law applies here.
There's a difference between materialism and accusing someone or some culture of being too materialistic. What we understand as Materialism is more akin to Naturalism, where as being Materialistic, is the placing of too much emphasis of objects as one's identity. A serious look at what it is typically portrayed as an unserious matter.
And if so, then what?
What drives Gun Culture? Is it the acquisition of possessions? The development of skill? Being prepared for some potential future? Is it the pursuit of virtue?
We stand on the shoulders of Giants, who have gone before us, as men, just like us, to try to understand what it true and what it means for a thing to be true. For Descartes, his Meditations on First Philosophy includes the line that divides the mind from the body. Since it is possible that our senses to be tricked, it is possible that all of our senses can be tricked at the same time. If that is true, how can we even know that we exist. And from this we get the line, "I think, therefore I am."
But this isn't the first time mankind has concerned itself with the mind-body distinction. Plato and his influence also depends on there being a difference between the idea of a thing, and the physical thing we interact with.
Across Social Media, and at least western culture this can be observed: the more skilled a person is at the use of force, the less likely they are going to participate in casual violence. Jack Donovan joins the show to talk about masculine philosophy, boasting in various cultures, and where Violence is Golden. Whether it's people who write checks they can't cash, start fights without the means to resolve them, or what honor looks like between men, we discuss the relationship between violence, threats, and honor in this episode of the REDACTED Culture Cast.
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
The question asked by Socrates gets to the heart of how we think about who or what God is. Many of the arguments regarding God falter over childish descriptions, evoking imaginary characters, judgemental shirtless men, and an abundance of the word "empathy." So when Socrates asks about the relationship between the gods and goodness or holiness or piety, he forces the reader to sort out whether their idea of God is bound by some other force, and the consequences of such ideas.
And how we think about God impacts how we think about goodness, and in turn, morality, which, when it comes to potentially taking life, is something to take very seriously.
The singularity will change, the world will remain the same.
REDACTED is a strange conglomeration of those who know, and those who suspect.
As a result, the REDACTED Culture Cast is going to change.
The long form conversations will remain. In addition, there will be something of value for you to consider in your day-to-day. Philosophy exists in tension between the halls of academia and a sense of isolation from all of human life.
The events that took place in our recent history draw attention once again that there's a difference between the ideal when it comes to law enforcement, and our current reality. And although the political battle is still making hay for this side or that, we as a community have some things to discuss when it comes to the recent shooting of a Utah citizen.
Even if it's not as simple as the pundits make it out to be, event of this sort have ramifications, even if it's not in the way our cultural detractors would like it to be.
More importantly, we as the community ought come together on this matter, if not to bring up moral and legal challenges against those responsible for what took place, than certainly about what it means to look out for one another.
Ethan "Gypsy" Walters has brought art and inspiration to a whole wave of the new Gun Culture, and joins this episode for his third appearance. To check out his work head to the House of Wolves. Or follow him on Instagram at @gypsywalters
The meme-ability of Blade Runner 2049 serves as a testament to the its grasp on the human condition at this time. The parallels between the film and the experiences of men concludes in a tragedy, and not one without consequences.
If the Literally Me meme continues to live on, as men depart from the emptiness of the prior cultural movement. As the New Atheist ideology steadily collapses under the weight of it's own demands, culture is returning to a pursuit in a life worth living, a precedent antithetical to the rote hedonism of the 90's and early 2000's. However, the need for greater can lead to dark roads, and pseudo religions and the worship of the state offer temptation.
The pursuit of Knowledge is its own reward, or so the saying goes. And although this saying might have some immediate motivating value for those engaging in academics, it rarely receives the treatment it deserves.
Clairvoyance is one of those words that, like enlightenment, receives more abuse than proper use. Particularly from hippies, fools, and pseudo-intellectuals. Alone, it comes to no good end, and might be a curse.
A great terror which haunts me is the fear of one day being granted the ability to see clearly, only to discover that I have intentionally blinded myself to avoid the tasks set before me.
The funny thing about Gossip, is that, like murder or stealing, it's nearly a universally opposed activity, at least when others are doing it. While it may appear like one sharing confidence with another, it reveals that the intentions of the speaker are not all that moral, and takes wisdom to dismantle.
So, when we talk about news, or industry drama, we should ask ourselves if we are degrading ourselves and others by participating in Gossip.
The Fool Says in his heart "There is No God." With the slow collapse of the New Atheist movement in the background, we are made aware that the denial of God isn't as simple as some denial of a supernatural being. When one denies God, they defy the existence of anything that has power or authority over the consequences of one's actions.
Denial of God is the denial of a metaphysical reality and it isn't without consequences.
Denial of God is the denial of consequences, and can be easily understood as a child throwing a tantrum for getting caught.
Although there might have been a time when the New Atheist movement was considered intellectual, that day has passed. There is no going back.
Beau Doboszenski returns to address what might be the greatest casualty of the contemporary world: Trust. While it goes hand-in-hand with the Post-Information Age, this subject looks differently for those inside the group, than it does for those outside.
As we see trust breakdown between the citizens and the government, we are also witnessing a dissolving of trust within Gun Culture. The first may be expected given the infringements, but with each new day comes a new reason to be skeptical of even those in our midst.
Follow Beau and Defensive Mindset Training on Instagram at @dmtdefenders Check out their library list of drills and training at defensivemindsettraining.com
We've all likely heard it before: if you're not fit, you're going to die. If that's the stick, what does the carrot of physical conditioning look like? Some respond well to the stick, others to the carrot, so it can be argued that a good combination of both go a whole lot further.
Ian Strimbeck is the man behind RuneNation, providing training, philosophy, and if you search right, thought crimes.
We're all familiar with the Rat Race in Gun Culture. Call it Keeping Up with the Jones if you want, but the effect extends beyond gear. Got a rifle? Now you need to train with it. Train with your rifle? Now you need a plate carrier, then NODs, then lock picks, then radios and on and on and on.
At the same time, contentment can look an awful lot like complacency. Discernment will be necessary.
When is one morally obligated to resist one's government? With all the talk of tyranny and noncompliance, we sit down with Baret Fawbush to discuss about some of the theological considerations about resisting evil when it comes from positions of political power.
Bump Stocks and Brace Rulings
Find out the difference between a criminal and an outlaw.
Delve into what tools Christians are given to resist evil in their midst.
Baret Fawbush can be found on Instagram at @truexodus
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
Gypsy Walters in this episode that covers the breadth and depth of Gun Culture. So much has changed in the past decade within the circle: from people's participation, to gear, to personalities, to aspirations for the future. His work, from tattoos to illustrations can be found throughout.
He presents the idea of having "One Lap in the Arena" he addresses it from both looking forward, and backward. The classic microcosm in Gun Culture may be that day your skills will be tested, but when pulling back at one's life, the saying takes a deeper meaning.
Admittedly it can be a semantic game, but when it comes to gatekeeping, the conversation within Gun Culture has become almost entirely one-sided. Call someone's behavior out as gatekeeping and the conversation's over. We see this elsewhere in society: losing the argument? Call your opponent a racist. Didn't get the position you wanted? Patriarchy.
In order to maintain integrity, we ought observe the appropriate use of the term Gatekeeping, and be sure we're not tearing down the standards that serve as the foundation of our community.
Ten years ago "Tribe" led the charts as a buzzword. Today, the word is community. If it's a good thing, we call it being part of a tribe, if it is a bad thing, we call it tribalism. If it's a good thing, we call it a community, if it's a bad thing, we call it a cult.
Is the difference just that simple? Yes and No. Adding detail to our language enhances our ability to maneuver the world.
We live in a time where citizens, especially men, are starved for a sense of community. As a result, charlatans take advantage of that void to make a quick buck, to lure a quick con. If our lives do not depend on our ability to navigate such things, our souls certainly do.
For fun, we are going to engage in one of those classic topics: Capitalism vs. Socialism. While it is common for us to hear that Socialism is based on compassion, where Capitalism is based on Greed. However, as much as that argument tries to stick, it continues to feel off.
In this episode we exchange in how to address this argument, and a similar one that pits Mercy against Justice.
When we hear the words "Conspiracy Theory" we instinctually recognize that the language is loaded with implication. Because it's a theory, it can't be true, and because it's a conspiracy, there must be a bad guy to the story.
However, the danger of a Conspiracy Theory is not purely in the political hay to be harvested, but rather becoming consumed in a monomania that leads either to impotence, or damnation. Society aside, a Conspiracy Theory is both a metaphysics problem, and one for epistemology to handle.
With all that sweet, sweet awareness that The Sound of Freedom drummed up, and for good reason, we're going to address the elephant in the room. Pornography, for the average American Man, is one of the central causes for demoralization. We recognize that there is evil in the world when we consider Human Trafficking, but we turn a different eye to the porn in our households. Even the coming of age stories from many of our childhoods includes a scene where one of the main character's "friends" hides a smut mag.
So when it comes to porn and the demoralization it produces, the solution is to act, with impunity if necessary. Kill it, remove it from your life, as if your life depended on it. As it just might someday.
If the role of a man is to protect and provide for his family, what does that look like in an era where even self-defense is contorted by the racist claims of immoral practitioners of law?
What does a woman's touch have to do with a man's business?
In Part 1, Will and I covered how the last few years have revealed the economic fragility of the Western world and he presented a solution: durable trades. In part 2, we introduce the fragility respective to the other of a man's duty: protection.
Will Spencer is the founder of the Renaissance of Men, a podcast a more dedicated to a plan of reconciliation between Men and Women. His work and website can be found at renofmen.com For his social media, start at renofmen.com/links
Reconciliation is a term often used in theological conversations, as well as in attempts to resolve conflicts within families. What Feminists, the Manosphere, and Will Spencer have in common, is that the relationship between men and women is not going well in the 21st century. So in this conversation, we go back in time to look at early examples of this conflict taking root, and move forward from there to investigate what reconciliation would look like.
As we move on, we particularly pay attention to the role men play in a healthy society, and beyond, how we might get there.
Will Spencer is the founder of the Renaissance of Men, a podcast a more dedicated to a plan of reconciliation between Men and Women. His work and website can be found at renofmen.com For his social media, start at renofmen.com/links
The culture war has shifted its attention to an old evil: Slavery. While we start by navigating some of the responses, the conversation quickly turns to what we think about terms like RELIGION and MORALITY. The accusation that The Sound of Freedom is a religious thriller tells more about the accuser than the film when we look at what that implies.
But when a population raises its awareness to a horrible evil, it does not necessarily translate into an equivalent response, instead creating a whiplash effect from moral outrage to moral outrage, ultimately resulting in a state of demoralization. Those aware leave with only the tension between their awareness of evil, and a feeling of incapability.
But we have a response to the global decentralized network that is Human Trafficking, and in this case, it is to pay attention to what you are responsible over.
What does Night Vision have to do with Resentment. For those ingrained in both the Culture War and the Firearms Community, it may not come as a surprise, as both entered the lexicon and the equipment room of many of us as the same time. As individuals like Jordan Peterson or Jack Donovan wrote and spoke about resentment, many of those participating in Gun Culture were just "getting into" Night Vision.
And here we are with the question: should you train with Night Vision? Or, does anybody really need to train with it. After putting aside the generally presented bad arguments, we dig a little deeper into the question.
Which unveils that much of this type of conversation is rooted, not in imperatives or objectives, but resentment. The counter-offensive in a sense to elitism, Resentment rots from the bottom up.
All that we know is that we can't keep going on like this. What we don't know is when to make a change, or how.
In his work the Secular Age, Charles Taylor talks about the cross pressures of the era. James K. A. Smith distills this large and technical book into a short, relevant page turner titled "The Secular Age." While the term secular has meant different things at different times, or in different contexts, we live in one where secularism has to do with the mechanism of belief. Authenticity has become the dominant factor in the legitimacy of a belief. With a sense of freedom, it brings a different problem: suicide, individual and cultural.
And that problem is reflected in the malaise of urgency that weighs on the shoulders of so many: we believe there is something that we ought do, but that is also the one thing we cannot do.
And so we find ourselves between the boundaries of fools and cowards.
This episode has been sponsored by Obsidian Arms, a manufacturer of tools, parts and firearms, as well as operating as an OEM shop for those looking to bring excellence to the market. Their Minnesota-based shop builds and cuts parts out of U.S.-sourced materials. Their gunsmith tools, custom firearms, and capabilities can be found at www.obsidianarms.com
Throughout history we have a long list of examples of both individuals and empires that divided all of humanity between those above and those below. Where it's the oppressors and the oppressed, the free and the serfs, the government and the people, or a complex caste system, these social structures are most often deemed immoral, incorrect, or manipulative.
Yet, when it comes to people, while we may come to believe that all people are created equal, such an idea, absent a Metaphysic with a Creator, doesn't appear obvious: we are not all born in the same economic status, geographical location, or timeline. We have different proclivities, preferences, and traditions. Whether or not there are more differences or similarities between all peoples across time may come down to semantics.
So, when we say that some people have it, and some people don't, what are we saying?
What's the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Manifesto of a Mass Murderer? As we celebrate the 4th of July, we have the opportunity to reflect on our values, and state what we believe to be right and true and good.
Our country was founded on more than just Scruples. And every generation must learn that if we do not consider those values, and voluntarily chose to uphold them, they will crumble under our watch.
Do you have a line in the sand? One that if crossed, demands a response? Are you afraid that your Declaration of Independence will be considered the manifesto of a madman?
The Philosopher's Stone, Mysticism, Alchemy. When we try to turn Lead into Gold, we do so blind to the consequences. When we try to achieve peace through the abolition of meaning, the outcome is not a peace worth living.
Multiculturalism, as it is presented in our contemporary world, offers a deal of this type: it tempts with a freedom from conventions, without disclosing the cost: meaning. Have you not heard it cried from the rooftops: "Can't we just get along." Somehow the voice of one that poses to be begging for acceptance turns out to be the one bearing the sword enforcing uniformity.
It's not that we don't want peace. We simply don't want it at the cost of our soul.