A Civilization needs rules of conduct to function. Rights need to be acknowledged. Just as important, common courtesies need to be extended. Even when it’s difficult. Especially when its difficult. This is clearly lost on large swaths of our population in what some scholars are deeming Civil War 2.0.
Rules of Conduct
Let’s check out what I deem to be the essential rules of conduct for running a successful civilization.
Rule Number 1: There is a God. You’re not Him.
My friend Ben Hodges once posted clip of Penn Gillette, making a forceful case for Atheism. In summary, Gillette asserts that he commits exactly the number of rapes and murders he wants, which is zero. His point was to illustrate that he doesn’t require a higher power to tell him right from wrong. While I vehemently disagree with his line of reasoning, it never-the-less remains the singular rational argument in favor or Atheism that I have heard to date. And it dovetails smoothly with Rule Number 1.
So even while Gillette denies the divine spark nudging him to refrain from evil, he concedes that there is a generally accepted principle at work upon which rational people govern their lives. He’s not God. I’m not God. You’re not God. When Atheists (or Agnostics) and Christians can agree on an issue, you know you’re onto something. Good job, Ben.
Rule Number 2: The 2ndPrincipal of Insanity:
If you agree with me 100% of the time, you’re insane. Conversely, if you disagree with me 100% of the time, you’re insane.
I’m talking to you, Trump Haters.
Rule Number 3: Rules and locks serve the same purpose: They exist for honest people.
I lean libertarian, and I’m willing to pay the municipal authorities to pick up my garbage. I’m also very much in favor of yield signs and traffic lights. Thieves, pedophiles, murderers, and other illegal aliens are unfazed no matter how many laws we pile on top of them. The rules of conduct require some degree of self-governance.
Rule Number 4: If you verbally or physically abuse someone else, there are consequences.
To date, I’ve only put one commenter into spam jail on this blog. An old college friend of my brothers’.
Sub-point: The preamble “with all due respect,” is not license to be a jerk.
Rule Number 5: Never bother people at dinner. Ever.
What do Stalin, Hitler, Jim Acosta, Hillary Clinton, The folks at MSNBC and Mao Zedong all have in common? They all have/had the right to be left alone at dinner.
This goes for breakfast and lunch, of course. There is no cause, no motive, and no problem short of a 911 emergency (life, limb, eyesight) that can’t wait until the object of your affection or derision is done eating. The fact that some people feel they are free to do so, is a symptom of how quickly we are loosing our civilization. There is a special place in hell for those who disregard this rule.
Candace Owens assaulted in a Philadelphia cafe. Aug 6, 2018 (screenshot via Twitter)
Rule Number 6: Never bother people at dinner. Ever.
Rule Number 7: See Rules 5 & 6.
Rule Number 8: Words have to have meaning.
Language is essential to the rules of conduct.
Racism is not “everywhere.” It exists in small pockets that are shunned and ostracized by 99% of the rest of us. Of course, thanks to the radical Left (is there any other kind anymore?), the words “Racism” and “Racist” have lost all meaning and context. Do you know what’s racist? Slaughtering six million people because they don’t care for both Testaments. My father, a 19-year old Corporal in 1945 crossed the Rhine on a pontoon bridge as part of a larger effort to put a stop to it. Real racism. Not the fake kind.
Do you know what’s also racist? Six Million Hutus killing a million Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994. You know what’s NOT racist? Requesting that newcomers assimilate into Western Civilization.
Can we just stop it already?
There is no such thing as “Rape Culture” in the United States. An unattractive man making an approach is not sexual assault, and saying that it is denigrates those who really have had to put up with the real thing.
There is no such thing as “hate speech,” and if you believe in it’s existence, then you are too stupid to live in a functioning republic and you should move to a country where civil rights are not a priority.
Same goes for “Hate Crimes.” I have to hand it to The Left for successfully creating a caste system where the law is applied unequally in complete contravention to the 14th Amendment.
Those with whom you differ are not “Nazis.”
It’s useful to note that the people who are trying the hardest to put their boots onto the faces of those with a different opinion are screaming “Nazi” the loudest. I understand why the Left uses the term, though. Because once they label someone a “Nazi,” that gives them license to throw out all the Rules of Civilization. They get to act like God. They can disagree with anyone 100% of the time on positions they themselves held just minutes ago.
The very same can heap verbal abuse can onto anyone… because anyone can be a “Nazi.” They can assault anyone, because anyone can be a “Nazi.” After all, any behavior towards a “Nazi” is justified, right? They can take a crowbar to all the locks, and harass anyone at harass at dinner. In short, now YOU can act like a “Nazi” and in your mind, there should be no consequences. Uh-huh. We’re on to you.
Selah.
Pingback: The Homecoming. Why Some Classics Should Be Left Alone. - Manning The WallManning The Wall