Keep Looking Forward
I guess there's a lot of human nature in trying to live in the past. Since we know what happened in the past, that's a hell of a lot easier to take than to look to the future, since we don't know what will happen with absolute certainty, and that makes many of us jittery to different degrees. Sometimes we refer to "the good old days," even when those days weren't really very good when they were actually taking place. There's comfort in the past and a bit of anxiety about the future, even in far less turbulent times than now. We need to look back to see where we've been, hopefully to help guide us to where we're going. There's a difference, however, in looking back to assess a situation or to reminisce, and actually trying to take ourselves back in time. I hope all of you will never get so old or cantankerous that you try to "escape to the past."
George W. Bush and his administration tried to take the country (and the world) back to a time when businessmen (now also businesswomen) and wealthy interests ruled without any restraints. Mankind learns from the past (hopefully, after all, that's why we have history), but these folks didn't learn the lessons from those times long since past, or maybe they did, and their ego trips and greed were in the forefront of their agenda. They got much of what they wanted and WE share a degree of blame for letting them get away with it. Now all will pay the price. Don't forget, years ago many people believed that kings and queens were somehow given their power from God, and that therefore, they had the right to rule. Mankind came to see that this idea was nothing but a bunch of nonsense! Mixing religion with politics in such a direct way can be VERY dangerous!
Capitalism without regulation and income fairness is, like "Divine Right of Kings," nothing but nonsense. It may sound good, but it just doesn't work that way. It is much the same with that almost indefinable word "freedom." We all talk about "freedom of speech," for instance, but the fact is, we put limits on free speech, because you can't have this "pure concept," as humans aren't pure, and the concept gets perverted. Remember the saying, "We have freedom of speech, but that doesn't give us the right to cry 'FIRE' in a crowded theater." The "capitalists" have made a major comeback from the days of "The Great Depression." Ever so gradually they got regulations removed or lessened, and as memories of the abuses of the pre-Depression times faded, they came roaring back to a position of dominance. All of this talk about free markets being so "natural," is more bunk! If you got ill and went to your doctor, how would you respond if that doctor said, "Oh I can't do anything for you, we've got to let things happen naturally. Giving you some kind of medication would be interfering." Or if the doctor examined you and said, "Well, you've got the early stages of cancer, but that must be what God wants, so go home and I'll see you in six to nine months, if God decides differently, otherwise I'll send flowers." Hopefully you see the nonsense in this bunch of malarkey! Whatever your belief about a Creator, we have minds. That's a fact! You may wonder if that's a fact with Randy, but even I was given a mind. We must use our minds to try to control things that are controllable, or to lessen the pain of things we haven't quite figured out.
Word History:
Law-This comes from the same Old Germanic word that gave us "lay;" that word being "lagan," which meant "lay or put." Old English had "ae" and "gesetnes" for "law." I'm not sure of the origins of "ae," but "gesetnes" meant "that which is set down." (See the bold!) In modern German, the word for law is "Gesetz," nearly the same as our old word, and with the same meaning, "that which is set down." Old English picked up "lagu" (with a short "a" as in "father") from Old Norse, a form of North Germanic, and again, the meaning was similar to our original word, but instead of "that which is set down," it meant "that which is laid down, or fixed in place." Over time, the "g" and "u" sounds died out, leaving us with "law."
Now...that's what I call..."Laying down the law!"
George W. Bush and his administration tried to take the country (and the world) back to a time when businessmen (now also businesswomen) and wealthy interests ruled without any restraints. Mankind learns from the past (hopefully, after all, that's why we have history), but these folks didn't learn the lessons from those times long since past, or maybe they did, and their ego trips and greed were in the forefront of their agenda. They got much of what they wanted and WE share a degree of blame for letting them get away with it. Now all will pay the price. Don't forget, years ago many people believed that kings and queens were somehow given their power from God, and that therefore, they had the right to rule. Mankind came to see that this idea was nothing but a bunch of nonsense! Mixing religion with politics in such a direct way can be VERY dangerous!
Capitalism without regulation and income fairness is, like "Divine Right of Kings," nothing but nonsense. It may sound good, but it just doesn't work that way. It is much the same with that almost indefinable word "freedom." We all talk about "freedom of speech," for instance, but the fact is, we put limits on free speech, because you can't have this "pure concept," as humans aren't pure, and the concept gets perverted. Remember the saying, "We have freedom of speech, but that doesn't give us the right to cry 'FIRE' in a crowded theater." The "capitalists" have made a major comeback from the days of "The Great Depression." Ever so gradually they got regulations removed or lessened, and as memories of the abuses of the pre-Depression times faded, they came roaring back to a position of dominance. All of this talk about free markets being so "natural," is more bunk! If you got ill and went to your doctor, how would you respond if that doctor said, "Oh I can't do anything for you, we've got to let things happen naturally. Giving you some kind of medication would be interfering." Or if the doctor examined you and said, "Well, you've got the early stages of cancer, but that must be what God wants, so go home and I'll see you in six to nine months, if God decides differently, otherwise I'll send flowers." Hopefully you see the nonsense in this bunch of malarkey! Whatever your belief about a Creator, we have minds. That's a fact! You may wonder if that's a fact with Randy, but even I was given a mind. We must use our minds to try to control things that are controllable, or to lessen the pain of things we haven't quite figured out.
Word History:
Law-This comes from the same Old Germanic word that gave us "lay;" that word being "lagan," which meant "lay or put." Old English had "ae" and "gesetnes" for "law." I'm not sure of the origins of "ae," but "gesetnes" meant "that which is set down." (See the bold!) In modern German, the word for law is "Gesetz," nearly the same as our old word, and with the same meaning, "that which is set down." Old English picked up "lagu" (with a short "a" as in "father") from Old Norse, a form of North Germanic, and again, the meaning was similar to our original word, but instead of "that which is set down," it meant "that which is laid down, or fixed in place." Over time, the "g" and "u" sounds died out, leaving us with "law."
Now...that's what I call..."Laying down the law!"
Labels: business interests, capitalism, Divine Right, English, etymology, free markets, Germanic languages, the wealthy
posted by Randy at 1:27 AM
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