Who is the Greatest?


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-tavakol/goldman-sachs-bullies-on_b_713908.html?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=091310&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry
This article details the obfuscations and the smoke screen that goldman sacks uses for its own ends. This issue has been ongoing without resolution for far too long and has created a maze that most people would find difficult to follow. Given as she has twice noted, that information has been suppressed by the Treasury, the Fed and the SEC, it would probably be foolish to go any further. So, I have chosen to approach it from a different tack.

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Humility is a lesson one can find throughout the Bible. The parable of the children is one such lesson which comes to mind. It can be found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It begins with the question “Who is the Greatest”. Apparently the disciples were arguing about which one of them was the greatest. Upon hearing this, Jesus beckons a child and enlightens them on the virtue of humility, a childlike humility. It is interesting to note that it is only in Mark that the lesson goes further by stating the importance of being a servant to others. It, to me, is probably one of the most important lessons in the Bible. Jesus knew the difficulties of the flesh seeking the word of God. Being creatures of habit, the virtual impossibility of divorcing oneself from this carnal existence is usually a foregone conclusion. But, through the code of honor derived by being a “Man for Others”, a form of discipline is embraced which brings oneself a step closer to that vision of God’s Kingdom. It is this code of honor bestowed that feeds this persistent hunger for a purpose, a constant search for meaning, an insatiable desire to fufill a destiny. It is a commitment that is and will be continually challenged.

Our modern era has been characterized as the Age of Science. A Science characterized by a duality, a separation of mind and matter. It is a Cartesian concept that was formalized by Descartes, the father of Modern Philosophy. It is a concept that has been abused through the rationalization of the materialist bent of mind and the consequent attack on all religious and spiritual teachings. An abuse evident in thought and actions in our modern era. Rene Descartes was a devout believer in God. It would behoove us to realize that this was far from his intents and purpose. Granted that I am no expert in history but based on my limited readings, this is an abuse that acquires a pattern as evidenced in other ideas derived from Newton, Aristotle, Einstein and many others. Take another instance, Aristotle’s concept of logic derived from a sequence of events which is so basic to modern thought and the idea of cause and effect. Aristotle actually included the idea of potentia which was a point or event after a cause but before the effect. Potentia was defined as an interface where something unexpected could happen. Hence, logic acquires a more fluid and a less mechanistic dynamic. It becomes more pliant and forgiving. 

One of the many descriptions of Isaac Newton was that he was a prophetic exegete. This was a realization apparent only in the last two decades when his religious writings were released to the public. His writings were withheld from the public due to some of his controversial viewpoints. He, for instance did not believe in the concept of the Trinity. People were burned on the stake for this during his time. Unlike Charles Darwin though, he never wavered from his belief in God. It was this belief which guided him in his search to find God in the Sciences. It was this belief which allowed him to concede the limitations of the human mind to fathom beyond his philosophy.

“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only a boy playing on the sea shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me”. – Sir Isaac Newton

Charles Darwin, on the other hand struggled with his beliefs. He could not reconcile himself with the reality of God due to the constraints of science; A Newtonian Science. A Science which has evolved and liberated itself from Darwin’s previous shackles of constraint. A new science which now allows the possibility of miracles found in the bible. Unlike Newton who believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible, Darwin believed otherwise.

Charles Darwin (1859) distinguished himself in the science of biology; a young science at the time. Like Newton’s time, it was an era of abundant disoveries. Biology, chemistry, psychology and physics among many others were exciting endeavors to get into. The late 18th and 19th century was a hotbed of ideas in Europe and which, in turn fed the embers of discontent in society. It was a revolutionary time for liberal ideas. Ideas which clashed with monarchy and culminated in the French Revolution. A revolution influenced by Newton’s philosophy. A philosophy which at that time was understood as being independent from any religious influence.

The manipulation of Darwins ideas in business and politics presents a classic example of an abuse with profound and drastic consequences. The “Origin of the Species” was Darwins contribution to science. Its influence was pervasive and would contribute to an upheaval of societies and social values. Its not that his ideas clashed with the then existing value system linked with monarchy as a form of government but that it gave impetus and a rationale for the value system of the ascendant aristocracy and capitalists. Cognizant of the current milieu we find ourselves nowadays, aristocracy by definition and as a socratic concept implied a person with virtue.

The core concept of racial hygiene was based on Darwinism. It was a reaction by the establishment to the conditions prevalent at the time resulting from the dramatic changes involved in the transitional stage we call Industrialization. This reaction triggered a chain of events which reverberates to the present. In 1907, Luntz forms an order of the new Templars whose rituals are based on his experiences as a monk in a monastery. Hitler would correspond with him on a regular basis. In 1912, the International Congress of London was formed: President – Major Leonard Darwin (son of Charles Darwin); Exec. VP – Winston Churchill; VP – Charles Eliot (Pres. Emeritus of Harvard) and Alexander Graham Bell. In the pantheons of business, Rockefeller and Carnegie would both be staunch supporters of foundations and scientific research dedicated to racial hygiene.

Since religion and its ideas are such an important part of this thought process, I would like to insert a paragraph from a book which I believe would add to the point of this whole essay; a synergy so to speak.

“The ascent of Christianity accompanied the disintegration of the classical world beginning around 400 AD. These contrapuntal forces clashed with such dissonance that they brought about a 400 year long European intermission in human knowledge and creativity we now call the Dark Ages”. Art and Physics by Leonard Shlain

The Dark Age was such a pivotal moment in human history distinguished more by the pain and deprivation than the beauty it fostered. I like to think of it as a moment of reflection inserted in history. A moment in time to reflect on what we value most. It was a time that saw the birth of chivalry and the Knights of Templar and ushered in the Enlightenment made possible through the Arab culture. Knowledge that was lost in the Dark Ages was found in the Arab culture; a culture which flourished from the 7th to 10th centuries.

The Enlightenment made possible the birth of the Renaissance Man. Natural philosophy, a precursor of science was a predominant feature of this period. It was broader in scope than modern science. Isaac Newton, its foremost poponent was well versed in the Arts, Music, Alchemy, Natural Philosophy and of course Religion. It was a culture that encouraged a cross disciplinary approach to life. A much healthier, wholesome, and holistic frame of mind.

in summary, It is my opinion that unlike business, politics and economics, the various other disciplines available to Man are as a whole honest in approach and results oriented to a fault at times. A thought process that may at times be too focused and consequently, myopic by discounting possibilities and accidents which may present themselves. A thought process dictated by Logic. A western logic characterized by a cause and effect. Disabused, we should think; Cause = POTENTIA = Effect.


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