Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Quote of the Day: Sacrificing Virgins to Volcanoes
“All around us, humans are not change agents, but victims buffeted by impersonal deities who must be appeased through acts of sacrifice. In principle, there is no distinction between the island barbarian who sacrifices virgins to the volcano and the modern American who self-sterilizes to ‘save the planet.’ Both are expressions of the human desire to suffer in order to appease a larger, all-important ‘force.’ And both are ways in which otherwise intelligent people adopt pagan worldviews in order to come to peace with their place in the world.” — Shaya Cohen (aka @iwe), The Torah Manifesto
The world is filled with people who wear their helplessness, victimization, and virtue-signaling as badges of honor. They have given up their free will as their contribution to the myth that the earth is falling apart and only through their sacrifices can it be saved. Their growing abundance and success, instead of filling them with gratitude and motivation, overwhelm them with guilt and teeth-gnashing. They elevate their impact on the planet so that they end up becoming their own gods, thinking that they can make the world better by giving up those things they have earned and created. Their surrender to true Power is not possible, since they have made themselves into powerless deities.
Instead, they can choose to leave the mythical cave of suffering and safety, and emerge into an existence that feeds their power and creativity, improving the world and serving others.
But will they?
Published in Culture
I’m always amazed when I read or hear about some individual who worked hard to get where he is, then feels as you’ve described. Do they not recognize if hard work and perseverance paid off for them, they should be preaching those virtues to others instead of being ashamed?
Or maybe they don’t think others can be motivated to do the same as they did. Maybe this is why they support the taking money from other achievers in the form of taxes, and giving to those whom they believe can’t achieve.
I feel comfortable with what I’ve accomplished in life. I recall Obama’s “You didn’t build that speech.” He would tell me I didn’t get where I was without the great teachers I had. He has the right idea – great teachers got me where I was – but he takes the wrong approach. Even though I had great teachers, I still had to pass their exams. And that was me, not them.
Put another way, Obama believes you cannot claim any accomplishment if even one person had a hand in your achievement. Interdependency with other people to achieve your goal does not negate the concept of doing it yourself.
Double Like! All of it!
Susan,
Remember the old Steve Martin routine called “Theodoric of York Medieval Barber”. In the middle of the skit, he would do an aside to the audience. Here he would muse upon the possibility of a renaissance where knowledge would overcome superstition and justice would overcome cruelty. Then he’d think for a moment and say “Nahhh!” calling for his assistant Brungilda (Gilda Radner as a hunchback) he’d proceed with the “bleeding”.
Always made me laugh.
Regards,
Jim
This.
I’m amused at the level of cognitive dissonance that must be in play for supposedly scientifically-minded people to think this way. They just can’t grasp the concept that they are vacating an ecological niche that will be filled by others who don’t think like they do.
Thank you, thank you! [Stad takes a bow.]
I didn’t follow Steve Martin, but I did steal his happy dance. (You may see me any afternoon tapping away!) Would you mind tracking down the video? Thanks, Jim.
Nice. Excellent commentary on all sides.
Frankly, I could make a case for self-sterilization to be evolution at its best. “You there– out of the gene pool!”
In moments of extreme self-doubt, usually at about 3 AM, I am consoled by the fact that I had something to do with unleashing two pretty darn fantastic kids on the world.
Perhaps, in their time, they have come across others who work just as hard and end up with nothing?
There’s more to this than hard work. There is also blessing. We shouldn’t look at our wealth as simply a procurement for hard work. We should turn grateful eyes to God for his blessings and generosity. And rather than be consumed with guilt for our good fortune, turn around and be generous to those less fortunate.
But we shouldn’t look at the poor and judge them unworthy of wealth simply by virtue of their being poor.
The guilt-ridden, fortunate man is a lot like a soldier with survivor’s guilt whose companion was killed by a blast or shot that could just as easily have taken him. Through no extra effort of either of them, one is alive and the other dead. Both trained hard for this, both took risks for good reasons. So what do you do with the life that was spared you? Die of guilt? Or live a full life in thanksgiving?
Susan,
The remaining video evidence appears to be behind paywalls. However, the subject has been well covered in Schtikipedia (the online humor encyclopedia). But seriously Wikipedia.
Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber
Yes, perhaps the left will give up its twisted beliefs in 47 genders, man-made global warming, Johnny Depp is a great actor and other absurdities. Naaahhhh!!!
Regards,
Jim
This is very special. And not only to live a life in thanksgiving, but to honor the person who didn’t make it. Thanks, @altargirl.
Thanks for trying, Jim. I read the whole description, and thinking of Steve Martin in that role makes me laugh!
I too, hope I have unleased two great kid into the world!
<blush>. Thank you, Susan, for the honor.
Thank you for an insightful book, @iwe. And for anyone wondering, Shaya Cohen is a pseudonym, so I haven’t outed him.
I’ve been blessed with a good career with about 5% of the time unemployed. Our family has had no major medical expenses or unemployment. For others less fortunate through no fault of their own, I’m willing to support their basic and truly special needs such as medical expenses.
We have one opening left in the July Schedule and most of the August Schedule available for your wisdom on the Quote of the Day. We even include tips for finding great quotes. It’s the easiest way to start a Ricochet conversation, so why not sign up today?
I sure don’t. But it is frustrating when you try to help get them out of their situation, and they won’t take the initiative . . .
I know blind people who refused medical procedures and technologies that might help because they were well adapted to being blind.
I know sick people who refused treatment because they preferred the certainty of death to the uncertainty of a possible cure.
And I know many poor people who believe that if they were meant to be rich, they would be: so there is no point in doing anything new/different/better.
I think this goes to your idea, @iwe, that we have free will and we have countless choices. If a person is illiterate, he can learn to read. If he doesn’t know where to get that kind of education, he can ask all kinds of people. We have to ask ourselves: at what point do we decide that a person is incapable of taking care of his life, when there is always someone available to help or offer input? Perhaps the only exception is someone who has low mental capacity.
While we are flawed, I believe that human life is valuable and good. Yes, we can be destructive but history has shown mankind to be tremendously productive and creative. Our current level of wealth and lowering of poverty around the world is proof of that.
It is very sad to me that worthwhile efforts like cleaning up polluted waters and air are now tainted by the frankly eliminationist rhetoric of the ecological extremists. Regulation, controls, technology, and the wealth to deploy them cleaned up the air in Southern California. You can see the mountains most days. It doesn’t hurt to breath. But new efforts and controls, for me, are suspect because of the anti-human perspective being taken by their advocates.
But how can one judge their idealism, @clavius? <sarcasm> They are striving for perfection, which is humanly impossible, but they’ll try anyway. It’s the trying that counts.
I am afraid they are not striving for perfection, but rather for human extinction. They see humans as the “bad.” Hence all things that help humans are also bad. They would oppose new dams to help people with water needs, feeling them inherently worse than a beaver dam built for beavers’ needs. There’s a Heinlein quote on that but I don’t have time to find it right now.
Maybe. I think they only hate humans when they act in ways that conflict with the Left agendas–like saving the earth.
I look at it as both.
God gave me the tools with which to achieve.
My teachers made me realize I had the tools.
I used the tools to achieve.
And I thank God every day for His blessings and generosity. His participation in my success does not diminish my role as a striving individual . . .
I would agree with you with respect to how they hate individual people or groups of people. But they clearly believe that humans as a scourge on the Earth that should be eliminated.
And I’ve found the Heinlein quote, from Time Enough for Love:
That’s difficult to dispute, @clavius. He has a point. I know that I personally have experienced the disdain of the Left for the Right (including Hillary’s deplorables), but I guess I was reluctant to go as far as hatred. I’ll need to contemplate that possibility. Thank you for finding the quote.
Not necessarily out of fear alone; also, perhaps redefining *self*? Not servile fear, but anxiety about self-definition…Personally, I’d love to root around in what was my Mom’s attic, tend her roses, heck, give myself a spa date – drop and do 50 -or salsa-dance the night away: The list goes on and on. (It mightn’t have been thus without certain RicoFriends, it must be said, but there you are…).
I can see that possibility, @nandapanjandrum, but they are both a type of fear, aren’t they? And self-limiting as well? I’ve never had to deal with the kind of limitation, as you do, so I don’t know how I would respond. But I feel sad when I see people hold onto an identity that limits their opportunities to experience life in a different way.
It’s definitely different, SQ, but akin to satisfaction – in some ways – rather than complacency or fear…I think of John Knowles’ book title: “A Separate Peace”. Perhaps because my disability was made more complicated as an infant, it’s always been present in my life – in my self-definition. Not necessarily with a negative valence, but as one facet among many…Any later negativity probably resulted from broken relationships – that others’ generosity has healed in a major way. I wouldn’t be Nanda without it, but I’d be open to adding other facets to my self-definition if the mobility/self-care realities changed tomorrow.
Thanks for elaborating.