Means and ends

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Ksitigarbha hears the cries of the world and voluntarily enters the hell realms to provide support. The current society in the USA is a hell realm, or hungry ghosts, in some respects.

The unskillful means of the early communist party trying to get it's way has created a world where people imagine communism is synonymous with authoritarianism. There are consequences to using unskillful means. The supreme court is finding out about that.

Democratic socialism is about moving in that direction with consent. Persuading, and accepting when the majority doesn't want to move in that direction. If the majority of the people don't want roads, or trash removal, or accessible health care, then we can't get it. That's the give and take of democracy. Many people reject activist government trying to solve problems. Ramming them down someone else's throat isn't the way. The means are the ends in democracy. It's through persuasion and discussion. It's a battle of knowledge. Humans are limited, they don't always act in their own best interests. Democratic socialists don't know better, though, because that leads to authoritarianism. 

Current Republicans think they know what is right for America, they feel they got close to it. It just so happens to align with the evangelical christians, white supremacists and other anti-woke ideas that reject inconvenient ideas like global warming and all we know now about how the world works. Greed is good. Power is good. There is no equality of justice before the law, it's a sliding scale. Some just want less taxes and don't like progressive thinking that leads to more taxation. America was founded on rejecting taxes without representation. They just take off that last part about representation because we're not ruled by England any more. Not since July 4, 1776.

For a democracy to work everyone has to do their part, including the leaders. When leaders break norms and just have a by any means mentality, it goes to pot. Everyone thinks they know better. I kind of miss the WW2 era where grandiose Hitler types were not revered, the way Kanye West can admire him, Trump can admire him.

We’re trying to have a French Revolution moment but it’s the right that has gotten violent. Violence to enforce the disparity of wealth. By those who imagine themselves as having ultra rich concerns.

I often think about the violence of John Brown who worked to abolish slavery in the USA.

Some want a monarchy in the USA. What the fuck is going on? Italians celebrate Mussolini. Guy goes into a bar in Soho in a Nazi uniform. Elon Musk is tweeting conspiracy bullshit on his platform, to signal that it's OK to spread misinformation.

As a topic of the rise of fascism in our current times, I read about the oldest church in Dortmund, "In December 2016, nine neo-Nazis from various German cities who were associated with the Die Rechte right wing group occupied the church steeple and appeared to set off fireworks from it. The members were subsequently taken into custody by police. Neo-Nazi slogans shouted from the steeple through a megaphone were drowned out by the church bells, ordered to be rung by the vicar of St. Reinold's. The illegal occupation of the church's tower was met with disbelief and anger from the church's spokespersons and the vast majority of the public." I was reading about Dortmund a soccer team I like, and coming across this little nugget in reading about the city. It's kind of shocking to keep coming across these little tidbits of the rise of fascism in our times. 

(last edited 11/11/22)