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Preamble |
There are two
types of people. Those that live in
accordance with the nature of human beings, and those which deny this
nature. Those that accept the axiom of existence and those who deny
it. The rational and the irrational.
What is human nature?
Why should individuals want to associate with one another, and how might they do
so without enslaving one another? Once the axiom of existence is
accepted, it becomes obvious that human beings possess a brain that does not
dictate human behavior automatically, as with other life forms that also possess
brains. How does the human brain function differently than the brains of
other animals? Intelligence is the characteristic of the human brain that
is lacking in the brains of other creatures. The human brain is the organ
responsible for the creation of a human mind. The human brain's ability to correlate
and codify definitions,
conserving memory, allows it an awareness of time that is unique in the animal
world. This is the nature of intelligence. Each of our brains
develop a continually growing body of data and definitions. This body of
data is the context of an individual's mind. This context, along with
certain genetic modes of operation, is the essence of each individual.
There is no dichotomy between the body and the mind. The context of the
brain, is the very soul of each individual. It is the human
mind. The human mind must
decide on a course of behavior. This behavior is not automated to do that
which is beneficial to the individual. Humans are carnivores without the teeth and claws necessary
to the hunting and killing of prey. Humans must order their behavior;
manipulating their environment and producing the tools necessary to their
purpose and survival. In the more primitive case, the tools are simple clubs and spears. The
human mind must decide on a
course of action. The human mind is aware of time. Its purpose is to
predict the future. This mind then is used to gain
knowledge and belay atavistic behavior to accomplish tasks in preparation for
future events. Humans are animals of the mind. This is the
nature of human beings. It is the nature of human beings to manipulate and
alter the environment to their purpose.
Early humans were traumatized by the knowledge of
their pending death and the danger constantly surrounding them. Many
humans today are still traumatized by much the same knowledge. The
evolution of intelligence was accompanied by the ability to ignore reality and
avoid the trauma. This ability to ignore allows the mind to operate in
a "blur" and only focus on reality when required by the needs of
survival. The conceptualization and memory storage requirements of the
mind, depend upon imagination. Imagination is key to intelligence
through conceptualization. It is also key in ignorance and avoidance of
the truth. A mind operating in a "blur" is responding to
imagination rather than perception. Human imagination can be used to
effectively filter perception and conceptualization in order to avoid trauma or
any item deemed unpleasant. The conscious mind then does not work automatically.
It must be volitionally focused. Without focus, the mind will not detect
reality, nor will it gain the knowledge necessary to survive and identify the
purpose of human existence. Humans have an
instinct of the mind not possessed by other creatures. When a human mind
is allowed
to operate without focus, ignoring reality, the individual becomes cumulatively more miserable with a deep systemic
sense of agony. Throughout the ages, people have known this sense of
agony, but have been unaware of its true nature. They have most often
referred to this agony as guilt, and have identified the uniquely human instinct
as the
human conscience. This sense of misery is more powerful than our
primitive emotions because the deep agony is systemic, eliciting no response
that might relieve it automatically. This agony is sometimes recognized truthfully as self-loathing.
The conscience is the uniquely
human instinct. Other human emotions are simply primitive instincts
attempting to instigate atavistic behavior. They can occur as reactions to
imagination as well as to perception or reality. These primitive instincts do not determine human behavior, as they do the behavior of other animals. Humans must
choose their behavior, which may or may not be efficacious to their purpose or survival. When a human
ignores reality, their conscience creates a deep mental anguish; just as a hand
placed in a fire creates primitive pain to elicit a reaction which protects the
hand from injury. The misery we know as guilt, self-doubt, or self-loathing is
an emotion common only to irrational individuals that have ignored
reality. People do not feel guilty just because of a lie. A lie is simply
ignorance and contrary to human nature. All behavior which is not in
accordance with human nature and purpose, creates the agony of
self-loathing. A human mind rebels against deceit
and causes the agony of guilt. The guilty mind is one that is losing faith
in its ability to conceptualize reality. It is a mind moving towards
self-loathing. Happiness may not be obtained by a mind engaged in ignorance.
The wide-eyed joy of a child, that has just discovered a bit of knowledge, is
the joy given by the conscience as the child feels self-esteem.
Modifying present behavior to obtain future goals, is
human nature. Alone in
the wild, the mind will be focused upon reality enough to gather food, water,
and shelter; or the individual dies. Among a group of people, the mind may
never be focused upon reality, but rather upon the manipulation of other people. Some individuals are
supported solely by the production of people that have been coerced into
sacrifice. When this occurs, the association of men is reduced to slavery
and is no longer of benefit to human purpose, survival, or life in accordance with human
nature. I submit as evidence, what many consider the history of
civilization. The miserable existence of Mankind in these destructive
associations cannot be considered civilized. Only once, in the history of
Mankind, was an association of human beings created that was in accordance with
human nature. This association was actually the first civilization.
It lasted fully intact for less than a century, but people today have a standard of living never
before imagined; because of this brilliant association of freemen. These words
heralded the first civilization of Mankind:
"...
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness.
—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
—That whenever any Form
of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People
to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its
foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed,
will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light
and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind
are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long
train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a
design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their
duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future
security. ..."
Dictionaries,
in the United States, are quickly falling to the irrational definitions of
words, and the people of this once great nation, are losing an appreciation for the nature
of language and the importance of words to the working of the mind. Of
course irrational minds need few concrete definitions. They need and
insist upon generalizations and feelings; to match the blur of their mind. Rational pride is a wonderful
thing, but irrational pride is a disgusting item of a twisted imagination. How do
you define "pride"? The self-esteem held by a virtuous
individual, or
the gaudy esteem solicited from others by a scoundrel? There is quite a difference in
the nature of rational pride and irrational pride. When people attack selfishness and
pride, which are they attacking? Do they belittle the essence of a virtuous man of great
character, or are they belittling
the braggart that has stolen a trophy and points to it hoping to gain the irrational
pride requiring the approval of others? Never consider the glory of a
virtuous man as evil. It is one of the true wonders of the world. The language is purposefully confusing.
By obscuring the foundation of rational behavior, and defining it as an obscene
atrocity, society has hidden the dirty
little secret of every irrational individual; allowing them their guilty
illusions of grandeur.
Reality exists!
Throughout the history of mankind, we see each society formed and destroyed by
irrational behavior. In the "Federalist Papers" James Madison
chronicled the brutal and horrible failure of every democracy that had been
instituted among men. He wrote the Constitution in such a manner as to
avoid the brutal horrors which accompany democracy. Democracy is supremely susceptible to
the irrational mob rule known as Ochlocracy. If 51% of the group want your life, you are dead. It is a most terrible form of government.
It allows demagogues to control the most gullible and incompetent, giving the
little despots the power to enslave the brightest and most productive. Only when government
is strictly limited, may democratic forms be used for the selection of lesser
important items. The Republic formed by the United States of America,
was done in an attempt to keep government limited. The limits were
sometimes explicit, but too often implicit. The use of state government competition to limit the existing governmental
activities,
eventually failed under demagoguery and Federalization; giving way to the horrors of
democracy. Ochlocracy through the exercise of unlimited democratic Federal Government
power is in the last stages of reducing the United States to despotism.
The Constitution of the United States is not a "living
document". To the contrary; it is dead. The Federal government
is now limited only by 9 political appointees. The United States has the
illusion of freedom and private ownership while the government may control all
people and property as it pleases. This illusory governmental form is
known as Fascism. Business and property are owned by individuals but
taxed and controlled
by the government. What is ownership without control? The United States is not
founded with democracy as the core value. The core value of the United
States is individual
freedom and limited government. Democracy has
been touted as the greatness. It is in fact a despicable horror when used without
proper limits on the government. Ochlocracy is by definition the antithesis of individual freedom.
Human behavior can be judged because it is the result of choice,
and not of instinct. By what objective standard of value may rational men judge
their behavior? What is the nature and purpose of human life? Should
men base their ethical standards in accordance with their purpose? By what standard may they judge the value of their
goals? What standard of value will allow a rational man to pursue happiness?
What is happiness? What is property or money? Why should rational men associate with
other men? What
then can be used by rational men to guide their association with one
another? What is the purpose of government among an association of
freemen? How did the association of freemen in the United States
fail? How might it be remedied? This book answers the
questions. This book is about the existence of human nature. It is
about the nature of human existence.
William B. Steele - Independence Day, 2002 AD
