I recently discovered the perfect solution for identity theft… It is quite simple really: have the type identity that no one else would want… As I have watched the furor erupt over the upcoming election, I have also noticed that the division in our country has reached an unprecedented level – except perhaps during the Civil War. There is a second “civil” war being conducted right in front of our eyes, only this time it ain’t a geography based war fought with weapons – it is a gender/race/religion/core belief based war being fought with beliefs and ideas. I ran across a Bertrand Russell quote that seems to describe it best… “War does not determine who is right, only who is left”. To those who may not know Russell, he was a British philosopher who was a CO (conscientious objector) during WWI. He is also credited with changing the Beatles’ views on Vietnam. I don’t agree with several philosophical opinions he wrote about, but he is spot on with his view on war. In fact, I would like to use our different opinions to prove a point. Everyone is correct on certain beliefs/opinions, but no one is correct 100% of the time – it is called being human.
Philosophy deals with ethics when forming opinion. To me, there are 4 levels of intent/action a person must consider when it comes to ethics. Ranked from best to worst (in my opinion):
1) Doing the right thing for the right reason.
2) Doing the wrong thing for the right reason.
3) Doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason.
4) Doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
It might seem that I have put 2, 3 and 4 in the wrong order, but (in my opinion) I have not… The reason? Doing the wrong thing for the right reason creates and hones character throughout life. I have many historical heroes of all races and genders. I have them for many different reasons also. People like MLK Jr and Gandhi are prime examples of the “wrong thing/right reason” ethic. I have noticed a disturbing trend – and one I must address head on. It reached an unacceptable level a while back when astronaut Scott Kelly had to apologize for quoting Winston Churchill due to some of Winston’s beliefs (on racism, etc).
https://heavy.com/news/2018/10/scott-kelly-winston-churchill-apologizes-astronaut/
I have the utmost respect for astronauts like Kelly. The way he handled the issue made him one of my heroes. You see folks, true heroes try to apologize and make amends for things said and done while ignorant of certain facts. But consider this: any and all historical figures have character flaws – though some greater than others. Without Churchill, we would all probably be speaking German. By the same logic, it is ok to respect our founding fathers as heroes – even if they had ignorant beliefs on issues such as race and gender – as their IDEALS paved the way to where we are today. It is possible to reconcile action and motive after the fact – but no one is perfect. We all must be shown the error of our ways before we can correct anything we have done. Along the same line – the civil war should be studied in greater depth when it comes to the heroes remembered (north and south). I am going to attach a letter from Robert E. Lee that I hope will open some eyes – along with some interesting forgotten history. See if you think Lee should be remembered and respected?
Lee wasn’t pardoned until the Ford administration. Secretary of State Seward gave a personal friend Lee’s application and it wasn’t discovered until the 1970’s. Add to that the fact that the SCOTUS ruled, in favor of Lee’s family, that Arlington was to be returned to the Lee family (after removing all the graves). Lincoln’s son was sent to negotiate a “fair” settlement with Lee’s family – thus Arlington was left the way it was… Both the Lincoln and Lee families paid a terrible cost due to the war.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-arlington-national-cemetery-came-to-be-145147007/
In discussing this topic with Jim, he sent me a text that reads:
“They used to say – never have heroes who are still alive. Now it’s never have heroes, period.”
Pink Floyd has a song “Wish You Were Here” that has a line “Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?”. I would ask, “Did they get you to trade your hero ghosts for political correctness?” Dont let them steal your heroes, no matter how much mud gets thrown. One can hold a person in high regard – even if he doesn’t agree with them on everything. As far as I can tell, there has only been 1 perfect person – and we killed him for it…