The Flesh Pots Of Egypt
2And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
3And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
4Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.--Exodus 16:2-4, (KJV)
Those of us with a passing acquaintance with Sunday school, undoubtedly recall the above passage from the Old Testament. For context, consider: Moses had appeared at God's calling to announce the liberation of the Jewish Nation from the tyranny of Egyptian slavery. In doing so, God had performed miracle after miracle. He had protected his people from the pestilence which plagued the Egyptians because of Pharaoh's obstinacy. He had led them forth with a pillar of fire and parted the Red Sea to allow them to escape. He had destroyed the army of their enemies.
And each of these things, they had seen with their own eyes.
Their response: Complaints coupled with a nostalgia for the security of bondage.
The above came to mind this weekend as I read commentary about a number of different current events.
Believe it or not, I'm tired of talking about health care. The numbers do not, will not and cannot add up . (If you click on no other link in this post, click the last one. I defy anyone who's ever worked for a living and paid a bill to do so without throwing up.) Yet people would gladly, cheerfully, sell their souls for some promise from Washington worthies that they will "get something for nothing" without realizing that Washington produces nothing but words and accumulates nothing but our money and freedom.
The information is out there. If I may be forgiven for waxing biblical again, then "who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
And each of these things, they had seen with their own eyes.
Their response: Complaints coupled with a nostalgia for the security of bondage.
The above came to mind this weekend as I read commentary about a number of different current events.
Believe it or not, I'm tired of talking about health care. The numbers do not, will not and cannot add up . (If you click on no other link in this post, click the last one. I defy anyone who's ever worked for a living and paid a bill to do so without throwing up.) Yet people would gladly, cheerfully, sell their souls for some promise from Washington worthies that they will "get something for nothing" without realizing that Washington produces nothing but words and accumulates nothing but our money and freedom.
The information is out there. If I may be forgiven for waxing biblical again, then "who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
Were the above not enough, comes now one Lee Siegel and opines:
Speaking of written drivel pertaining to life behind the Iron Curtain, we have one Bruni de la Motte in The Guardian asserting that, "Gee whiz, those East Germans sure did lose a lot when the Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago."
True enough. Stuff like being spied on constantly or, you know, dying at the hands of the government, because you preferred to live west of the Elbe.
I swear, I never thought I'd ever wake up and read such philosophically bereft offal in my life. Has the light of personal autonomy, liberty and responsibility completely been extinguished in our minds and thoughts? Are we so forgetful of the glories of our freedoms, won at such a high cost for so many, that we'd gladly trade them for the flesh pots of a promised but never-to-be delivered security?
I can only hope that some of our children remember.
R. Sherman
If I, graduate of a lowly land grant university, might be so bold to inquire, "as opposed to what, precisely, Lee? The dehumanizing tyranny that I've seen in other less fortunate areas of the world? Perhaps you'd prefer to live like those poor souls I met in Prague in 1985 who surreptitiously tried to buy American dollars or German marks from me because their money was worth nothing? Perhaps you mean the dehumanizing tyranny of walking around constantly fearful of the police taking you away because you had the audacity to speak to a foreigner?"It’s time to start asking ourselves whether our famous American freedom—in both its liberal and conservative formulations—is not actually a subtle form of dehumanizing tyranny.
Speaking of written drivel pertaining to life behind the Iron Curtain, we have one Bruni de la Motte in The Guardian asserting that, "Gee whiz, those East Germans sure did lose a lot when the Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago."
True enough. Stuff like being spied on constantly or, you know, dying at the hands of the government, because you preferred to live west of the Elbe.
I swear, I never thought I'd ever wake up and read such philosophically bereft offal in my life. Has the light of personal autonomy, liberty and responsibility completely been extinguished in our minds and thoughts? Are we so forgetful of the glories of our freedoms, won at such a high cost for so many, that we'd gladly trade them for the flesh pots of a promised but never-to-be delivered security?
I can only hope that some of our children remember.
R. Sherman
Labels: Culture, Current Events, Philosophy, Politics, Rants, Social Commentary
posted by R. Sherman at 12:35 AM
9 Comments:
I''m bereft of anything constructive to say. Especially after being mesmerised by the numbers link.
to be honest with you it is the tenth plague that has more resonance these days, in a Roe v Wade sort of way.
That was certainly an interesting debt "clock" (I'd be interested in knowing more about who sponsors it, their agenda and their source of information).
Still, I ask why we can have better health care and access at less cost. Certainly, other democratic countries are doing this and they pay way less of their GNP for health care than we pay. And, at least in the terms of lifespan, are doing a better job at providing care.
Sherm
enjoyed your ruminating, and when I get some time I'll check the links. our children will remember if we don't fail to tell them!
cheers.
He has led us there, but will the new Moses be able to part the Sea of Red Ink?
Though forewarned, I made the mistake of clicking on the link. Ugh!
Having scanned through the linked articles I found:
1) The Debt Clock, though sobering, was certainly nothing new. Its been around since the 1970's (though probably not online ;) and should always be in the back of people's minds whenever the government spends our money - whether it be for unnecessary health care reform, or unnecessary foreign wars.
2) The drivel from the WSJ is clearly an attack piece written by Fox's new watchdog. Since Fox is not journalism but infotainment, I will take anything written by the WSJ (especially as an opinion column) with a grain of salt. I just wish journalists could leave their politics aside and discuss the Health Care Bill like adults.
3) Lee Seigel's opinion about mass murders is... well, opinionated. He seems to be trying to make a good point, though the part you quoted certainly seemed far out in left field. I admire his attempt to ask the tough question - are we too free in this society? Its a question often brought up under other guises (TV is too violent, free speech is too liberal, etc...) but never addressed at its source.
4) And finally, I found the last article about life in East Germany after the fall of the Wall to be very informative and well written from a personal point of view. Though it might have seemed a little too much like, "Oh poor us, we got freedom!" the reality of how that freedom was granted was never really discussed. And yet, now, we spend a good chunk of our own history courses discussing the exact same thing post-civil war in this country. Reconstruction is a very interesting topic from a historical perspective.
Thanks for the comments, all.
Will, my friend, in response (no snark intended) let me ask the following regarding your points:
1. I'm not sure I understand. Are you suggesting that the link is no big deal? Do the the economic facts regarding debt diminishing the value of our earnings mean nothing?
2. No disrespect, but you've run afoul of an ad hominem fallacy. Either the assertions made in the link are true or they or not. It matters not who states them. Two plus two equals four whether the speaker is Nancy Pelosi or George Bush. Refuting the evidence is acceptable. Dismissing evidence because of the person/entity presenting it is not.
3. So what precisely is admirable about Mr. Siegel's point? The fact that freedom is messy.
No sh*t? Of course it is. What is the alternative? Yes, in an utopia, some ultra-benevolent tyrant will make sure we eat right, not exceed the speed limit, and generally behave like our mothers wish we would. Such has been the desire of the human species since Adam decided to take a bite out the apple. Historical precedent, which is all we have to go by, argues against that conclusion.
4. You are quite correct that freedom can be difficult. Here, I beg a bit of indulgence, because of my more personal knowledge of that time, and acquaintance with people who were there. Not a single one would trade life now for that which they had in the former East Germany, with its Stasi informers and religious persecution and daily fear. Otherwise, I've no response.
Cheers, my friend.
Randall;
1) When I was a kid, the national debt was growing and huge. By 2000, we had a trillion dollar surplus. By 2008, we were several trillion in the hole. This nation is great. We will repay that debt and nobody will come to my door and ask me to pony up $110,000. That's all I'm saying.
2) Facts are, indeed, facts. But that doesn't mean they can't be skewed by the way they are presented or in the light they are presented. For instance, all the "facts" indicate that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But, of course, they didn't. Both sides have been playing fast and loose with the facts. I don't trust anything Pelosi says anymore than I trust anything Glenn Beck says. What I'd really like to see is someone neutral take a hack at the health care reform bill and spell it out to me in black and white. I may have to hope for an informative piece from Reuters or some other foreign news source.
3) Yes, freedom is messy. I think that was the point of this opinion piece. Mass murder has become so commonplace that people have stopped noticing it. That's what I got from this article. Any inference that the guy was making that we should abolish the Constitution was too far a reach though. You can limit freedom for public safety - we do it all the time.
4) Your article on life behind the Iron Curtain was chilling. I very well remember the Cold War and was very happy to be a part of its conclusion during my Navy days. I think the author was trying to say that freedom could have been handled better - not that she wanted it to go back to the way it was before.
Post a Comment
<< Home