Is There a Greater Social Purpose in a Government Council?

All levels of government are scorned and met with skepticism spanning the entire spectrum.  Whether a school board, city council, state or even the federal government there will always be those who differ mildly and strongly with the decisions made.  What can be said of the system of government we have established for us?  What personal gains can be made from our contemplation of a system of representative council where a group has equal say and input into decisions affecting the greater?  Here are a few of my thoughts.

History is filled with examples of tyranny.  Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin historically seem to be in competition to see who can murder more people.  Well, chocked up on their eternal record are each millions dead.  Genghis Khan arguably exercised a degree of tyranny with his endless brutal campaigns of conquest.  In more modern times we've got Saddam Hussein's murder of 45,000 Kurds in Northern Iraq using chemical weapons.  This incident among many on his resume.  Though all these had people who operated under him they were all, more or less, personally appointed by the dictator who had a warped sense of the greater good.

It is historically obvious that when a people become apathetic to their own sliding situation and are made to feel like they have no control over their prosperity and happiness, they eventually fall to the flaxen grips of tyranny, poverty and strife.  From there, their generations suffer sometimes hundreds if not thousands of years.

Our species, believe it or not, is motivated by faith.  It is the root cause of our progression.  It is the root cause of our happiness and also advancement in medicine, sciences and technologies.  It is the hope or foresight of what can be that gives us all a common thread from which to climb.  It is what separates us from the beasts.  We are - in essence - creatures with the ability to be inspired.  Obviously given the murderous and degrading state of the world we apparently all don't have the same hope or vision of the future.

Though we are a flawed civilization, mankind had devised avenues whereby nations can be empowered by a government representative of its people.  Don't get me wrong all governments are subject to the enticings of corruption.  Yet, it is the faith and hope of the people that their elected (representative) leaders will collectively solve the problems of the governed and provide opportunities of prosperity.  It is a hope in a righteous government.

All good things are met with harsh contention.  It is the yin and the yang - good and evil.  It is the light and the dark.  It is the choice or free agency to understand decisions and have hope, or have only suspicion and hate of leaders.  It is the choice.

The plight of many elected officials is the bearing or the weight of the responsibility place upon them by the faith of their constituents.  It can be overwhelming.  Decisions including millions of dollars often accompany even local governments.  Confusion and unsurety can make the decisions a little unsettling.  Unaccustomed, many decision that leaders absolutely know will adversely affect some will also provide anxiety in the heart and a sickening of the stomach.

The cure of both the constituents and also the elected government officials is the same - faith.  Constituents need to learn faith in their leaders.  Leaders need to keep their pure intent in check and learn to lean on the faith supporting them by the people.  The magic of representative governments is that major decisions are made through a collective effort.  Yes, incorrect decisions are made from time to time but the end result is directly tied to the faith of the people.

There is a social doctrine connected with sharing the yoke or burden of decision or the mantle placed upon people of all walks and of all roles.  In the old days heavy loads were often pulled by two oxen.  These oxen were bridled over-neck with a common yoke that was anchored to the load.  They shared the load and pursued a common course or path.  Bearing the load is no different between people and the oxen.

It is my hope that as a people we can refocus our faith in leaders and in each other.  It is my firm belief that only this will inspire actions of change if they are needed to expand opportunities and prosperity and most importantly happiness.  No, we should not be passive and "let the chips fall where they may."  However, it is all our obligation to first understand and approach with an open heart the decision making process of our leaders.  An open heart is the only way to be truly inspired toward a correct path.  This may compel one to either agree or rebuke an official accordingly, but the calm heart and approach is key.

Hopefully this will serve as good counsel (from one who knows) for the weary at heart among the people and those whom they chose to represent them in matters of social progress, freedom and happiness.

Amazing New Insight into Islamic Extremism vs Christianity

In 2015, Paris' Charile Hebdo magazine was attacked by extremists.  This, in a line of blatant attacks on those exercising a freedom of speech.  Surprising revelations can be learned from this spiraling situation.  Is there a social disaster on the horizon?

Yes, there are certain edicts of Islam that can be taken out of context.  I will concede to that.  Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) I am well aware of bigotry and the misinterpretation that many may have about a faith that they do not share.  In every faith you will find devout followers, jack followers, blind followers due to family or environmental traditions and then you have your extremists.

This may enrage certain segments of society but I really don't care at this point.  I'll get to the point of what's stronger?  It is obvious that the declarations of extreme self-proclaimed Islamists are skewed toward intolerance, hate, threats and of course - death.  There are basic human frailties that are met with death after frivolous trials including converting from Islam to another faith and the unfortunate happenstance of adultery.  There are tactics of fear included in the extremist doctrine such as no graphic portrayal of the prophet Muhammad or accompanied adverse literature.  There are rewards of self gratification such as many women in the afterlife through their proof of faith.  These are but a few of the extreme strongholds that I will concede may not be shared with many mainstream Islamists or even the Muslims.  Not being intimately familiar this that area of faith it would be unfair for me to pass judgement on any particular point of their doctrine regardless of the media attention and "so-called" experts.

However, it is evident to me that the above mentioned doctrines of extremism require no personal faith at all.  They are all geared to either satisfy the cravings of mortal man or bent on the intimidation of those within or outside that system of belief.  It requires no personal effort to better oneself or uplift those around them.  It requires no personal hope that sincere goodwill is pleasing in the sight of God.  In fact, it requires no personal relationship with God.  It is my experience that things so earthbound and finite are strong in their season but in the end are destined to fail.  That which doesn't require the stronger part of your spirit, that being charity, compassion, perseverance and faith, will eventually be conquered by the collective effort of those who do exercise the stronger part.  Were it not so, God would be manifesting Himself in visual person regularly among the children of men for the assurance of belief in Him.

I don't claim to give a pass of any kind to Christianity.  Millions have been killed in the name of Christianity over the centuries.  Perpetrators exercised the same intolerance and lust for conquer as our modern day Islamic extremists do.  It also required no pure faith in that which is not seen, but instead relied on intimidation and ultimatums.  Let us as Christians not be so blind to that one simple fact.

Regardless of your professed faith, if it doesn't include the tolerant understanding that not everyone shares your faith or must share your faith, then that system of belief will lead to death and the plundering of personal choice and accountability.

So that is my amazing new insight.  If you are an extremist, watch it!!  If you are intolerant or without understanding, watch it!!  I believe we are on the precipice of great and wonderful expansions of human understandings in science, medicine and basic human purpose.  I don't think it is a coincidence that we are individually living in this time preparing for it.  We are specially called out to live in this time because we are able to learn the triumphs and failures of mankind's past.  In essence, we have the ability to learn to love one another with much more depth and meaning than most of our predecessors had the ability to in life.  Not because they were less but rather because they had to learn what their time offered them to learn.  Our limited time is to learn the culmination of history and apply them for the good of the whole.