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Lost Opportunities
by toby Monday, May 4 2015, 11:01am
international / prose / post

The biggest tragedy of the modern age is America. After the collapse of the USSR America was left as the only viable nation able to influence the world, but what did it do, wage peace and co-existence instead of war, no, it chose perpetual war, the surest path to ruin, destruction and losing influence, which is happening to America at speed as I write.

Today the USA has no relation to its founding principles, it has descended into totalitarian, violent, oppressive rule both at home and abroad. It has in fact become its own worst enemy, as is evidenced by former friendly nations turning their backs on perpetual war and all the misery, needless bloodshed and suffering war creates. Is that the formula for success, winning support and friends? A rhetorical question as the answer is obvious to all except the insane leadership of the USA, which has adopted the Jewish homicidal (Joshua) neocon ideology of force, coercion and a ‘kill ‘em all’ mentality for those opposed to its horrid new principles and megalomaniacal desire to rule the world by force and coercion.

How perverse is a nation able to get in view of history, which details how every nation that attempted to rule the world by force was not only vanquished from without but imploded from within, the US today is now balancing on that double-edge sword of complete and utter destruction.

So rather than continue to detail what thinking and aware people worldwide already know let’s adopt a positive remedial approach, also taken from history.

The three men that had the most lasting and transformative effect on the world where Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and the prophet Muhammad; how did these men achieve this result? I would first explain, as a matter of necessity that the founder of Islam won over his followers at astonishing speed, not with violence, as we are led to believe by America’s propaganda machine, but with friendship, assistance and brotherhood, that is fact borne out by reason, logic and accurate history.

Early Muslim traders that travelled most of the known world extolled the virtues of brotherhood, mutual assistance and cooperation, they certainly did not terrorise and put indigenous populations to the sword, as most failed violent empires did; clearly, no long term sustainable following results from terror tactics – that is self-evident. Early Muslim traders not only dealt in goods but a better life for ALL and that is the real reason the religion spread at astonishing speed. People only adopt what benefits them and emphatically reject cruelty and oppression. My favourite Muslim expression is, ‘the guest is God,’ and if we travel to remote Muslim regions today people offer what they have to the guest regardless of his or her persuasion. A friend who explored the remote regions of Morocco kept returning without explanation, so I asked what the fascination was with a poor undeveloped nation, his response was immediate, he said the people are the kindest and most generous he had ever met during his WORLD travels, they were always willing to share what little they had without reservation, and my friend in response returned the good will with favours, monetary assistance and other practical measures to improve their lives.

It was pure unconditional kindness and acceptance that won him over, I would add he didn’t convert as he is an atheist, which belief he kept to himself, but was nevertheless touched to the bottom of his (human) being by the treatment he received from these materially deprived people. This city kid, accustomed to the ‘I’m all right jack and you can go to hell’ mentality of modern western life, was overwhelmed by these big hearted people, which lived the real spirit of early Islam.

My friend returns regularly to this day and is always welcomed, notwithstanding how dangerous things have become for westerners. And before you stop reading this piece I would state that I am no space cadet and am fully cognisant of how Islam has degenerated in many parts of the world today, BUT that is not the point as I am outlining the principles of creating constructive and mutually beneficial, lasting relationships by citing examples.

I hardly need elaborate on Buddha who responded, “good fellowship,” to a question on the essence of his teaching and Christ who was the epitome of acceptance and brotherly love, indeed, Jesus elevated loving, inclusive humanity to the status of God. The teachings of both men extolled good fellowship, love, peace, acceptance and mutual support, notwithstanding the religions which purport to follow these teachings have also degenerated in the modern ‘primitive’ age, but again that is not the point.

And so we learn that embracing each other in love not war or terror is the formula for lasting success regarding influence, harmony and acceptance -- and to clarify, I’m not a hippie, rather a cultural analyst and historian.

Now, it is critically important to note that all three men did not sit around with their thumbs up their arses, preaching and passively hoping for the best like so many ‘new age’ gurus and theologians today, they were all DYNAMIC social reformers and ACTIVISTS until their deaths. Jesus detested money/wealth, corruption and ELITISM and marched on the capital to evict the parasitic priest class from the temple; Buddha renounced his incredibly privileged birth right and proceeded after his ‘enlightenment’ to subvert the power of the parasitic Brahmin ruling elite. Muhammad resorted to military engagements if the elite refused to relinquish their power; all three men relentlessly attacked, by various means, the corrupt, exclusive, ruling elites that preyed on the masses and opposed the inclusiveness of their teachings. However short-lived the pure religions they founded were (human frailty) they nevertheless proved a formula for successful social existence.

It becomes plain, not due to my simple discourse but due to our innate human condition that love and mutual cooperation really does conquer all. America should try it before it’s too late. Humans innately/instinctively respond to kindness and GOOD WILL and emphatically reject terror and war.

The question is, are we up to the task or will we accept subjection, slavery and possible extinction by remaining passive and apathetic confronting the extreme environmental dangers and oppressive social injustices of today?

Peace, freedom and social harmony are always earned, never bestowed.