Tuesday, July 2, 2024
4916: On Self-Government from Lincoln County Watch
By Anna Von Reitz
While
we often speak of self-governance and make it clear that
self-governance of a country begins with self-governance of one's own
life, there seems to be little conscious knowledge left in the world of
what "self-governance" might mean.
This morning one
of our readers who is being inspired to do some research shared these
words about self-government from an Icelandic writer who lived at the
end of the 12th century:
"Accustom thyself to a busy and wakeful life, but not so as to injure health by over-exertion.
Keep aloof from sadness, for sadness is sickness of the soul.
Be kind and gay, equable and changeable (that is, of easy manners and not stiff) .
Avoid evil speaking, and give your counsel to him who will accept it.
Seek the company of the best men.
Keep thy tongue carefully --- it may honor, it may also condemn thee.
If thou wax angry, speak little, and that little not vehemently.
Men
would give gold sometimes to buy back a passionate word; and I know
nothing that so destroys unity, as the exchange of evil language,
especially in the moment of strife, and there is no nobler, no higher
power than that by which a man can keep his own from cursing,
slandering, and other foolish prate.
There
are other things to be avoided like the fiend himself -- the sensual
excesses, gaming wagers, and other improprieties and vices. These are
the roots of many worse evils. and, unless great care is taken, will
hand thee over to great shame and sin."
These words written in the 1100's are just as true today as
they were 900 years ago. No doubt, the writer would be truly
astonished to know that we are still benefiting from his wisdom across
so many years and despite so many changes in the world.
The nature of mankind does not change and the internal challenges we face remain the same.
We
all have the common need to know the truth, and to face life with
courage and honor, which alone gives us lasting satisfaction, and which
allows us to be at peace with our lives and our actions and our
fellowman.
Repeatedly,
our Assemblies have faced challenges because some one of us (or two or
three), failed to self-govern, and fell into gossiping and speculating,
or lied, or gave into the impulse to bully and serve their own
opinions.
In every case, this has led to destruction of unity and peace.
On more rare occasions, lust and theft have entered in, and even greed for such things as money and power over others.
The
bad habits and wrong assumptions of the Nanny State have crept in and
soured the efforts of many people, as old patterns of autocratic power,
dominance, and corporate expediency have reared their ugly heads.
Let
the words of this Icelander from 900 years ago sink in. The first
hurdle we face in self-governing our country, is first to self-govern
ourselves.
Let
everyone engaged in assembly work of every kind take this to heart. A
self-governing nation can only be formed by self-governing men and
women.
Our
country can only be as good and as strong as we make ourselves, so we
must each turn away from those flaws of character or nature that trip us
up and lead us astray from being our best.
We
must give up the thoughtless habit of telling petty lies, the selfish
leanings, the cowardice that won't even try, our impatience, our
impulses to bully, our toxic pride which is based on insecurity.
We
must know that entire generations, both prior generations and
generations to come, are depending upon us to set things right, but this
is a job that requires us to set ourselves right, first and foremost.
Whatever
bad habits and issues and baggage that we have been carrying forward,
whatever prejudices, whatever fears, we must leave these things behind,
so that we are set free as individuals to build a free country and a
free world.
Many
kingdoms have fallen for lack of men accustomed to the rigors of
self-governance, and many losses, both personal and national, have been
sustained for the same reason.
Let us all heed the words of a man who never saw an automobile or a jet plane, an escalator, a subway, or a computer.
When
we review the history, it is sadly apparent that the Founding Fathers
failed to pass on their lessons learned to their sons, and failed to
transmit the same vision and discipline that they earned, so that their
own grandsons snubbed their work, betrayed their cause, and reduced
their accomplishments to platitudes.
That
we are faced with the enormous challenge of rescuing ourselves from
deception and criminality is a direct result of the failure of men like
Ulysses S Grant and William H. Seward and Salmon P. Chase and yes,
Abraham Lincoln, to self-govern.
They
were, instead, of two minds, trying to garner the benefits of cronyism
and enslavement to a rigid social order, and at the same time, claim the
prizes of freedom and social equality.
They
failed to master themselves, to be clear about their nature and intent,
and so, succumbed to that much lesser and lower estate where they bound
themselves to be governed by other men.
We are not their inheritors, though the situation we face today landed in our laps because of them and their failure to self-govern.
It
lies with us now -- each one of us -- to find within ourselves that
grace of character and being, which will not yield to pettiness or
cowardice or confusion, which steadfastly pays the quiet tolls of free
men, and earns us the right to stand, four-square, the equal of any
other.
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