April 1979 oil prices spiked to 102 dollars per barrel which is 488 dollars today adjusted for inflation. This was due to what was called the Iranian Revolution by the media at that time. Religious Extremists had taken over the Iranian secular government and taken American Embassy Workers hostage. They didn’t represent the majority of the population but hosted sham elections where voting was monitored and the wrong vote could put a person in jail or be put to death. I debated the sense of this with those in school who followed the media at that time. They framed it as a right of the Iranian people to choose their own government. These were the same people who were pushing secularization on schools by eliminating prayer and God from the pledge so supporting religious zealots taking over a government seemed a contradiction. Now the same people who are touting no kings seem to not mind mullahs. When Reagan was elected they released the hostages fearing retaliation. The Iranian people continue to be held hostage today.

I understand the necessity of eliminating the threat of their extremism to other countries. 82 to 100 dollars for a barrel of oil isn’t near 488. Interestingly the gas prices compared to back then have quadrupled when oil hasn’t increased much. Higher prices are an inconvenience to us but the regime is a crisis to them. Tens of thousands of protesters killed. My fear is after having the regimes terror machine destroyed, the Iranian people continue to be held hostage. The risk of rescue could become another quagmire. Since I don’t know precise details I cannot form an opinion on what should come next but am hoping and praying for the Iranian people.

Chaos is converted into order by way of authority. Governments are established to assist people in accomplishing their dreams without fear. It is necessary to establish states in order to advance from the tribal form of government where one band plunders another. This back and forth warfare causes the people to live hand to mouth with minimal education or social advances. For big things to be accomplished and to increase our ability to get enjoyment out of life beyond survivalist drudgery, we need to cooperate with each other on a higher or a state level. The real debate concerns what type of cooperation accomplishes the most.

Modern anarchism is a matter of taste that can only be described as anti-establishment. The belief is used toward whatever authority exists that doesn’t give certain people what they want. There is merit to reigning in government when it is corrupt, but most of the time this ideology is used by those who riot. It is the ideology of mob rule. Trashing businesses or spoiling a free speech event has no merit and these actions only make the case for more authority.

There are two realistic views that we can address in general.  Both of them are rooted in accountability. A collectivist believes that people are accountable to a body of people or a society. An Individualist believes that people are accountable only to themselves. In order to have a government, certain parts of our lives have to be ceded over (alienated) to the common cause while certain areas are expected to remain private. These private areas are  the ones we want to keep control over to accomplish our own dreams (inalienable).

Both ideologies are applicable in every form of government, but can go wrong by the improper use of sovereignty.  Sovereignty can be described as the final authority. Collectivism has an ugly side in the belief that those who don’t go along with the collective will, deserve death. The ugly side of the individualist view would believe that anyone who interferes with their own will, deserves death. Historically, extreme collectivism has caused mass death where extreme individualism is a hard one to get numbers on since it is scattered across all societies.

These ideologies can go wrong with or without the influence of religion. Whether it is the collective will, the body of Christ, or Islam, none has the right to claim total sovereignty over people’s lives. No individual can claim total sovereignty over others because of an appointment or destiny given by God. Absent religion, the sovereignty becomes the good of the people.  This concept can also be used as a catalyst for abuse and are the first words have been used by every dictator and authoritarian throughout history.

This isn’t intended to demonize anyone’s ideology, but describe them by use of extremes. We know there is a mixture unique to every cause that accomplishes the goal of common good in the best way. The debates that occur today are based in whether individual control is the most beneficial or if certain areas need to be ceded over to the collective will. Sometimes it is more efficient to have a common entity such as a highway department since roads cross the entire country. Most business decisions are better left to people who have practical knowledge and have a stake in its success.

It is easy to talk about what a perfect person would do, but it is much harder to live a perfect life. That doesn’t mean the ideal is wrong, but everyone has to deal with different levels of passion, different circumstances, and upbringings. If someone is in financial trouble, the ideal is to make more than you spend. It doesn’t help to hit someone who is in trouble over the head with math. Sometimes there are circumstances beyond anyone’s control. This doesn’t make math a mean taskmaster. Yet we don’t want to abandon good financial practices because things didn’t work out. The correct approach is to first be considerate and not judge ourselves or others when in a storm. Once things are a little more stable, examine the realities and how to improve things according to an ideal.

Ethics are more a matter of justice than anything else. The ideal is that we treat everyone equally in the way we would want to be treated. In every interaction, both parties should come out satisfied. The purpose for studying philosophy isn’t to add weapons, but to give ourselves tools that help understand reality better. A philosophical study about ethics, reason and logic won’t give courage and shouldn’t impart guilt or blame. Those are objects of passions and choice. Our reasoning faculties are there to assist us so we aren’t easily deceived. No one wants to make the same mistakes over and over. Everyone wants to continue their good practices even when circumstances or people didn’t work out. Taking time to sharpen our reasoning ability helps us to recognize things that need to be kept or improved so we can find creative solutions in the future.

Having a clear head to approach the future is the goal. Sometimes it helps to get back to basics. We can find it in philosophy and words of wisdom that have been saved over the years. Maybe I have an old soul. The architecture and the wisdom from old civilizations are fascinating to me because the same rules apply throughout the millenniums. Sure, new discoveries have been made over the years, but it is amazing what they did with what little they had. Given the population we have now, it seems we do much less with what we have per person. But I am optimistic that if the human race is thinking straight there is no limit to what we can do for each other.

Everyone loves the concept of independence but everyone has their own take on what it means. They have their own definition of tyranny and independence. A common understanding should and does exist when we lay aside turf wars and take a little time to sort out the actual concepts. The concept of rights is also being redefined at will since it goes hand in hand with freedom. We can address this  in basic form only since our space and interest is limited. After all we have memes to laugh at and other posts to read.

The goods that are perceived by us belong to two categories. The first goods are those that cause instant gratification. Appetites, cravings, longings, desires and dreams constantly demand action. The second kind of good is  a good life; the things that are advantageous to us such as health, supplies and satisfaction. The first area of goods, instant gratification, if given free rein can ruin our ability to acquire a happy life. To be free to live a good life, impulses have to be mastered.

The first tyrant to enter the scene is the one within us who wants instant gratification but is willing to throw away a fulfilled life for it. This tyrant uses the guise of freedom to justify destroying a good future. The reality is that too much instant gratification puts a person in bondage and destroys health, supply and satisfaction. In order to have a good life, a person must be the master his own impulses. This state of self disciplined mastery is what freedom and independence define.

A child needs a parent to help with self control until they get in the habit of making the right choices where enough gratification is satisfied while sacrificing the right amount for a good life. Teens rebel in order to become the master of their own lives. They want to be independent and make these choices for themselves. We hope to have enough self discipline instilled in them to help them get past the emotionally charged impulse years and go on to live a good life. A parent who tries to keep a child dependent to make themselves relevant and important is practicing tyranny. A child who hasn’t learned to be the master of his own life will be handicapped and less satisfied with life.

There are always a number of people who want to tend to the difficulties of others in order to make themselves feel relevant. Since they aren’t satisfied with their own lives, they piggyback off other’s difficulties to get their own sense of pride and accomplishment. These professional tenders practice tyranny by convincing others that they cannot live a good life without their constant attendance. It can be presented in a religious or a political context. These tenders produce a dissatisfied dependent populace who look for heroes to pull them out of  all their difficulties. We have a right to receive credit for our own accomplishments and to deal with our own failures.

Accountability is the anchor of freedom. It is impossible to stay the master of one’s own life without having the ability to handle our own failures and missteps. Self pity is an impulse that brings instant gratification. It requires self mastery to come out of disappointments and continue to pursue a good life. Working through their own difficulties gives a person a sense of pride and accomplishment. This is an important part of having a good life and is essential to freedom.

There seems to be quite a bit of passion nowadays concerning news.  The greatest ability one can possess is the ability to distinguish fact from fiction and information from opinion. Lets look at the process as it applies to our news cycles today.

Traffic reports are an example of real news.  Any time a person believes a traffic report, they form conclusions based on the reports others give of actual conditions. They consider these sources reliable. A wise person will avoid an area when given a traffic report that suggests there is a pile-up in their normal route. These opinions based in fact are valuable and a person who uses them to make up his mind is wise.

Opinion pieces are given by those who have a certain taste or bias. Reports that are based in taste are mere opinions that a wise person won’t take too seriously. Opinions having to do with taste are not really up for debate since they belong to the person giving them. Passions are wasted when applied to defeating them. It is like trying to convince a loyal sports fan to switch teams and getting angry when they don’t.

Recently, many of those who formerly claimed to present real news have proudly transitioned from newscasting to opinion pieces. This removes the shackles of objectivity which allows them to put out unsubstantiated stories without having to prove the reliability of their sources. These fake news and false narratives are presented to get attention and rouse passions. Outrageous claims rule the airwaves and make the most money. News cycles have become similar to viral videos. Value is not contained in accuracy, but on how many people discuss it and share it.

The smart politicians and pundits recognize this environment so they continually manufacture unsubstantiated claims. These claims keep gullable people busy reposting them. It gives opinionated news commentators material to debate. The objective for supplying misinformation is to control the news cycle with their own narrative by any means possible.

There is nothing wrong with discussing the merits of specific social issues among friends, but raising blood pressure and stressing over nonsense makes no sense. We have to be smarter than opinionated pundits and politicians. A person shouldn’t waste peace of mind when there is so much good to explore in the real world. This rational mind was made for creativity and solutions.

There exists a wonderful collaboration that we call life. Life is in contrast to the natural laws we observe where things tend to chaos and break down into simple forms. Molecules are gathered together somehow to make predetermined forms with programmed functions. It is fascinating to study every aspect of this orchestration and to some, it begs questions about the personality of the orchestrator.

Inside the human mind ideals exist such as love, honor and respect. These ideals cannot really be described using mere words. We have all this inner creativity that cannot be fully described with music or art. We can admire beauty. This mind doesn’t comprehend endings and finality but strains for the eternal version of everything it sees.

After the initial admiration of life, another big question comes into our minds. Why does it only last for a short time? Death and corruption are equally mysterious to us. The human mind is conflicted about such things, making humans unique among all other living beings. Why start this thing called life only to have it submit to natural laws again?

Ultimate questions belong to a certain area of philosophy where it might blend into the study of religion with the possibility of an ultimate being. It makes sense from a creative standpoint. Natural science studies the interaction of energy and material. When they attempt to explain ultimates, their speculations come by reference of this natural world and the universal laws that exist. But it is hard to describe destiny, romance and beauty using molecules and electrons.