Brief Observation On The Popular Portrayal Of Love

This is somewhat embarrassing, but I get a kick out of watching the glut of Christmas romantic movies on the Hallmark Channel and/or Lifetime Network. It's not because I'm sentimental, but rather because the predictable plots and treacly dialogue amuse me. Lovely woman gets divorced/dumped/widowed and starts to re-build her life when she bumps into a hunky guy who rubs her the wrong way at first, but who wins her over in the end. Along the way she must also run a gauntlet of "losers" who are vying for her attention.

But what's really interesting about these shows and similar films is how they portray love. If someone isn't "feeling it" any more, the undisputed conclusion is that the relationship is wrong and that love must be found somewhere else. This is the selfish conception of love, which tracks the Greek notion of eros and centers on a person's internal feelings. Yet the selfless decision to stay and give love -- even after the spark has faded -- is much more profound and fulfilling. Because modern society rejects such notions of agape, which entails the dreaded concept of self-denial, everyone is running around like drug addicts looking for the next fix. At least this keeps lawyers and shrinks prospering, though.

Giving Thanks

That is, after all, the purpose of the holiday. Here are some of the things I'm most thankful for:

• My family, who has always been there for me.

• My ancestors, who had the courage to rebel against and abandon a corrupt society in order to build a new one truly based on Christian principles.

• All the people today, however few, who still have that kind of courage.

• For my strong mind and body.

• For my independence from debt, from the mediocrity of the modern workplace, and from the enslavement of employment.

• For a thriving business that is now making real money.

• And for the presence of a good woman in my life. I don't know how she tolerates me, but I'm thankful just the same.

Veterans Day

I don't have a problem with honoring veterans. What disturbs me is the overblown rhetoric and pageantry that often accompany it, such as hearing that "freedom isn't free" and witnessing martial displays in everything ranging from a football game to a church service. A permanent and universal military presence in civilian life is hostile to freedom, as the founders understood when warning against "large standing armies" and "foreign entanglements."

Let's be blunt. The only times the American military has been deployed to defend America from attack are 1) the Revolutionary War, and 2) the War Between The States (and I'm referring to the southern states). Every other military effort was aggressive, unnecessary, and/or deliberately provoked to advance the interests of the ruling class.

And America most certainly is not a "free" country. The ability to trudge to the polls every few years to choose who -- from a slate of pre-selected candidates -- will join the totalitarian political apparatus does not make you free. When productive citizens have large chunks of their income stolen; when you are forced to subsidize the indolent and shiftless on the one end, and the well-to-do and connected on the other; when savers are attacked with zero or (soon enough) negative interest rates in order to help the profligate; when it's impossible to hire, fire, buy, sell, or generally interact as you wish; when you cannot get through the day without violating some pettifogging statute, rule, or regulation; when your children are not your own, are indoctrinated at public expense to hate you, and can be whisked away on a moment's notice; when "law" is merely whatever a government official decides on a given day depending on his mood; and when you can be dragooned into military service to go kill peasants on the other side of the globe, you are not free.

I respect veterans, but I also understand that their sacrifices have been mostly unnecessary and  tragic. Most veterans hearing this would likely react with outrage, since it's human nature to believe that your terrible loss must have been necessary or justified. But your outrage is misplaced. You should be angry at the plutocrats and politicians who profited from your blood, sweat, and tears. They have cynically used you for their own gain, motivating you into their service with the language of patriotism. As I've stressed many times before, THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE NATION. In times like these, you cannot serve them both. You must choose between them.