Indiana Roads

posted December 14, 2009

There is something about driving on Indiana roads that clears the mind and helps one to see reality. I suppose that is because these roads are straight as a line drawn on paper and the terrain is as flat, or flatter, than the proverbial pancake. Plus there is not much in the surrounding countryside to distract one from one’s thoughts: fields, clumps of trees, an occasional farmhouse and barn. Not exactly the mountain vistas of the West where every mile or so presents one with a stunning view from the front seat of the automobile and one’s attention is directed outwards. Coupled with the gentle motion of the car as it travels down the road and with the hum of a car motor, traveling down Indiana roads is truly a restful experience that lends itself to thought and analysis. Indeed, I believe that there is something about the Indiana countryside, and traveling down these Indiana roads, that is positively conducive to deep, if not the deepest, meditation thereby allowing for sublime insights.

So, it was on one of these Indiana roads that the conviction, and truth, came to me that for one to fully understand a current situation in which one finds oneself, one must first know how one got there. To understand society, and America, and the United States of today, one must know how it started, where it came from, what ideas and motivations gave it birth.

Adam Smith published Wealth of Nations in 1776, which, as everyone knows, is also the year of the Declaration of Independence of the American Colonies. While the United States of America would ultimately result, there first had to be fought a war of revolution throwing off the political control of the King of England. A constitution would be written and approved in the 1787-1789 period, and this constitution, forming the basic law of the land, would radically re-work the political relationships between the states. The most important, but oftentimes downplayed, part of the United States Constitution were the economic provisions of the same. I am referring to the power given to the national government (Congress) over interstate and foreign commerce (Article I, Section 8); to the power given to the national government (Congress, theoretically) over the money or fiscal policy (Article I, Section 10); to the power given to the national government (Congress) over international trade and commerce (Article I, Section 10); to the power taken from states to do anything to impair private contracts (Article I, Section 10) ; to the protection or honoring of court orders and rulings from one state in all the states, and to the protection of the status of one person, or entity, from one state in all the states (Article IV, Section 1 and 2). As concluded by Professor Roy C. Smith, a professor of entrepreneurship and finance at New York University’s Stern School, "The American Constitution defers to market forces to an extraordinary degree, without overtly attempting to do so." (p. 113 of Adam Smith and the Origins of American Enterprise (Truman Tally Books, 2004). He writes that the "three authors of The Federalist Papers thus bought into Adam Smith’s reasoning." (p. 112). The drafters of the Constitution, the Founders of the United States of America, were capitalists, and they created a political system that protected, indeed, enshrined, capitalism and the values, beliefs, and worldview necessary for its existence, perpetuation, and growth. The Founders knew of Adam Smith and bought into his thinking and ideas as they formed the political entity known as the United States of America, and, in so doing, formed the society known as America.

Which leads to the next logical point. And perhaps it is best to put this in the form of a question for a number of reasons. Here it is: Is the political entity known as the United States of America a cover for capitalism, an economic ideology, which exists on certain principles and which then in turn reform, or reshapes, or restructures, society in accordance with the principles or values necessary for capitalism so as to make the society more amenable to exploitation by capitalists? Is the ideology of capitalism the reason for the existence of the USA? Are all the individual rights so enshrined in the Constitution and its numerous amendments simply codified extensions of the values and beliefs needed to open and strengthen markets and the capitalistic economic system?

Let’s define capitalism. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1971 ed.) defines it as "1. An economic system characterized by freedom of the market with increasing concentration of private and corporate ownership of production and distribution means, proportionate to increasing accumulation and reinvestment of profits. 2. A political or social system regarded as being based on this." In other words, the service of Mammon is paramount for there is not contained in this definition, and certainly one cannot gather from the practice of capitalism, that either the welfare or development of the whole person (as the Holy Father explained in Truth in Charity) is taken into consideration as a goal of capitalists and their system. Under capitalism, making money is first and foremost, and the welfare of others, or the thoughts and opinions of others, or the interests of others, are only to be considered insofar as these things can be used to better manipulate these others so as to open them to buying your product or service, or at least to keep them out of the way. Thinking of your fellow man is an afterthought as reflected in the proliferation of numerous charities and philanthropies by wealthy capitalists, or, as is the case with most people, caring for others becomes a separate part of one's existence, and not integrated into the daily living as it should. Under capitalism, everything boils down to making money and the value of everything is placed in dollars and cents. This is service to Mammon, this is the forbidden love of money by any other name. This is called serving Mammon, and one cannot serve both God and Mammon.

With the service of Mammon paramount, then it is only natural that one barrier after another to morality and Truth are subverted and eliminated. Homosexuals get elected mayor, abortion is the most common medical procedure on women, Wall Street breaks Main Street, pornography is accepted, endless warfare, and the ranks of the poor and unemployed grow more and more. And so on and so forth. But most importantly, the Faith is lost to many as religion becomes a matter of personal preference, and, as a result, souls are lost to the fires of Hell. It’s a descending spiral. Indeed, I submit that America presents a devolution in human history. America allows a return to a state of nature of sorts, as Locke philosophized about 300 years ago, only this time the little guys have an illusion while the big guys run the show without any sort of check on their power and influence. In other words, the "state of nature" is ruled by the law of the jungle where the more powerful devour the less powerful. And the powerful eschew any sort of church, but especially a strong Roman Catholic Church because then the elites would have the morality of their actions questioned, the weak would have a champion, and the elites would therefore not have free reign to manipulate and do as they please.

And in response to the questions raised above, I believe the answer to each of them is "yes." So, if we get caught up in the conservative versus liberal, religion versus secular, pro-life versus pro-abortion, family values versus non-family values, we engage in shadow-boxing that only serves the capitalists and hurts all of us. America was a master stroke of turning every discussion into shadow-boxing, or into political discussions where every opinion is equal, all so that the real issues could not be addressed. As a result, major moral problems became political footballs, and all manner of error is accepted as a legitimate opinion. America is a neo-pagan construct based on a neo-pagan philosophy just like Communism, National Socialism, and so many others that have existed in the last couple of hundred of years.

The Roman Catholic position is then clear: we must articulate and preach the Faith in all its splendor – the theological aspects as well as the social and economic and political for all of these things are tied together by the truth that these things are to serve man by comporting with the will of God. The answer is not political involvement but it is instead the conversion of Americans to the One, True Faith.

The real issue, the only call we have as Roman Catholics, is to heed the words of our Savior contained in Matthew 28:19-20: "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Sprit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."

Merry Christmas.

JMJ

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Indiana Roads posted December 14, 2009 There is something about driving on Indiana roads that clears the mind and helps one to see reality. I suppose that is because these roads are straight as a line drawn on paper and the terrain is as flat, or flatter, than the proverbial pancake. Plus there is not much in the surrounding countryside to distract one from one’s thoughts: fields, clumps of trees, an occasional farmhouse and barn. Not exactly the mountain vistas of the West where every mile or so presents one with a stunning view from the front seat of the automobile and one’s attention is directed outwards. Coupled with the gentle motion of the car as it travels down the road and with the hum of a car motor, traveling down Indiana roads is truly a restful experience that lends itself to thought and analysis. Indeed, I believe that there is something about the Indiana countryside, and traveling down these Indiana roads, that is positively conducive to deep, if not the deepest, meditation thereby allowing for sublime insights. So, it was on one of these Indiana roads that the conviction, and truth, came to me that for one to fully understand a current situation in which one finds oneself, one must first know how one got there. To understand society, and America, and the United States of today, one must know how it started, where it came from, what ideas and motivations gave it birth. Adam Smith published Wealth of Nations in 1776, which, as everyone knows, is also the year of the Declaration of Independence of the American Colonies. While the United States of America would ultimately result, there first had to be fought a war of revolution throwing off the political control of the King of England. A constitution would be written and approved in the 1787-1789 period, and this constitution, forming the basic law of the land, would radically re-work the political relationships between the states. The most important, but oftentimes downplayed, part of the United States Constitution were the economic provisions of the same. I am referring to the power given to the national government (Congress) over interstate and foreign commerce (Article I, Section 8); to the power given to the national government (Congress, theoretically) over the money or fiscal policy (Article I, Section 10); to the power given to the national government (Congress) over international trade and commerce (Article I, Section 10); to the power taken from states to do anything to impair private contracts (Article I, Section 10) ; to the protection or honoring of court orders and rulings from one state in all the states, and to the protection of the status of one person, or entity, from one state in all the states (Article IV, Section 1 and 2). As concluded by Professor Roy C. Smith, a professor of entrepreneurship and finance at New York University’s Stern School, "The American Constitution defers to market forces to an extraordinary degree, without overtly attempting to do so." (p. 113 of Adam Smith and the Origins of American Enterprise (Truman Tally Books, 2004). He writes that the "three authors of The Federalist Papers thus bought into Adam Smith’s reasoning." (p. 112). The drafters of the Constitution, the Founders of the United States of America, were capitalists, and they created a political system that protected, indeed, enshrined, capitalism and the values, beliefs, and worldview necessary for its existence, perpetuation, and growth. The Founders knew of Adam Smith and bought into his thinking and ideas as they formed the political entity known as the United States of America, and, in so doing, formed the society known as America. Which leads to the next logical point. And perhaps it is best to put this in the form of a question for a number of reasons. Here it is: Is the political entity known as the United States of America a cover for capitalism, an economic ideology, which exists on certain principles and which then in turn reform, or reshapes, or restructures, society in accordance with the principles or values necessary for capitalism so as to make the society more amenable to exploitation by capitalists? Is the ideology of capitalism the reason for the existence of the USA? Are all the individual rights so enshrined in the Constitution and its numerous amendments simply codified extensions of the values and beliefs needed to open and strengthen markets and the capitalistic economic system? Let’s define capitalism. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1971 ed.) defines it as "1. An economic system characterized by freedom of the market with increasing concentration of private and corporate ownership of production and distribution means, proportionate to increasing accumulation and reinvestment of profits. 2. A political or social system regarded as being based on this." In other words, the service of Mammon is paramount for there is not contained in this definition, and certainly one cannot gather from the practice of capitalism, that either the welfare or development of the whole person (as the Holy Father explained in Truth in Charity) is taken into consideration as a goal of capitalists and their system. Under capitalism, making money is first and foremost, and the welfare of others, or the thoughts and opinions of others, or the interests of others, are only to be considered insofar as these things can be used to better manipulate these others so as to open them to buying your product or service, or at least to keep them out of the way. Thinking of your fellow man is an afterthought as reflected in the proliferation of numerous charities and philanthropies by wealthy capitalists, or, as is the case with most people, caring for others becomes a separate part of one's existence, and not integrated into the daily living as it should. Under capitalism, everything boils down to making money and the value of everything is placed in dollars and cents. This is service to Mammon, this is the forbidden love of money by any other name. This is called serving Mammon, and one cannot serve both God and Mammon. With the service of Mammon paramount, then it is only natural that one barrier after another to morality and Truth are subverted and eliminated. Homosexuals get elected mayor, abortion is the most common medical procedure on women, Wall Street breaks Main Street, pornography is accepted, endless warfare, and the ranks of the poor and unemployed grow more and more. And so on and so forth. But most importantly, the Faith is lost to many as religion becomes a matter of personal preference, and, as a result, souls are lost to the fires of Hell. It’s a descending spiral. Indeed, I submit that America presents a devolution in human history. America allows a return to a state of nature of sorts, as Locke philosophized about 300 years ago, only this time the little guys have an illusion while the big guys run the show without any sort of check on their power and influence. In other words, the "state of nature" is ruled by the law of the jungle where the more powerful devour the less powerful. And the powerful eschew any sort of church, but especially a strong Roman Catholic Church because then the elites would have the morality of their actions questioned, the weak would have a champion, and the elites would therefore not have free reign to manipulate and do as they please. And in response to the questions raised above, I believe the answer to each of them is "yes." So, if we get caught up in the conservative versus liberal, religion versus secular, pro-life versus pro-abortion, family values versus non-family values, we engage in shadow-boxing that only serves the capitalists and hurts all of us. America was a master stroke of turning every discussion into shadow-boxing, or into political discussions where every opinion is equal, all so that the real issues could not be addressed. As a result, major moral problems became political footballs, and all manner of error is accepted as a legitimate opinion. America is a neo-pagan construct based on a neo-pagan philosophy just like Communism, National Socialism, and so many others that have existed in the last couple of hundred of years. The Roman Catholic position is then clear: we must articulate and preach the Faith in all its splendor – the theological aspects as well as the social and economic and political for all of these things are tied together by the truth that these things are to serve man by comporting with the will of God. The answer is not political involvement but it is instead the conversion of Americans to the One, True Faith. The real issue, the only call we have as Roman Catholics, is to heed the words of our Savior contained in Matthew 28:19-20: "Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Sprit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Merry Christmas.