- SUMMARY

SUMMARY OF LEARNER, BEGIN
PICTURE: Par Alfrmoldavie — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16001006

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1106222/

LEARNER full text (2024) and chapters

All or nothing, PeaceWorld or death

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1106222/

APPRENTI texte integral (2024) et chapitres

Tout ou rien, Le monde paisible ou la mort

Transcript

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WORLD WAR COVID
From WeaponWorld to PeaceWorld
Learner, begin

- SUMMARY OF LEARNER, BEGIN -

Some political theories have attempted to “fix everything” but almost never managed to and only momentarily in those rare cases. 

Why?

If a good mechanic was tasked with fixing a machine that had broken down for thousands of years, “How do I fix this?” would not be the first question he would ask. After all, former mechanics had asked that question and answered it as best they could, all for naught. Otherwise, we would not be here trying to fix it again. It would work fine already.

No, the first questions to ask would be:

·      Why did the machine break?

·      How did it break?

·      Who broke it?

If it broke because forces beyond its endurance were applied to it, then it would not matter the parts  replaced, it would break again where it broke before or at another weak link. If it broke because those who should have tended it, abused it in favor of their special interests, then again, it would not matter what parts were replaced. If it was used for purposes other than those intended; again, no matter. 

Answer those questions to your satisfaction and you might find a lasting fix; otherwise, no way. All three questions would have to be resolved before addressing the fourth: “How do I fix this?” 

Despite thousands of years of babble by reductionist meliorists on “How to fix” government (Plato, Machiavelli and Marx come to mind; as does the next tank-top online troll of the Chinese Gov’t/neoKGB/Koch brothers’ Repugnant variety), Learner poses those three primary questions so that its readers may follow its lead and make a better job of it. Unlike those knee jerk parts replacers, we might construct good government once and for all.   

I sent away for a free copy of the Bible in French (www.bibles.ch). The Bible must be a wellspring of literary style and inspiration for cultures that adopt it; as would the Koran (Qran) for Muslim cultures, the Vedas for Hindus and other texts for other denominations. 

Since I had not read the Bible in French up ‘til then, (nor the Qran in what I’ve been told is its purest Arabic; nor, alas, the life of Buddha nor the Gita in Pali or Sanskrit …), it seemed my rusty French might benefit. I must admit I never found a version of the Bible written in French as melodious as the King James Version in English.

As long as we will recognize how little we know compared to what we don’t, and as long as we can catch a whiff of garlic simmering (per J.G. Ballard), everything will turn alright. 

My request earned me this answer. 

 “What did you intend to write?” 

I replied something like this (revised many times since). 

It’s hard for me to weave a welcome mat for Learner, begin. So many ideas in so few words!

I foresee a new world, soon to be provided with the following. 

·      One duly elected World Mayor’s Office, with its Administrative Council duly elected from grass roots widespread and deep. Note my italics: no Big Brother need apply. It will be our civic duty and private pleasure to replace them with worthy tribal leaders.

·      One vigilant and humane Judiciary controlled by randomly selected juries.

·      An expert Police Force: the best warriors on Earth, handpicked to uphold the peace. 

They would govern this planet all by themselves, the way our best cities are run: exclusively with one police force, one judiciary and one mayor’s office.

This planet looks more like Mogadishu on a Bad Day:

·      two hundred cruel, ego-freak gang lords trumping each other at the expense of the anthrosphere; 

·      two hundred councils of senile elders acting at cross purposes from restricted politics, at the expense of their little corner of the city/planet; and

·      two hundred gangs of street corner idlers coached by grizzled old murderers to play bloody War with AK-74s, M-4s and worse.  

Nowadays, the powers that be (America, Europe, developed Asia... Get it?) resemble Embassy Row in Mogadishu. They occupy the least damaged, richest and most heavily armed neighborhoods of a city in ruins. I don’t know Mogadishu’s layout, so I might be wrong about its “best” neighborhood. My illustration stands. 

Simply put, I intend to transform this Planet Mogadishu into Planet Geneva. To get there, I will need your cooperation and that of millions more Learners. The more, the merrier! 

Picture the wonders well raised children could accomplish! The streets would be spotless and secure; the parks, well-tended and inviting; the artwork, ah, the artwork! And the scientific discoveries! 

Mogadishu could become what it always wanted to be: a regional capital of commerce, piety and Learning; a subtropical garden famous for its imperial parks; a thriving, cosmopolitan port; an inviting tourist attraction and a center of abundance and wisdom — where the call to prayer would never be interrupted by the disgrace of gunfire. 

And the West? Embassy Row of Planet Mogadishu on a Bad Day? It would be the same district on Planet Geneva — just super-deluxe. The rising tide would lift every yacht and dinghy.

Yet Mencius, my favorite Chinese philosopher among those commemorated, held it wiser to seek Humanity and Duty rather than a simple profit that can turn destructive. Humanity, Duty and Learning: those priorities could secure a more dependable abundance.

After all, what motivates us today? Could we profit from WeaponWorld by perfecting it? Criminal expediency. Could PeaceWorld threaten our livelihood without additional return? Might it be too difficult and dangerous? Cruel and gutless denial. Could PeaceWorld not emerge until humanity 2.0 had emerged, as perfectly suited for it as our version 1.0 is not? Circular reasoning to dodge personal responsibility. Appraise our common motives here, without pity, the way a panhandler would finger his meager pocket change by drizzly twilight.

Of course, we will need these other things.

·      A brace of peace religions that travel hand in hand. Are you a religious fanatic preaching exclusion and brutality in the name of God? Nobody is listening; you’re fired!

·      A World Militia on the Swiss plan that would let us defend home, hometown and home world against any Aggressor. It would end organized crime and armed aggression in every community that signed up for it.

·      Direct and free access to the World Court. Every hate crime and tyrannical conspiracy investigated at its source; every human rights offender, arrested early on, especially if some local militia turns into a loose cannon.

·      The World Agora of info politics and Learning, operating from the grass roots, as high quality as municipal water, far more responsive than our common politico/info/entertainment lash-ups.

·      An advanced degree for every child by puberty, the way we honor musical prodigies today. Most children will be prodigies in at least one topic of their choosing, if we encourage the full range of their interests and don't quash  them.

·      Child rearing would be a sacred calling no longer left to those less qualified; 

·      The ritual purification of water by filtering it through biomass or some other “miraculous” technology (perhaps Multi-use Titanium Dioxide). Many more technologies will emerge, with so many Learners pursuing their topics of passion in the World Agora.

·      Guaranteed public health, with enough food, clothing, housing and care for everyone. We would be sharing the wealth of Geneva here, not the poverty of Mogadishu — both magnified to planetary proportions. Enough basic necessities to satisfy everyone's needs, with more and more left over.

·      Free storefront or sanctuary-based mediation and arbitration services (free water bars?), attended by religious and/or secular experts, to serve any pair of citizens holding a grudge and dispute. No civil case would go before a jury until it had been mediated in this manner.

·      The cultivation of climax biomes in various habitats; and

·      Space, undersea and microbial biome research in earnest.

You know, all those things we make wishful noises about, yet let drop in favor of our weapon technologies? Please note: “our weapon technologies, our responsibility” — no one else’s. If we agreed to play this hand honestly, with all our might and that of God, it could be a much better deal for us than the fatal one we play today, blaming others for our sins.

In so doing, we lead a life of misery stripped of civility, charity, true faith, serious education, useful infrastructure, high art, climax biome, good taste and dependable security. Indeed, we’ve stripped our conscience raw — both as individuals and as communities. Our social habits should let us honor PeaceWorld rather than rehearse what it will take to survive another bad day on WeaponWorld. 

We submit to this mass-induced stupidity because our societies evolved through Darwinian selection to fear peace as much as cholera. Both were lethal to primitive cultures and both are banned. 

Our cultures train us from infancy, under full time hypnosis, to shun peace and Holy Spirit as much as shit. Social collectives and lone philosophers that taught honest peace, true sainthood and real merit, got their throats cut by more militant communities both at home and abroad.

We are the worst weapon demons and our societies, the deadliest weapon technologies that five (?) thousand years of Darwinian selection could produce. Do you recall the Orcs in Tolkien’s fantasies? Well, the real-world Orcs, that’s us: so-called lovers of peace who never manage to set it up. 

The only thing our culture is really good at is perfecting the Threat Formula:

body count x (distance/time2)

Nuclear, biological and perhaps meteorological omnicide, that’s our ultimate cultural achievement and manifest destiny, unless we transform ourselves on every scale: social, personal and spiritual. Otherwise, that was all we were good at, and that will be our ultimate fate.

Humanity 0, Omnicide -1. 

What a sorry score for this carefully tended, wisely hardened, perfectly nursed species. We perch on a blue-green orb, under an immense, black velvet sky studded with solitaires, that hides much more abundance. This planet is good for us in every way ; even though it is probably not our planet of origin. Its 24-hour orbital time frame does not match the human sleep cycle. Nor is the sun safe to stare at, even though animals can do it unharmed. And our backbone and joints were never suited for a lifetime of comfortable activity under one gravity.

Come on, Learners! We can do better than that!

For the first time in history, we have every tool PeaceWorld requires: global communications, mutual recognition and universal longing for peace. For the first time, all of humanity (even those not yet willing) could recognize one another as worthy equals. We could all start from the same page. Up ‘til now, we lacked those vital tools. At present, all we need is consensus, will, faith and guts. Have we got enough? 

Have we had enough?

Note at the top of my list, the adoption of new religions of peace. In my opinion and contrary to trendy dogma, the church and state cannot be separated. If you attempt to “separate” church and state, some lesser proxy of a religion will fill the vacuum alongside the undead government, or some surging creed will replace government that turned unworkable. In the past, the relative liberalism of Western governments could be traced in part to their adherence to Christ’s morality, as opposed to the bureaucratic depravity of Christian religions. At present, the spiritual emptiness of national capitalist corporate consumerism (junk spirit, akin to junk food) has been imposed as the public creed, to our obvious detriment.

If you find these ideas unacceptable, among others presented in Learner, skip them. It doesn’t matter much if I connect with those who reject new ideas. The marketplace of ideas is a lot like hitchhiking: mediocre people drive themselves out of the picture quite conveniently.

Christian cults rely on the words of the Apostle Paul, John of Revelation and St. Augustine. Somehow, those of Jesus are relegated to the background, decorative but annulled. We heed the words of men, not the Word of God. What we should adore in pure faith, almost nobody can stomach, so thoroughly has it been degraded. Jesus’ instructions were corrupted since the Roman persecution, the Nicene Council and the extermination of the Cathars. 

I believe Jesus taught us to live well and die one last time as clueless meat puppets; that we should be reborn in Him, literally. Reincarnate into His perfect life and live it out. Learn from it exactly what we need to be saved. Suffer the second death by taking up His cross and go directly to heaven with Him. 

Go read His words and see for yourself.

Otherwise, we condemn ourselves to Samsara on the Wheel of Death and Desire: endless reincarnations, circular abstractions, insignificant rituals, empty sins and futile deaths — apart from this last one He taught us, pending our compliance with His instruction. 

Review your current life and see for yourself. 

All creeds are equally valid – Christian, Judaic, Buddhist, Muslim, Vedic, Atheist, Gnostic, Agnostic, Deist, Pagan or other – if they help us live a better life and don’t get too upset if we commit our soul, after dying, into the life of Jesus Christ, our conscience somewhat less flayed by remorse. After this penultimate death, we would be free to choose Him and His path to heaven, for the first time in our many clueless lives.

I defy you to find such a miraculous, perfect and divine freedom to choose under other circumstances. Certainly not among the officious and enslaving prescriptions of killer ape-men stuck on WeaponWorld: “Do me this, do me that, or be damned. Believe in nothing but what we preach (including the belief in nothing). By the way, allow us to snuff you and your benighted progeny unless you go over there to murder them and theirs.”

Every Repugnant preacher of cowardly lies, brutality, exclusion, compulsion, betrayal and damnation by our infinite, Loving God — they just refine suicidal weapon mentality devoid of faith, love and God. May God forgive them and may I find some way to ape God's mercy. 

We could build temples of eternal peace. The Lord has enough mercy for every soul, with more to spare. I seek this apocatastasis, this universalism. The saints we need to establish it are unemployed all around us. 

Every soul is saved, sooner or later: yours, mine, anyone’s. Thus toughened and afraid of nothing on Earth, we must do our duty; thus armored, create PeaceWorld. 

With no such faith – no real hope – no valid government – no true peace.

This summary will upset many, especially those trained as children to fear PeaceWorld and block it as adults.

This text is radically revolutionary and at odds with orthodoxy, as am I.  According to Learner, the most admirable nationalist patriot is just another jumped-up Crip or Blood claiming supremacy by flashing his idiot gang signs: from a cosmopolitan point of view, a bloodthirsty tribalist.  The pacifist devotee who claims moral superiority over the average guy, will achieve no better result (since he is lying to himself—at least the average warmonger is an honest monster).  Learners should expect fierce opposition from every philosophical azimuth.

To achieve peace, we must understand how much we fear it, how completely our institutions thwart it and how thoroughly our current thoughts and actions oppose it.  Whether we call ourselves warriors or lovers of peace; whether we’re young or old, rich or poor, learned or ignorant, pious or not; whether our institutions appear benign and sacred to us, or just mediocre, or infernal; regardless of our nation, religion, ethnicity, race, sex or other identity position. Every institution, every down-home cliché, every cultural checkpoint will have to be taken by frontal assault and cleared hand-to-hand in this intellectual Stalingrad; no-one and nothing will be spared.

What will PeaceWorld look like once the smoke clears?  It will delight our Loving God who will bless it with miracles of approbation; unlike WeaponWorld abhorrent to God, Who lets it survive through infinite forbearance for our unpardonable sins.  

Justice.  Kindness.  Peace. The dictatorship of empathy and the tyranny of compassion. Far fewer exceptions. 

Think about that.

What if we stopped playing hooky from PeaceWorld? What if we embraced it instead? Taught it to the children with pure conviction, to revere and uphold it forever, on our honor, with all our might? 

Once Learners rally, the heavens will come to our aid.

That’s my summary of Learner, begin.

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COMMENT?  markmulligan@comcast.net