I’m not a religious dude, but I do appreciate religious writers & philosohpers. I’ve studied Maimonides, Thomas Aquinas, Wittgenstein (yes he was very spiritual). But Augustine has the best one liners and phrases. My favorite one of his these days – because it captures our times so well – is “Libido Dominandi”.
“Lust for Rule” signifies our age. Especially in America, our society has grown so overrun with powerful, sclerotic institutions it is scarry. Yes, this is me the anarchist libertarian talking. Let me lay down some facts:
- Sexual deviants and stalkers are openly applying for screening jobs with the TSA at LAX airport, so they can molest hot celebrities
- People are brainwashed to believe that government is the Great Protector of the disabled and handicapped, while these same disadvantaged people are publicy humiliated by state agents
- The corporate welfare Queen (err, “Bank”) of America openly cops to political motivation in denying loans to a gun manufacturer. Meanwhile as my Dad noted gun purchases in the US are at an all-time high. That ain’t because the people love their government or trust authorities to protect them
As Friedrich Hayek said: in government (and government-connected private interests) the worst rise to the top. Just the inverse of the rest of life. “Talent” in government – in an era where it is uncontrollably harrassing and domineering – is measured in how skillfull and efficient one is in carrying out ruthless harrassment and domination.
I knew things would get bad after 9/11/2001. Libido Dominandi on the part of our rulers – and the sheepish capitulation and naive faith on the part of my fellow subjects – assured that. When bad guys win we end up with an Egyptian system where the god is the state, the state is god, and – in a democracy – the citizens indulge in the fantasy that “we the people” rule ourselves. I even wrote a song about it:
But I hold out hope that the tide will turn. With the entire Occupy Wallstreet thing, and with 10,000 young people showing up to hear an anti-government champion of liberty when he’s all but dead in his current political race – you know something is changing. Let’s thank goodness for that great promoter of libertarianism and anit-government sentiment – the TSA.