PURITANISM and DEMOCRACY Quotes from Ralph Barton Perry, Copyright 1944 Worth noting, methinks; and they go along with my own trains of thought. R. “The basic ideas of democracy… important for democracy… the fuller meaning and the higher moral attainment appear only in the will to tolerate, and in the according of liberty to others. The same applies to equality.” – as opposed to wishing them for oneself only. “The mainspring of revolt (in order to create democratic standards) is the self-confidence and the self-respect which must inevitably accompany attainment. A democracy of opportunity (to liberty and self-determination) must be at the same time a democracy of personal esteem. A man cannot be given opportunity without the acknowledgment of his dignity.” (again, this ‘given’ to others as much as sought for ourselves.) “The spirit of fraternity is fully expressed, however, not in the claiming of equality, but in the granting it to others. Lincoln put his finger on this with his usual infallibility:” ‘When we were the political slaves of King George, (speaking of the American Revolution) and wanted to be free, we called the maxim that “all men are created equal” a self-evident truth; but now when we have grown fat, and have lost all dread of being slaves ourselves, we have become so greedy to be masters that we call the same maxim “a self-evident lie.” ‘ “The full spirit of fraternity acknowledges the just pride of others, and gives in advance that which the other’s self-respect demands. It is the only possible relation between two self-respecting persons.” “…it implies courtesy, fair-mindedness, and the admission of one’s own limitations.” “…it is vital to a democratic community.” “The only root which will bear this flower is generosity. Are we prepared to pay by surrendering personal advantages (and material wealth) that we now enjoy? Or are we democratic only insofar as it costs us nothing? If so, we are not ready for a democratic future.” “The realization of democracy must depend finally on [our] common preference of a higher form of life. There must be not merely a claim and a yielding of rights, but a ‘relish’ for that reciprocity in which a man associates with his fellows on terms of equality. The democratic faith is the belief that an ennobling quality can always be found by one of sensitive imagination and tender sympathy.” “Treat another as inferior and you place him in a dilemma. He must either suffer humiliation or show resentment. You either break his will or antagonize it.” “The most enlivening and fertilizing of social relationships is hopeful confidence and esteem, felt stoutheartedly by each man for himself and generously by each man toward his fellows.” – Ralph Barton Perry In light of this, much of post-WWII U.S. foreign policy, military dominance, unilateralism, partisan politics, our own brands of fundamentalism, invasions of other countries, domestic consumption and materialism, disproportionate acquisition of resources, ignorance of environmental protections, illegal detentions without trial, dubious self-investigations, continued high-tech. ‘remote’ fighting, and etc. are ‘red flags,’ highly visible to people outside the U.S.; and are questionable personality traits to a higher and enlightened democratic being. No? Make this simple: In sports games, driving in traffic, or playing in a sandbox, the repercussions of lawlessness, unfairness, unfriendliness, dirtiness, selfishness, or adding too many unnecessaries, are readily apparent. Playing in nations, in democracies, or on planets is no different. No? Willing here to consider ‘otherwise’ to my posts, but no one is saying ‘yeah’ or ‘nay.’ (I have grown to suspect that silence, today, means disagreement; but in a positive sense it could mean agreement as well… “no news is good news!”) June 18, 2013
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:31:36 +0000
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