Wealthy Californians perfectly embody the Western neo-con-artist ideal when they run out of things to ruin in their own state, so they move to other states and immediately set about introducing the same cultural rot that made their home state unliveable.
Great piece. This point would’ve been perfect for the debate on immigration reform in 1964, but it wasn’t proven yet. Thanks to that reform going through, it has been now.
The simple fact that you use the terms barbarism and barbaric, displays your total ignorance of Islam and the Muslim culture.
Islamic Fundamentalism Which is neither fundamental nor Islamic is a direct product of the USA (specifically the CIA) creating a cadre of troops to contest Russia in Afghanistan. Russia had been invited to protect Afghanistan from the predation of northern warlords funded by the CIA to overthrow the democratically elected Communist government.
Now go get yourself killed so that the US may steal your resources is not a good motivator. So the US created radical schools in Pakistan to "brainwash" young impoverished men into fighting in the name of Islam and incidentally getting loads of US dollars (many of them counterfeit). Having created the Mujahideen and using US weapons (specifically Stingers) the US expected them all to go home once the Russians left and a US puppet installed.Having set the Fundies in motion, US had no way of stopping them and more, they found them useful in southern Russia, in India, Pakistan and any other country that wanted a secular state. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Yugoslavia etc. spring to mind.
You clearly have never visited, let alone lived in countries such as Saudi, Kuwait Lebanon, Turkey or even Malaysia, Egypt or the Maldives. If you had you would know that these are very advanced and cultured populations with ethics, morals and a way of life far more civilised than the "West".
.... “but beyond that you have what is called Ihsan, which means literally ‘philanthropy’ but which means a belief in God as you see him and as he sees you all the time.
So, for example, if you are walking along and you see broken glass, you pick it up – not just because you worry that someone might tread on it, but because it is the right thing to do, and it will please God.”
Shaker Aamer Guantanamo
The west worships Mammon, it is ruled by greed and fear, it is sick and perhaps fortunately, dying because any rational human being knows that such a life is not worth the candle.
"Their focus is on the universal values of love and service, deserting the illusions of ego (nafs) to reach God."
They are Sufi, the only religion I would study except that you have to sit and learn from the teacher by watching him/her for about twenty years.
.... “but beyond that you have what is called Ihsan, which means literally ‘philanthropy’ but which means a belief in God as you see him and as he sees you all the time.
So, for example, if you are walking along and you see broken glass, you pick it up – not just because you worry that someone might tread on it, but because it is the right thing to do, and it will please God.”
Shaker Aamer Guantanamo
Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God". Alternatively, in the words of the Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad ibn Ajiba, "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits".
"Sufis adhere to the prophet's tradition of loving every creature for the sake of the Creator's love. So they overlook the mistakes and blemishes of the people they encounter and only look at the light of God in them. By recognising the light of God, the Sufis practice forgiveness of mistakes of man."
-
Man is that cool or what?
-
Wahhabism sought to purge Sunni Islam of accretions and innovations such as the widespread Sufi practice of venerating saints and visiting tombs and shrines.
Until the CIA got involved the Wahhabis only concerned themselves with other Muslims in Saudi (which anyone who has worked in Saudi will confirm) The CIA gave them money to set up schools in Pakistan (screw up that country) and form the Mujahideen which became the Taliban (the students).
Then the answer is NO the Dervishes are not Fundamentalist they are the most saintly and advanced Muslims ever.
Wahhabis are the fundamentalists. Intolerant, arrogant and bigoted, no wonder the CIA loves them, they are so American.
(Whirling is a form of inducing a hypnotic trance, a more active method of meditation. Sufis also drink wine, listen to music and have other dance forms. They have pictorial art and make statues of [saintly] people. Many of the Sufi leaders, saints and teachers are women. No wonder the Wahhabis hate them.)
You are confusing Sufi with Catholic priests, Mormons and American politicians.
Sufi believe that any form of lust interferes with the love of god.
They mainly practise chastity and abstinence.
They do admire beauty in all it's forms. Only Americans seem to be unable to look at children and not have sexual desires, normal people just see children, not sex objects.
Le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle. I love that phrase. A shame that liberté, egalité, fraternité didn't work out in 1787...just as cultural revolutions in the West, (60s are a great example), seemed to degrade and distract, not uplift or promote peace. Sometimes the wheel needs no reinvention, but convincing others to spin theirs endlessly in the name of equality provides new tax bases.
You bring up valid points, PJ. The scope of social engineering and manipulation throughout the decades is truly astounding. Is Israel the nexus of this 5th Gen warfare, and is America used as an attack dog? Some feel that is so. "America is a golden calf and we will suck it dry", said Netanyahu of the US in the 90s.
Do we blame the Tavistock Institute, the Frankfurt School, the Jews, or do I repeat myself? Should America reopen the Verona Files and try to learn from history?
Kalergi, Tavistock, Frankfurt are the fronts for the manipulators, easy targets but very well paid easy targets. Climate Change, Diversity, BLM and all the other little fronts are but diversions along the path to totalitarian "Georgia Stone" control.
Forget about fixing it or changing it, it is too late and the 99% are too stupid to see what is coming.
The answer has been for the last 20,000 years the same and it is the same today. "Emigrate".
Asia, S America Africa are all big enough that if you have skills and a work ethic you can make a life. Maybe you can even join Musk and head for Mars.
Forget everything else, the only solution to the USA is in the Turner Diaries which is why it is banned and why they are petrified of Proud boys et al.
I do in part agree, although I haven't read the Turner Diaries yet. Better World Books had a copy which I've purchased. Also I have thought about visiting Orania in South Africa. It pains me, well is bruising to my ego and sense of misplaced nationalism, to admit the depths of pure corruption my country has sank. I know there is little I can do about it. The days of making poignant examples of what happens to traitors like Sisamnes are unfortunately over. We have only unjust lawfare now.
The American people are raped with taxes that support their own genocide and replacement. I like to say people the Nuremberg Code meant nothing, (((Covid))) and all the (((measures))) taken proved that. The Smith-Mundt Act, coincidentally passed in the same year as the founding of Israel, proves we as citizens are the enemies of the State. An apropos quote from William J. Casey, former Director of the CIA from 1981 to 1987: "We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false."
I went and saw the Guide Stones 12 days before they were destroyed, oddly enough.
There are towns in the American Mid-west that have 98%+ white population.
Orania is no big deal, 2,500 people living in a farming community.
No different to a large Amish set-up.
But you (and they and "Turner" )are looking in the wrong direction.
It is culture and values that count, not colour of the skin. In the 1950s a large proportion of American blacks were fully invested in the American dream and culture, but by exploiting the the weaknesses of black competitiveness, politicians used the black community to gain power.
45% of people will vote 'conservative' no matter what their policies. 45% will vote 'progressive' no matter what the (Democrat-Labour-progressive party) policies are. This leaves 10% who can be swayed to bring the party to power. Blacks, Homosexuals, 'illegals', students, Jews, Climate morons all can be 'bought' by promises of special treatment and privileges.
That 10% is where the power lies in a democracy, which is why large democracies can never work for long.
Verwoerd understood that different cultures, including different black cultures, required separate spaces, which is why he was murdered.
MLK understood that it was character (ie culture) that mattered not skin colour, that is why he was murdered. I do not care about a person's race, religion or background, if they share my culture, beliefs and mores, I can live with them.
The best society I ever lived in was in Kuwait, where it is 99.9% muslim.
Zero crime, impeccable manners, wonderful arts and music, 100% literacy, 'charity' as a duty and zero taxes.
Unfortunately I was offered an opportunity to create world leading software and I left.
You make many convincing points, PJ. I'm also reminded of the MOVE bombing, the Black Wall Street massacre, and the assassination of Malcolm X. The notion of separate but equal thwarted at every turn. How do you feel about where you're living now and the current political landscape?
I would not blame Enlightenment as the Enlightenment was a positive force so to blame is akin to blaming Christianity, or to blame let's say Napoleon for current day technological problems (just to make two other outrageous claims).
That said, what one should say is 'post-modernist' society. As the post-modernist views of to-day would offend our ancestors of just 100 years ago or 200 years ago quite a bit also. It is the post-modernist that the rest of the world is rejecting and filled with disdain for (quite reasonably so). Do hope you correct the essay but other than this slight criticism it makes some superbe points.
Post-modern society offends the elderly today, such is its recency. I do agree we have to be careful about trashing the enlightenment in its entirety. The last 10 years or so alone have been a steep decline into insanity.
However I suspect its recency is the reason it will not define us. Much of what is happening around us is driven by a minority. It does not define the majority.
I agree in essence with your core proposition - viz. that the rest of the world would need to be certifiably insane to want to be like us right now - but I’d appreciate your expanding on how you think we got to this mess. Other commenters have noted that the Enlightenment has been considered hitherto a very good thing - by me too. Yet you regard it as a factor in our malaise. I’m willing to be convinced, but would appreciate a serious explanation of your reasons for your point of view.
The absolute nadir of this (wilful?) myopia was the officially expressed hope that LGBTQ+ 'education' and celebration would continue in Afghanistan after the US had fled. There was also this comically desperate tweet from their Embassy.
I don't understand this anti Enlightenment sentiment. Didn't ideas about the perfectibility of man and the progress of civilization also spring up during the Renaissance? What's the difference between the two?
Wealthy Californians perfectly embody the Western neo-con-artist ideal when they run out of things to ruin in their own state, so they move to other states and immediately set about introducing the same cultural rot that made their home state unliveable.
Great piece. This point would’ve been perfect for the debate on immigration reform in 1964, but it wasn’t proven yet. Thanks to that reform going through, it has been now.
The simple fact that you use the terms barbarism and barbaric, displays your total ignorance of Islam and the Muslim culture.
Islamic Fundamentalism Which is neither fundamental nor Islamic is a direct product of the USA (specifically the CIA) creating a cadre of troops to contest Russia in Afghanistan. Russia had been invited to protect Afghanistan from the predation of northern warlords funded by the CIA to overthrow the democratically elected Communist government.
Now go get yourself killed so that the US may steal your resources is not a good motivator. So the US created radical schools in Pakistan to "brainwash" young impoverished men into fighting in the name of Islam and incidentally getting loads of US dollars (many of them counterfeit). Having created the Mujahideen and using US weapons (specifically Stingers) the US expected them all to go home once the Russians left and a US puppet installed.Having set the Fundies in motion, US had no way of stopping them and more, they found them useful in southern Russia, in India, Pakistan and any other country that wanted a secular state. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Yugoslavia etc. spring to mind.
You clearly have never visited, let alone lived in countries such as Saudi, Kuwait Lebanon, Turkey or even Malaysia, Egypt or the Maldives. If you had you would know that these are very advanced and cultured populations with ethics, morals and a way of life far more civilised than the "West".
.... “but beyond that you have what is called Ihsan, which means literally ‘philanthropy’ but which means a belief in God as you see him and as he sees you all the time.
So, for example, if you are walking along and you see broken glass, you pick it up – not just because you worry that someone might tread on it, but because it is the right thing to do, and it will please God.”
Shaker Aamer Guantanamo
The west worships Mammon, it is ruled by greed and fear, it is sick and perhaps fortunately, dying because any rational human being knows that such a life is not worth the candle.
The Dervishes not count as fundamentalists?
Are you crazy?
"Their focus is on the universal values of love and service, deserting the illusions of ego (nafs) to reach God."
They are Sufi, the only religion I would study except that you have to sit and learn from the teacher by watching him/her for about twenty years.
.... “but beyond that you have what is called Ihsan, which means literally ‘philanthropy’ but which means a belief in God as you see him and as he sees you all the time.
So, for example, if you are walking along and you see broken glass, you pick it up – not just because you worry that someone might tread on it, but because it is the right thing to do, and it will please God.”
Shaker Aamer Guantanamo
Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God". Alternatively, in the words of the Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad ibn Ajiba, "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits".
"Sufis adhere to the prophet's tradition of loving every creature for the sake of the Creator's love. So they overlook the mistakes and blemishes of the people they encounter and only look at the light of God in them. By recognising the light of God, the Sufis practice forgiveness of mistakes of man."
-
Man is that cool or what?
-
Wahhabism sought to purge Sunni Islam of accretions and innovations such as the widespread Sufi practice of venerating saints and visiting tombs and shrines.
Until the CIA got involved the Wahhabis only concerned themselves with other Muslims in Saudi (which anyone who has worked in Saudi will confirm) The CIA gave them money to set up schools in Pakistan (screw up that country) and form the Mujahideen which became the Taliban (the students).
My question remains.
Then the answer is NO the Dervishes are not Fundamentalist they are the most saintly and advanced Muslims ever.
Wahhabis are the fundamentalists. Intolerant, arrogant and bigoted, no wonder the CIA loves them, they are so American.
(Whirling is a form of inducing a hypnotic trance, a more active method of meditation. Sufis also drink wine, listen to music and have other dance forms. They have pictorial art and make statues of [saintly] people. Many of the Sufi leaders, saints and teachers are women. No wonder the Wahhabis hate them.)
Sufis fuck little boys.
You are confusing Sufi with Catholic priests, Mormons and American politicians.
Sufi believe that any form of lust interferes with the love of god.
They mainly practise chastity and abstinence.
They do admire beauty in all it's forms. Only Americans seem to be unable to look at children and not have sexual desires, normal people just see children, not sex objects.
Interesting. Thank ypu.
Le jeu n'en vaut pas la chandelle, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle. I love that phrase. A shame that liberté, egalité, fraternité didn't work out in 1787...just as cultural revolutions in the West, (60s are a great example), seemed to degrade and distract, not uplift or promote peace. Sometimes the wheel needs no reinvention, but convincing others to spin theirs endlessly in the name of equality provides new tax bases.
You bring up valid points, PJ. The scope of social engineering and manipulation throughout the decades is truly astounding. Is Israel the nexus of this 5th Gen warfare, and is America used as an attack dog? Some feel that is so. "America is a golden calf and we will suck it dry", said Netanyahu of the US in the 90s.
Do we blame the Tavistock Institute, the Frankfurt School, the Jews, or do I repeat myself? Should America reopen the Verona Files and try to learn from history?
Kalergi, Tavistock, Frankfurt are the fronts for the manipulators, easy targets but very well paid easy targets. Climate Change, Diversity, BLM and all the other little fronts are but diversions along the path to totalitarian "Georgia Stone" control.
Forget about fixing it or changing it, it is too late and the 99% are too stupid to see what is coming.
The answer has been for the last 20,000 years the same and it is the same today. "Emigrate".
Asia, S America Africa are all big enough that if you have skills and a work ethic you can make a life. Maybe you can even join Musk and head for Mars.
Forget everything else, the only solution to the USA is in the Turner Diaries which is why it is banned and why they are petrified of Proud boys et al.
I do in part agree, although I haven't read the Turner Diaries yet. Better World Books had a copy which I've purchased. Also I have thought about visiting Orania in South Africa. It pains me, well is bruising to my ego and sense of misplaced nationalism, to admit the depths of pure corruption my country has sank. I know there is little I can do about it. The days of making poignant examples of what happens to traitors like Sisamnes are unfortunately over. We have only unjust lawfare now.
The American people are raped with taxes that support their own genocide and replacement. I like to say people the Nuremberg Code meant nothing, (((Covid))) and all the (((measures))) taken proved that. The Smith-Mundt Act, coincidentally passed in the same year as the founding of Israel, proves we as citizens are the enemies of the State. An apropos quote from William J. Casey, former Director of the CIA from 1981 to 1987: "We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false."
I went and saw the Guide Stones 12 days before they were destroyed, oddly enough.
https://youtu.be/AZuoHyx2wXA?si=l5DDrfh8-CNBfzdA
There are towns in the American Mid-west that have 98%+ white population.
Orania is no big deal, 2,500 people living in a farming community.
No different to a large Amish set-up.
But you (and they and "Turner" )are looking in the wrong direction.
It is culture and values that count, not colour of the skin. In the 1950s a large proportion of American blacks were fully invested in the American dream and culture, but by exploiting the the weaknesses of black competitiveness, politicians used the black community to gain power.
45% of people will vote 'conservative' no matter what their policies. 45% will vote 'progressive' no matter what the (Democrat-Labour-progressive party) policies are. This leaves 10% who can be swayed to bring the party to power. Blacks, Homosexuals, 'illegals', students, Jews, Climate morons all can be 'bought' by promises of special treatment and privileges.
That 10% is where the power lies in a democracy, which is why large democracies can never work for long.
Verwoerd understood that different cultures, including different black cultures, required separate spaces, which is why he was murdered.
MLK understood that it was character (ie culture) that mattered not skin colour, that is why he was murdered. I do not care about a person's race, religion or background, if they share my culture, beliefs and mores, I can live with them.
The best society I ever lived in was in Kuwait, where it is 99.9% muslim.
Zero crime, impeccable manners, wonderful arts and music, 100% literacy, 'charity' as a duty and zero taxes.
Unfortunately I was offered an opportunity to create world leading software and I left.
You make many convincing points, PJ. I'm also reminded of the MOVE bombing, the Black Wall Street massacre, and the assassination of Malcolm X. The notion of separate but equal thwarted at every turn. How do you feel about where you're living now and the current political landscape?
I am fine, living life as a spectator and not as a participant in the insanity.
The limited number of people that I meet treat me as I treat them, with respect and kindness.
I unfortunately never got to experience India or China but apart from that I have no regrets.
I would not blame Enlightenment as the Enlightenment was a positive force so to blame is akin to blaming Christianity, or to blame let's say Napoleon for current day technological problems (just to make two other outrageous claims).
That said, what one should say is 'post-modernist' society. As the post-modernist views of to-day would offend our ancestors of just 100 years ago or 200 years ago quite a bit also. It is the post-modernist that the rest of the world is rejecting and filled with disdain for (quite reasonably so). Do hope you correct the essay but other than this slight criticism it makes some superbe points.
Post-modern society offends the elderly today, such is its recency. I do agree we have to be careful about trashing the enlightenment in its entirety. The last 10 years or so alone have been a steep decline into insanity.
However I suspect its recency is the reason it will not define us. Much of what is happening around us is driven by a minority. It does not define the majority.
Truer words have never before been uttered!
I agree in essence with your core proposition - viz. that the rest of the world would need to be certifiably insane to want to be like us right now - but I’d appreciate your expanding on how you think we got to this mess. Other commenters have noted that the Enlightenment has been considered hitherto a very good thing - by me too. Yet you regard it as a factor in our malaise. I’m willing to be convinced, but would appreciate a serious explanation of your reasons for your point of view.
The absolute nadir of this (wilful?) myopia was the officially expressed hope that LGBTQ+ 'education' and celebration would continue in Afghanistan after the US had fled. There was also this comically desperate tweet from their Embassy.
https://www.pacificpundit.com/2022/06/02/u-s-embassy-kabul-tweets-about-pride-month-with-rainbow-flag/
I don't understand this anti Enlightenment sentiment. Didn't ideas about the perfectibility of man and the progress of civilization also spring up during the Renaissance? What's the difference between the two?