Food for Thought
Of Fortitude = ‘unconquered’,
Out of the night that covers me
Black as the pit from pole to pole.
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquered soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning’s of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul.
(‘Invictus’, William Ernest Henley 1892)
Of Justice – Integrity, Impartiality and rightness. (The Rule of Law)
It seems to me that it follows in order to ensure justice, there must be ‘rule of law’ to regulate its outcome. It must therefore follow that determinant ‘rights’ have been universally acknowledged.
Again, it seems to me, that such regulation has historically been established that have become the ‘natural’ conclusion held today. The recognition of certain and many rights date back beyond physical records and are customary by nature. One might regard the application of rights as the formation of freedom in a civil society.
In a trial of misdemeanours – a person is normally judged traditionally by twelve of their peers, this is the custom of the English judiciary since Saxon times. I am rather concerned that changes are under discussion, for expediency, to interfere with the current practices of jury service.
Of the nature of the English, and as Rudyard Kipling once wrote:
“The Saxon is not like the Normans, his manners are not so polite,
But he never means anything serious till he talks about justice and right.
When he stands like an ox in the furrow with his sullen set eyes on your own,
And grumbles, ‘This isn’t fair dealing.’
Beware of the Saxon alone,”
Of Power:
Global Supremacy and the Arrogance of Power
The increasing aspect of an American oligarchy expressing their intentions to govern the wider economy is a little alarming. It is apparent how vast sums spent on military power can ignore compassion for humanity. Without delving into the morals of religious doctrines it must be obvious today that we may be leading toward a failure in democracy in the pursuit of avarice.
Remarks by the American president are likely to compound the dangers being faced by the already unbalanced state of the world. A speech now famous, was given by Senator William Fulbright of Arkansas in 1965, concerning the war in Vietnam has a resonance today.
It is sheer arrogance to presume that, on behalf of part of a nation, that its power gives it a right to intervene in the affairs of less powerful nations. The wealth of the USA makes it possible to supply weaponry that forces an unreasonable outcome. The American economy is heightened by the manufacture and supply of military force and can subdue any reasonable political circumstance.
World Order: Empirical powers driven by religious beliefs compete with the forces of Russo-Chinese Communism and their dependant countries all vying for a rightful stake in dominance.
Where unreasonable power is applied, who determines the dictators – assumed to be the angels of correction (for a good outcome!) Whose is the morality – the extent to which an action is right or wrong? By what right does a wealthy and powerful nation determine a reasonable and non-selfish outcome. Unfortunately, these matters are not always truthfully and openly discussed.