ClayBarham
08-06-2007, 05:51 PM
One of the best ways to understand the difference between a society based upon community interests, and one where legitimate individual self-interests are supreme, is by the way society deals with change. Most people tend to resist change. Challenging established methods, practices and habits cause discomfort for most. It means having to invest the effort of learning a new habit. Therefore, we can agree that just about everyone will resist meeting or doing something new and different. Change always disrupts no matter how society structures itself.
The Old World societies, based upon community interest being superior to individual self-interests, resist the most. Community has no interests other those given it by its rulers, and no ruler trusts a community willing to change anything. It is hard enough to rule a community that does things the same way all the time, because there are changes in people’s age and ability as well as the weather that complicate things enough. Trying to make a change and enforce it is even more difficult. This is why the ruler and the community distrust and discourage the lone efforts of the ingenious and creative members of community. The engineer, scientist, seeker-of-knowledge, as well as the productive middle-class artisan and manufacturer are often more of a threat to community than the serf who plods along slowly doing the same job in the same way year after year. This is why the Old World plodded along for so many centuries without any progressive changes. Fear of change was a community foundation.
The New World was different. Change was still suspect and discomforting. Having to learn new habits was still a struggle. These things did not change. What did change, however, is the willingness of Americans to try something new in spite of the effort needed to adjust. The creative inventor was still suspect of being unbalanced and always had to prove himself, but he never faced prison or the hangman for attempting something new and different. For this reason, America grew rapidly and progressed quickly when compared to the Old World. Creative and inventive individuals, free to pursue their own interests to make something new that others will need, pushed communities forward. The successful inventors prospered as did their communities, as a result. Pioneer Americans had no choice but to confront multiple and often very threatening changes in their environment and life, and they learned to cope and ride the waves. They were free to question the change, but also free to adopt it when they believed it best. This all happened because their self-interests were also more important than the interests or views of the community. This is why America was a New World.
As America grew, and large organizations grew within her borders, the organizational communities also grew. They began to reflect the qualities of Old World communities, where the few ruled the many. The interests of the organization became the interest of the community within it, as defined by its leaders. Those who challenged the accepted and established practices soon found themselves punished for it. Any creative, thoughtful and concerned members of a production line who saw that things could work better, and expressed his or her views, soon found themselves out the door looking for another job. They encountered what was common in the Old World by rulers who were more apt to use the hangman to solve the problem. In America, the New World, the one tossed out could start his or her own business and compete with the larger organization. New enterprises with new methods and products grew at a fast rate to challenge the established companies, allowed even today.
America, however, is drifting away from being a Nation where people are willing to change, even if disturbed by change. As companies and governments grow larger and larger, they protect themselves from the ravages of change because, as new rulers, they cannot easily cope. Larger, established companies work together with government bureaucrats to block the changes brought on by upstart entrepreneurs and visionaries who see where beneficial changes can improve things. Ruling managers believe it is too much of a hassle to permit disturbance by anarchy of creativity. The larger companies tend to unite with the Democrats who promise to put an end to changes disturbing their community. Democrats promise peace, serenity and freedom from the pain of change and the assaults of the small entrepreneur. They promise freedom from struggle by ruling in behalf of community interests. They promise to prevent the freedom of individuals to chase their own dreams and interests that might disturb community.
The Democrats promise to bring America closer, once again, to the Old World, where the few of them manage the rest of us with the least of change. Hillary and George Soros will protect us against our own genius.
The Old World societies, based upon community interest being superior to individual self-interests, resist the most. Community has no interests other those given it by its rulers, and no ruler trusts a community willing to change anything. It is hard enough to rule a community that does things the same way all the time, because there are changes in people’s age and ability as well as the weather that complicate things enough. Trying to make a change and enforce it is even more difficult. This is why the ruler and the community distrust and discourage the lone efforts of the ingenious and creative members of community. The engineer, scientist, seeker-of-knowledge, as well as the productive middle-class artisan and manufacturer are often more of a threat to community than the serf who plods along slowly doing the same job in the same way year after year. This is why the Old World plodded along for so many centuries without any progressive changes. Fear of change was a community foundation.
The New World was different. Change was still suspect and discomforting. Having to learn new habits was still a struggle. These things did not change. What did change, however, is the willingness of Americans to try something new in spite of the effort needed to adjust. The creative inventor was still suspect of being unbalanced and always had to prove himself, but he never faced prison or the hangman for attempting something new and different. For this reason, America grew rapidly and progressed quickly when compared to the Old World. Creative and inventive individuals, free to pursue their own interests to make something new that others will need, pushed communities forward. The successful inventors prospered as did their communities, as a result. Pioneer Americans had no choice but to confront multiple and often very threatening changes in their environment and life, and they learned to cope and ride the waves. They were free to question the change, but also free to adopt it when they believed it best. This all happened because their self-interests were also more important than the interests or views of the community. This is why America was a New World.
As America grew, and large organizations grew within her borders, the organizational communities also grew. They began to reflect the qualities of Old World communities, where the few ruled the many. The interests of the organization became the interest of the community within it, as defined by its leaders. Those who challenged the accepted and established practices soon found themselves punished for it. Any creative, thoughtful and concerned members of a production line who saw that things could work better, and expressed his or her views, soon found themselves out the door looking for another job. They encountered what was common in the Old World by rulers who were more apt to use the hangman to solve the problem. In America, the New World, the one tossed out could start his or her own business and compete with the larger organization. New enterprises with new methods and products grew at a fast rate to challenge the established companies, allowed even today.
America, however, is drifting away from being a Nation where people are willing to change, even if disturbed by change. As companies and governments grow larger and larger, they protect themselves from the ravages of change because, as new rulers, they cannot easily cope. Larger, established companies work together with government bureaucrats to block the changes brought on by upstart entrepreneurs and visionaries who see where beneficial changes can improve things. Ruling managers believe it is too much of a hassle to permit disturbance by anarchy of creativity. The larger companies tend to unite with the Democrats who promise to put an end to changes disturbing their community. Democrats promise peace, serenity and freedom from the pain of change and the assaults of the small entrepreneur. They promise freedom from struggle by ruling in behalf of community interests. They promise to prevent the freedom of individuals to chase their own dreams and interests that might disturb community.
The Democrats promise to bring America closer, once again, to the Old World, where the few of them manage the rest of us with the least of change. Hillary and George Soros will protect us against our own genius.