I’ve been defending the united states a great deal lately, as well as investigating its cultural anthropology and philosophy, etc. One thing I’m beginning to seem to comprehend is that during the enlightenment, there were two competing ideologies that influenced the evolution of human consciousness and therefore, human nature and civilization.

On one side, the realists insist that there’s an objective reality that exists, completely independent of the observer. One the other side, the post modern philosophy proposes that the truth is subjective and that the observers perspective is there is. The realists say that natural reality and every one of its diverse components come with an essence, in as well as themselves. Post modernists think that we create reality, and our opinion is the fundamental principle of reality.

Now, I’ve not read, The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith, but I understand that it proposes that if everyone does what is best for their very own self, it will produce probably the most wealth. I’ve read the Federalist Papers and several other stories about the background and philosophy of the United States.

So, on one side we now have this notion that’s self centered, by definition, and another idea that is much more submissive and adaptable. One ideology states create reality, the other accepts reality. These two philosophies have influenced the evolution of western civilization.

I’m definitely a realists. However, I do think that there’s truth in both ideas. For example, the pc I’m penning this story on both exists independent of my perception of it and is created by human creativity.

In my opinion that there’s an important individual, developed by Almighty God, which creative freedom is definitely an inherent attribute of this human nature.

Now, the question becomes, are individual human rights more important than our common wealth, or vice versa? I propose that we can and really should transform the self interest and competition built into western philosophy and civilization, into self improvement and cooperation.

Yes, western civilization is the richest civilization in history. A minimum of until recently. However, it has attained that prosperity in a very great cost, especially for people beyond western civilization. Any civilization that’s based on the Darwinian ideology of survival of the fittest is barbaric. Yes, Darwin’s ideas about natural history are fairly accurate. However, in accordance with your pet kingdom of life on earth, civilized people are a separate and distinct kingdom of life on earth.

Cooperation, service and unity in diversity are distinctive traits built into human nature. Yes, I know that animals cooperate, although not towards the extent that humans do. The rule of law is the distinction between wild animals and civilized human beings. That’s the part that western civilization nailed.

However, they did not completely get rid of the barbaric struggle for leadership and edge on others, reasoning that levels of competition are a natural attribute of human instinct.

This story could be incomplete without talking about the influence of religion in human nature. I believe that Almighty God is the Source of most of the major religions on earth, which the religions are the original source of the rule of law. Our civil laws are side effects from the moral values and spiritual principles taught in the divine education revealed within the Religion of God.

This divine education teaches us, less our natural instincts are evil, but that we should regulate the expression in our natural instincts using the rule of law, revealed by Almighty God. Different cultures have used different stories to explain this spirituality inherent in human instinct, however they all train it to say in a single way or another.

While I am saying that western civilization isn’t sustainable, I’m not saying it is wrong or evil. Quite the contrary, the American revolution was essentially a civil rights movement, and the great republic from the west, its people and it is government, did more to succeed the cause of human rights than every other nation or people in history.

During the time of the American revolution the philosophy and governance of the United States would be a giant step forward in the advance of human affairs. Now, the imperfection inherent in the machine have become increasingly unsustainable. American businessmen have run roughshod over the world economy and alienated the majority of the world population from the USA.

I am not saying the united states is wrong. I’m stating that allowing the most aggressive and selfish individuals to advance and lead our people is not fair which is not sustainable. That idea is an ancient and obsolete ideology, better suitable for the Assyrian Empire or Babylon, than Twenty-first century human civilization.

The American Indians were built with a very successful and sustainable communist culture. Karl Marx and the Ussr gave communism a poor name, by the way. By communism, I do not mean their state owns the means of production. In my opinion God owns heaven and earth and everyone and my way through them. Individual human rights and our common wealth have to be properly balanced. Private property must be protected.

What I am writing about is transforming the culture that essentially glorifies bullying, self interest and competition, right into a culture which has a reasonable balance of individual human rights, our local community welfare and the universal common wealth of everybody everywhere on earth.

This idea that i am right and if you have a different understanding of the truth than I actually do, then you’re wrong, is really a half truth. And all sorts of the conflict and contention is destroying our peace and prosperity. Sure, it’s produced unprecedented wealth for a small minority of those, at the cost of most of the people.

We, the folks of earth, possess a right and responsibility to improve this case. I don’t claim to have the answers. Case an article in an ongoing conversation so far as I’m concerned. We, the folks of earth, not any individual or number of people, need to make this happen improvement of human nature, this more perfect union.

Probably the most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the sense of being unloved ~ Mother Teresa

A long time ago I worked with a colleague born in St. Lucia. She described her island as beautiful but very poor. I visited St. Lucia recently and chose to venture inland national. I needed to go to a silk screen business and traveled on an air conditioned bus through town, down and up the mountains and past extensive banana plantations.

The capital, Castries, is really a capital of scotland – contrasts. Certain parts of it seemed fairly modern but for the most part people lived in wooden shacks with corrugated steel roofs. We had two beautiful schoolgirls emerge from one particular hut, dressed in neat uniforms, contrasting sharply using the condition of their homes. Just outside town we encountered the Governor General House, the grandest estate we happened upon all day. We visited another estate and also the Silk Screen studio. The bus stopped to overlook Marigot Bay in the hills and ventured into Anse La Raye, a fishing village on the west coast.

Between the sights were more wood and stone hovels. Most of the people on the way appeared quite poor. Many residences had one or two banana plants and occasional pigs and chickens. Categories of people gathered once in awhile to wait for a bus. I wondered what lengths they’d to walk to the bus stop. We remained insulated in the inhabitants before bus let us in Anse La Raye to shop for souvenirs.

I ventured behind the seller tents to the beach where weathered wooden boats waited for the next visit to haul in fish. I met one very friendly and peaceful man who told me a little concerning the boats, the fishing economy and also the spirituality of those in the village. I noticed spiritual sayings about the bow of every boat. I did not think until later to inquire about him about his family and what it was like to reside in his village. I wish it had struck me before i was packed back to the bus.

That evening I thought about how exactly I had stepped off a cruise ship and traveled on an air conditioned bus to his village for our brief encounter. I wondered whether he felt poor therefore what that designed to him. The contrast between your lush beauty of his island and what appeared to me to be abject poverty stunned me. I discovered myself unable to take into account the extremes a smaller amount to talk about them with anyone.

I have learned over the years that the sense of prosperity has nothing to do with how much money is in your wallet. It is a state of mind that you accept whatever good you have in your life and celebrate it. Inadequate people can feel prosperous and very rich people can feel needy.

Life Lab Lessons

* Remember to count your blessings despite your challenges.
* Don’t judge others by their appearance.
* Share your blessings with others.
* Let others share their joy with you.
* Travel in peace with those you meet along the way.