Dear Friends,
It seems to me, our planet is in a struggle between powers and principalities, with order and chaos being the weapons arrayed against good. China is increasingly becoming the avatar for order, (except in Hong Kong) and the Middle East for disorder. Many in the West believe chaos cannot happen “here,” we are too civilized. Scratch at it with talc though, and you quickly see our civilization is not as deep or as tough as we like to think. Those who do not take time to harden themselves in every way possible, will be flotsam, as far as this battle goes. Only those able to swim against the current, think for themselves, do what is right even in the face of punishment, will not lie for profit and can stand up to withering attacks… will be able to effect this struggle.
Order might sound like it is synonymous with good… but that is far from the case. The Nazis were extremely orderly as was the NKVD. They were also evil incarnate. So we can say that order is not synonymous with good. It can be good or evil. The same holds with chaos, it is neither good nor bad. Look at how a higher form of profound order emerges out of complexity, (not chaos and not order). In both cases though, total order and total chaos, evil reigns. Total order is where the individual is chiseled into a brick, then cemented, immobile, into a structure not of our creation or interest, while total chaos is where us individual rocks are smashed in a landslide. Each of us, if we act rightly, creates a little sphere of profound order around us, and that order is always good, magnetic and a thing to emulate.
To be of any use at all one must be wise as a serpent and gentile as a dove. That is not to say the civilized person is harmless, absolutely not! The civilized human being is the most dangerous creature on this planet, and perhaps in the universe, other than God himself. Look at the great evil the barbarian is capable of, logically, the civilized human being is capable of good in equal measure. The serpent is wise because it is aware of what is going on around it. It cannot be ensnared, tricked, oppressed nor manipulated. To be wise as a serpent is to embody these attributes. To be gentile as a dove, is to fly from violence when possible, and never start it. Yet that is not to say the dove doesn’t have a beak, tongue and talons, but they are used cunningly, rather than threateningly… A deadly adversary.
This struggle I talk of… where can we see it? All around us, in our wars, perpetual QE, drug problem, cults, open attacks on God, pedophilia, mass migrations, the diminishment of human life, and unlimited government. Giving the homeless man on the corner with the sign, “hungry,” a ten spot, is not being civilized, but giving him a bag of food and a job prospect is. If everyone did this and food is indeed what he is after, you will continue to see him until he has work, if not, he will move on. Being civilized is not a knee jerk reaction, it requires thinking before acting, with love and charity in our hearts, even when the right thing to do is walk past, help up, or pin down. We participate when we act rightly, we are meaningless when we float along, and we actively work for evil… when we act without thinking.
If we were as civilized as we think we are, we would not tolerate so much obvious corruption in government, corporations and media. Some would use chaos as a weapon, to create total planet wide order, it is our duty to thoughtfully act against them. Not by delegating our humanity to psychopaths, but by our being human hearted… and dealing with our problems ourselves. We should be wise as a serpent and gentile as a dove. Cunning, shrewd and able to fly if the circumstances require it. Resist the call for total chaos as well as for total order, they are both Pandora’s boxes. Moreover, to be civilized is to be in control of one self, charitable in our opinions and to practice thoughtful action. Be a leader… demonstrate what it is to be civilized, and create a sphere of profound order around you.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
