Symbols

Well, its finally over, July 4th, 2018. And what have we learned? We’ve learned that America is a divided country. All of us claim to love America, but some of us claim to love it (I suppose) even more than those who are only supposed to have loved it only a little (by popular sentiment that is).

“I thought you 'loved' your country, “So why don’t you agree that we need to make America Great again,” (two contrary comments by the same person, concerning the same subjects, but believed to be the absolute truth in the same persons mind. This alone is the power of myth. Actually nothing is great, I might have answered him, “That is up to us - the amount of attention we give it. A country is made up of the people. Even the country itself is just a symbol.” But yes, of course we need rules. The rule of law of law a Democratic “system” etc.
No system in the world is infallible, not even “Democracy” not even our so called, “GREAT COUNTRY” that is supposed to be made “GREAT AGAIN” I guess by one man this time around, Donald Trump, he is that man for America that is gonna make us all great again.

We go to Church too ( at least some of us do, that ACTUALLY DO  –  I am NOT one of them, “heathen that I am”...) but... Church too is not infalliable, even if you happen to be a sincere Christian (whatever that is)… just as our country is not infallable even though we claim to be, one nation under “God”… with a big ‘G” a capital “G’ is not either, and is obviously also a symbol capable of error.. As to what is and what should be as far as the “Christian body of God” is concerned. That too is a symbolism and full of human error and failability, as is the term, "God's people" as used in many religious circles. 


Anyway, Tell somebody that you’re tired of, “The America First” or “Make America Great Again” had it been in a time frame of the 1980’s and they might call you a “Communist Sympathizer” or a Greenpeace nut, a Tree Hugger etc. Or maybe you were just a person with a bad attitude toward and those who love "their country' more than “YOU” or those that seem to love "the country" more than "YOU" Or “US” or "those guys over there" etc. etc. that obviously love "their country" more than you love "YOURS" "YOU get the drift. ("YOU" get the  drift, about them, about "US" about "You" etc. etc. 

Anyway maybe this is why we have freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of a "free press", freedom to petition "the" government, a "government" some "government" etc. Simply to hash out ideas and discover that absolute, that everyone in the search for symbol and identity seems to know infallably  is so. and usually, if not oftern, always does so at the price of others. The real problem isn't the "country" it's getting along with each other. at the other person’s so called  expense, for the common courtesy.

Those who seemed to love the country more than ‘YOU’ will continue to love ‘their” country and “our” everyone’s country, more than “YOU” love your coutnry. (And, yes of course this is a good country you might have argued back to appease, and not wind up with a yankee doodle fist in your face) and they might have answered, “Damn right it is you libtard” and I am a good Christian too, not just a good American. What’s your problem?

Recently, I was reading a couple of books, one by Joseph Campbell, “The Power of Myth” and another – I believe an old treatise by Lao Tzu. Can’t discuss what I read in debth here, but in the latter book, Lao states the nature of absolute truth, or the Cosmic Tao which no one understand (tangible and yet is absolute truth until it is brought into the tangible . Basically he argues that what we have in front of us, partial truth is not absolute truth. The cosmic truth is absolute truth (God) but is largely unknown.

We cannot stand not knowing God so we put symbols on God (the Cross for example) or on a freedom loving Country (America for instance)

So this is what we do in the Churches as well, and in our own countries as well, we put a symbol on an unknowable thing which we call the “truth”. Or in the words of Superman, we fight for truth, justice, and the “American way”

(through flags, creeds, religious symbols. We hid behind a symbol as truth, not knowing that it is only partial truth, and it is up to us to observed the actual truth of most things and to act upon it. Absolute truth is NOT knowable.

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