Freedom Focused: May 2016

Thursday, May 26, 2016

The Age of Authenticism: A Vision of the Future

What does the Future hold for America & the World?

What might America and the world look like in the 2020s, 2030s, and 2040s?

The purpose of our next two articles is to paint a picture full of potential answers to this question by illuminating the possibilities inherent in a futuristic full-flowering of the Age of Authenticism.

These answers are based on collective Freedom Focused research as well as the work of generational scholars and historians William Strauss & Neil Howe.

Click HERE to learn more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM

In this first article, we will discuss historical examples of character development that can aid our future efforts toward becoming an authentic populous worthy of widespread peace and prosperity. We will also reiterate the coming challenges that will be the primary catalyst for our nation and world's eventual exit from the period of postmodernism and graduation to the Age of Authenticism. In next week's article we will paint a picture of what the Age of Authenticism might look like once it has fully flourished. It will provide a visage of what things will look and be like in approximately the year 2035.

Sadly, we are still a ways away from the chronological epicenter of the Age of Authenticism. Collectively speaking, we have not even crossed the starting point, although many people throughout our nation and world have already entered the stage individually. While the British Writer, Edward Docx—the originator of the term—suggests 2011 as the official end of Postmodernism and the beginning of the Age of Authenticism, the reality is that it usually takes a while (sometimes many years) for a declared age to begin—not to mention flourish.

Click HERE to read Docx's article pronouncing the Death of Postmodernism and the Beginning of the Age of Authenticism.

To date, Docx's article has received relatively little attention. Moreover, to our knowledge, no other scholar or organization has promoted its percipience or its prescience as saliently or enthusiastically as Freedom Focused. Furthermore, our growing body of work at Freedom Focused on this important subject has been almost entirely ignored to date.

From hedonism and gluttony to narcissism and laziness,
the United States in 2016 is crass, rude, unkept,
culturally obese, educationally distracted,
and morally destitute.

This is not surprising. Why? Because we are presently mired so thickly and precariously—albeit relatively comfortably—in the clutches of postmodernism and pre-structuralism that there simply isn't a wide-scale demand for Authenticism—at least not yet. The world is so morally adrift, so structurally unsound, and so metaphysically troubled that there is no coherent majority currently capable of rising above the dismal din of political corruption, social malaise, and outright cultural rot that is stagnating all around us. If you seek tangible evidence of what I am talking about, just tune into the 2016 United States' Presidential General Election pitting Donald Trump (a crass, lewd, and opportunistic pre-structuralist) against Hillary Clinton (an equally opportunistic, perennially untrustworthy postmodernist).

Politics has been a messy and sometimes dirty process throughout our nation's history; but rarely has it been as polluted as it is right now. Moreover, while business and free enterprise have always had greedy figures of dubious moral quality stationed at its highest posts, it is arguably as bad as it has ever been, at least in terms of income inequality. Lastly, while education has been a high priority throughout our nation's impressive educational history; it is sorely lacking at present—not only in terms of falling behind dozens of other countries academically, but in terms of being virtually bankrupt morally and ethically in terms of a largely (if not entirely) absent character education curriculum.

The Esteemed and August General
George Washington
(1732-1799)

George Washington—the President of the Constitutional Convention, the General-in-Chief of America's first major military force, our Nation's first President, and the foremost figure among our Founding Fathers—was a venerable Commander-in-Chief who set a positive, productive example of democratic executive functioning and bearing for future Presidents and Statesmen and Women to follow.

But his unprecedented leadership and sterling moral character were not the results of mere talent, nor were they developed overnight. The process began when Washington was just a boy. For example, at the tender age of only 13, Washington penned a comprehensive list of 110 rules he utilized throughout his life in the development of his personal character and interpersonal civility.

These 110 rules range from common manners and the conducting of communication to the very core of his character. Consider the following examples of his many rules.

Rules for Common Manners

Rule 1. EVERY Action done in Company ought to be with Some Sign of Respect to those that are Present.

Rule 6. SLEEP not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

Rules for Civic & Other Communications

Rule 22. Show not yourself glad at the Misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

Rule 48. WHEREIN you reprove Another be unblameable yourself; for example is more prevalent than Precepts.

Rule 49. USE no Reproachful language against any one. Neither Curse nor Revile.

Rule 50. BE not hasty to believe flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.

Rule 56. ASSOCIATE yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.

Rule 58. LET your conversation be without Malice or Envy....

Rule 73. THINK before you Speak. Pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your Words too hastily, but orderly and Distinctly.

Rule 82. UNDERTAKE not what you cannot Perform, but be Careful to keep your Promise

"That Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience"

Rules for the Core Development of One's Character

Rule 108. WHEN you Speak of God or his Attributes, let it be Seriously & [with] Reverence. Honour & obey your Natural Parents [even if] they be Poor.

Rule 109. LET your Recreations be Manful not Sinful.

Rule 110. LABOR to keep alive in your breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience. [1]

Wherever George Washington's spirit presently resides, he must be shaking his head in disgust and concern at the rife incivility, rampant immorality, and inauthentic hullabaloo that has so saturated our postmodern culture. Imagine how the affairs of people everywhere would be different if we all (and especially our so-called leaders) heeded Washington's advice about manners, communication, and character.

George Washington, in addition to many of our other esteemed Founding Fathers and Mothers, was an authenticist of the first and highest order. He was not perfect—no one is. Nonetheless, he is a sterling example of an imperfect human being who strived—however imperfectly—to attain unto higher levels of personal character, polish, and perfection throughout his life. Washington was very much A Happy Warrior of Wordsworthian quality and spirit. Click HERE to read William Wordsworth's The Character of the Happy Warrior. He was a noble figure of Authenticism to which we can all look up to, admire, and confidently model aspects of our own lives after.

Click HERE to read all of Washington's 110 Rules of Civility

Benjamin Franklin
America's Greatest Renaissance Man
The "Poor Richard's Almanack" Image
1706-1791

Imagine a future world where the majority of our nation—and other nations—aspired toward an education in, and application of, the kind of manners, communications, and character lionized in Washington's 110 Rules of Civility and other, similar cognitive, behavioral, and ontological constructs such as Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules or Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack.

Our express intention and implicit aspiration at Freedom Focused is to build a society and inspire a culture imbued with the qualities and characteristics of Authenticism. To accomplish such an ambitious and far-reaching undertaking, we have assembled a comprehensive Theory & Model of self-leadership entitled Self-Action Leadership. The accompanying textbook: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom serves as a holistic self-guide that provides a step-by-step pathway leading to individual and organizational character and Existential Growth.

Our long-term goal is to get a copy of Self-Action Leadership into the hands of every person throughout the United States and the rest of the world who desires ontological authenticity and the development of good moral character in his or her life. We aim to reach civic leaders and servants, corporate leaders and workers, educators and students, parents and families, and individuals everywhere with this message of peace, hope, honor, and prosperity.

We invite you to join this movement today by buying and reading Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom. More importantly, we invite you to carefully study the principles and practices outlined therein, the material of which is the result of 12 years of careful and disciplined reading, observation, study, research, experimentation, writing, and re-writing.

And speaking of prosperity, it is time now to return to our discussion of what the 2030s and 2040s—the projected period of the Age of Authenticism—will look like, feel like, and entail.

A variety of metaphorical storm clouds are
presently on the horizon in America and abroad

First of all, we predict that this welcomed age will not truly begin in a collective sense until the onset of a serious national and/or world crisis that is likely at our doorstep. "The Crisis of 2020" as generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe call it, will resemble preceding crises on par with the Civil War, the Great Depression, or the two previous World Wars.

Whether or not this period will involve a terrorist nuclear strike, an economic depression, a third World War, a Civil-War-esque social upheaval in our own nation, a combination of one or more of these calamities, or something else entirely, we cannot know for sure. However, based on Strauss and & Howe's detailed generational scholarship, it is highly likely that a period of unusual struggle and suffering is pending and perhaps upon our very doorstep [2].

While our nation's "Ship" is badly damaged and will
get worse in coming years, we are confident
it will not sink entirely.

According to Strauss and Howe:

"The Crisis of 2020 will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, America will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. ... This crisis will be a pivotal moment in the lifecycles of all generations alive at the time" [3].

Thankfully, Strauss and Howe are optimistic that we as Americans possess both the capability and resolve to successfully overcome whatever challenges we will face in this period of grave trial. In their predictive words:

"The sense of community will be omnipresent. Moral order will be unquestioned with 'rights' and 'wrongs' crisply defined and obeyed. Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing" [3].

As much as we'd like to think the Age of Authenticism will be produced by the incisiveness of our writing and the thoughtfulness of our pedagogical and practical constructs, this will not be the case. Indeed, Freedom Focused will not produce the Age of Authenticism, but we will define and inform it. The age itself will be brought on by whatever adversity and destruction accompanies the "Crisis of 2020" and other deep challenges which will, by the force of Nature itself, coerce collective society in America and beyond to finally begin looking inward to solve the profound problems in which we are already deeply mired.

When enough powder is
backed up, all it takes is
a few small sparks to
ignite a cataclysmic
explosion

Like the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, which produced the spark that exploded into the Great War in 1914, it may be only a minor spark that enflames this future conflict(s). No one knows when this spark will be ignited. All we know is that all signs are pointing towards the steady buildup of a powder keg the likes of which the world has never before seen. This buildup will likely continue for several more years before it explodes. When the spark finally does ignite the powder keg, the explosion will be disastrous and unprecedented. Moreover, it will further ignite a chain reaction of other kegs that have likewise been filling up with powder for years and decades—dating back to the end of World War II in some cases, and dating back thousands of years culturally in other cases.

This trial-by-fire is going to be ugly. It will compel the citizenry of the United States—and the peace-loving countries around the world—to humble themselves before principle and alter their practices in a desperation that can only come in a heightened external crisis.

Leaders of events during this terribly tumultuous time period will be those who had already paid the price to become authenticists prior to the onset of the calamity. In virtually every age and society throughout world history, there have almost always been at least some authentic, principle-centered, leaders of circumspect character. These leaders humble themselves not because circumstances require them to do so, but because they are compelled by the power of principles themselves. At Freedom Focused, we aspire towards being the kind of principle-centered human beings that are ready to lead when the call comes. It is our ardent wish to be the kind of people that humble themselves before the God of principle rather than being compelled to be humble by the god of illness, war, natural disaster, or manmade calamity.

Approximately 10% (or less) of any given population will usually rank among this highly authentic, anomalous milieu of good leaders.

Another 5% (or so) of any given population will usually rank in polar contrast to the 10% of authentic leaders. This highly inauthentic, nefarious milieu will include those persons who are intentionally devious or even downright evil.

These fiends are the leaders of whatever dark forces seek to destroy and conquer during periods of conflict (e.g. Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, etc. and their higher ranking subordinates).

The remaining 85% of any given population will flock to banners and hearken to the precepts of either the good (on average approximately 55%) or bad (on average approximately 35%) leaders. The morality of the leadership and the strength of their supporting armies (literal or metaphorical) will ultimately determine the victor. I use the word "approximately" intentionally because history has proven that good can overcome evil if "good men [and women] do nothing." On the other hand, there have likewise been times when good leadership and their accompanying followers have dominated an organization, culture, nation, etc. As such, these numbers are not meant to designate every group; rather, they are intended to constitute the mean of all groups throughout history.

To illustrate this principle with a specific example from history, consider the results of World War II. The Allies ultimately defeated the Axis powers during World War II because the Allies were pursuing the morally circumspect cause and they had more human and other resources to fight the battle. Hitler and his minions were not only pursuing an evil course of unjust conquest; in the end, they were vastly outmanned and outgunned as well—much like the pie graph above suggests.

Whatever trials are to come will ultimately end according to predictable variables. Whoever has the higher moral ground and larger armies with bigger guns (literal or metaphorical) will win the conflict. Because of America and the Occident's historical moral high ground and military might, we at Freedom Focused believe the Western Powers will prove victorious once again—if they do not destroy themselves from within first.

Assuming this optimistic outlook proves accurate, we believe that all four generations taking part in this unprecedented national or worldwide calamity (Silent, Baby Boomer, X, and Y) will be sufficiently humbled to produce a subsequent generation of two-decades or so (give or take several years) that will be marked by a full-flourishing of the Age of Authenticism which we have written about at such great lengths in recent months.

This period will begin in the 2020s during the height, resolution, and aftermath of the "Crisis of 2020." It will further flourish in the 2030s, where it will hit its peak. It may also extend well into the 2040s. By that point, however, younger members of Generation Z (also referred to as the iGeneration, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation, with birth years in late 20th and early 21st century) will likely have begun a predictable, collective descent into the next phase of postmodernism as the cycles of history continue to wheel themselves on indefinitely until the ending of this world as we know it—whenever that may occur.

At Freedom Focused, we are not presently concerned with what comes after the Age of Authenticism, although in 20-30 years we will start focusing a great deal thereon. Our present focus is on offering our services in preparation to win the coming conflict and then help build a new period in the United States and throughout the world that we predict may rank among the most peaceful and prosperous eras in all of human history.

In next week's post, we will paint a specific, predictive picture of what life will look like in America and beyond at the epicenter or height of this magnificent era to which we may all look gloriously forward to in wondrous anticipation. This picture will illuminate the year 2035—give or take a few years.

Notes:

1. Washington, G. (Toner, J.M., MD, Ed.). 1888. Washington's Rules of Civility: And Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. A Paper Found Among the Early Writings of George Washington. W.H. Morrison: Washington D.C. Note: Quotes are reprinted using modern spellings and slightly altered punctuation to improve syntactical flow.

2. For more information on Strauss & Howe's percipient perspectives on the future based on their historical and generational scholarship, please check any number of their books on the subject, such as Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069 and The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous With Destiny.

3. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069. Quill: New York, NY. Page 382. (p. 382).

God Bless the United States of America—a blessed land of promise—now, and always.

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

........................................................................................................................................................

SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any organization. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.

Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation. As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures. We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

To receive weekly articles from Freedom Focused & Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, sign up with your e-mail address in the white box on the right side of this page where it says "Follow by E-mail."

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen.

Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

What Does An Authenticist Look Like?

America is in great need of principle-centered authenticists

In today's post, I describe the character and characteristics of an authentic man or woman freed from the shackles of postmodernism and pre-structuralism.

Freedom Focused did not invent authenticism, nor are we the first to develop authentic men or women.

Authenticists have always existed. Their presence and power has been more populous and potent in various places at various junctures of human history than at others.

When they have thrived and governed, peace and prosperity have flourished. Where they have atrophied and diminished, bondage, poverty, and war have compounded. In principle, it really is that simple, and in practice, it is precisely that difficult. While many examples of authenticism and its fruits can be mined from the pages of history, in the aggregate of history it has been the exception rather than the rule.

One of the things I love about poetry is its capacity to teach true principles and laud noble practices exhibited by men and women of sterling and noble character. Authentic poets throughout history have recognized the pedagogical value of verse and used it to inculcate worthy ideas into the minds of their readers. In more recent times, postmodern poets have sought to eradicate authentic ideals from their poems, preferring instead to wallow away into black holes of academic pontification that are as practically useless and spiritually vapid as they are intellectually complex.

William Wordsworth
1770-1850
British Poet Laureate

One of the greatest, and most authentic, poets in the history of the English Language—William Wordsworth—once said:

"Every great poet is a teacher; I wish either to be considered as a teacher or as nothing."

This is one of the reasons I see myself first as a pedagogue, and only afterwards as a poet, historian, and philosopher. In the end, the value of poetry is largely superficial and fleeting if it does not teach readers something useful to the advancement of their existence.

Wordsworth himself taught the world about authenticism—and what an "authenticist" is—in the early nineteenth century (1806) when he blithely described the character of "The Happy Warrior."

Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he
That every man in arms should wish to be?...

Authenticists are the Happy Warriors of the twenty-first century. The purpose of this post is to delineate in lucid, contemporary prose the characteristics of an authentic man or woman—as Freedom Focused defines them. Following this explication, I will reprint Wordsworth's timeless poem, whereby you can obtain further insight into the kind of self-action leaders that Freedom Focused is developing and then sending out into the world to represent the Golden Mean in a concerted effort to conquer the forces of postmodernism and pre-structuralism.

So... what exactly is an authenticist?

First and foremost, an authenticist is honest, real, and true. But s/he is more than that. An authenticist understands the reality of absolute truth which exists independent of and beyond his or her own existence. Most importantly, s/he comprehends the Existential Duty s/he has to align his/her behavior with Universal Laws for the long-term well being of him or herself as well as ALL other human and animate beings, and the planet itself, which s/he inevitably influences.

Authenticists are fundamentally principle-centered and proactive. They are goal oriented, hard working, driven visionaries, yet simultaneously easy-going, pleasant-to-be-around, well-balanced realists.

The authentic man or woman comprehends the Existential Equality of all human beings. As such, s/he will be found treating a server or bus boy with the same kindness and respect s/he would extend to a celebrity or high-ranking officer or dignitary. S/he is consistent in the treatment of others in all of his or her social interactions. In the words of Kipling, authenticists can "walk with crowds and keep their virtue" and "walk with kings—nor lose the common touch."

Authenticists avoid gossip and social cliques like the plague. Any life advantage that takes unfair advantage of anyone else is a disadvantage to an authenticist.

Authenticists embrace an Abundance Mentality (Covey). In their eyes, the successes and victories of others do not diminish oneself. To the contrary, they add to one's own existential portfolio—especially if s/he played a role in another's success. A mature authenticist is never jealous of another—and always grateful for one's own countless and ceaseless blessings.

Like a sharpened rapier,
an authenticist cuts to the
quick of problems & deception

The authentic man or woman learns from the past, plans and prepares for the future, but lives only in the present. S/he does not let past grievances unduly penetrate the pathways of the present, nor does s/he allow them to foil the fast flowing freeways of the future.

S/he is quite human, and therefore experiences all of the natural, negative emotions native to mankind; nevertheless, s/he disallows those emotions to rule his or her spirit. S/he is truly sovereign over her responses to everything that occurs beyond his or her immediate control.

Authenticists are optimistic realists. They are both profoundly pragmatic and vigorously visionary. They persistently shoot for the moon while consistently recognizing they may or may not ever actually get there in this life. Cognizant of the multitude of variables outside of one's own control, an authenticist's primary purpose is not to reach the moon at any cost, but to die knowing that s/he did everything s/he could to reach the moon and beyond despite whatever circumstances s/he happened to be placed in this world. While an authenticist doesn't always die having accomplished all of one's goals, s/he always dies without regrets—having left "everything s/he had on the track."

Authenticists find existential crabs to be pesky, annoying, craven creatures. They seek to escape their clutches and weaken their grasp as quickly and completely as possible. They understand that Existential Growth is worth more than any material good, tangible service, or amount of money. Like Socrates, they desire light, knowledge, growth, and wisdom as ardently as they crave air, water, food, and sex.

Authenticists know what the and their target is.
Just as importantly, they possess the skill
to get the arrow to the bullseye.

The authentic man or woman is a thinker, a planner, a doer, and a builder. S/he is continually a part of the solution to problems in his or her personal life or beyond.

A fundamentally conscience-driven being, s/he is more concerned with knowing and doing what is right than s/he is in being right or in winning an argument. Regardless how s/he may feel toward other human beings, s/he is continuously interested in the welfare of ALL human beings. As such, s/he treats ALL others with justice and equity, taking into account the other person's potential for Existential Growth.

Authenticists are quick to recognize and acknowledge shortcomings, sins, and weaknesses in themselves, but are slow to point them out in others. They are by no means blind to the shortfalls of their fellows, but consciously choose to spend most of their time and energy dedicated to the art of appreciative inquiry. As such, they are "hearty in their approbation and lavish in their praise" [2] of others whenever and wherever such commendation is merited.

Authenticists seek to build others up. Knowing full well that "no man is an island", a victory for someone else is seen by an authenticist as a victory for self—something to be celebrated with as much enthusiasm as any self victory. Authenticists recognize that in the end, their own worth is a reflection of the worth of those they helped, taught, lifted, encouraged, and served.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1807-1882

Comprehending the words of Longfellow, an authentic woman or man understands the value of every function in human life, and thereby avoids jealousy of another's position, station, achievements, or wealth.

Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest. [3]

An authenticist lives an active and vigorous LIFE inspired by Longfellow's Psalm on the Subject [4].

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day. ...

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,—act in the living Present!
Hear within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;—

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait. [4a]

William Shakespeare
1564-1616
Author of Hamlet

In addition to Longfellow's Psalm of Life, authenticists view as scripture the words of Polonius to his son, Laertes, disregarding the irony in Polonius' character to take his insightful counsel at face value:

See thou character.—Give thy thoughts no tongue,
Nor any unproportion'd thought his act.
Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar.
The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,
Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel;
But do not dull thy palm with entertainment
of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade. Beware
Of entrance to a quarrel; but being in,
Bear't that the opposed may beware of thee.
Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice:
Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment.
Costly thy habit as they purse can buy,
But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy:
For the apparel oft proclaims the man.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man. [5]

Alice Cary
1820-1871

Authentic men and women are noble in the truest sense of the word. They recognizing the great truths and aspire towards the noble ideals captured so eloquently Alice Cary's poetic pen:

True worth is in being, not seeming,—
In doing, each day that goes by,
Some little good—not in dreaming
Of great things to do by and by.
For whatever men say in their blindness,
And spite of the fancies of youth,
There's nothing so kingly as kindness,
And nothing so royal as truth. ...

We cannot make bargains for blisses,
Nor catch them like fishes in nets;
And sometimes the thing our life misses,
Helps more than the thing which it gets.
For good lieth not in pursuing,
Nor gaining of great nor of small,
But just in the doing, and doing
As we would be done by, is all.

Through envy, through malice, through hating,
Against the world, early and late,
No jot of our courage abating—
Our part is to work and to wait.
And slight is the sting of his trouble
Whose winnings are less than his worth;
For he who is honest is noble,
Whatever his fortunes or birth. [6]

An authenticist knows who she is. She is eager to make the
most of her life and serve others in the process.

Authentic men and women are willing to sacrifice what they want now on the altar of what they want most in the long run. They recognize that sacrifice itself is merely a temporary acquiescence of the mind, body, and soul to principle in exchange for "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" [7] in the future.

Authenticists have always existed—even though they are generally in the minority in a given populace. In today's world so dominated by pre-structuralist and postmodern ideologies and acolytes, they are increasingly an endangered species. When you meet one, it really makes an impression because s/he is such an anomaly among his or her fellow citizens.

While postmodern and pre-structuralist forces dominate our present world, we at Freedom Focused do not believe this will always be the case. Indeed, we hold out hope for, and remain confident that, in a generation or two, the world may boast a population of authenticists that will cause historians to peer back at our present age as being one of the most pathetic and troubled in American and World history. As such, citizens of all races, religions, cultures, et cetera born hereafter will give thanks that they inhabited the planet after the bitter years of rancor, debauchery, deception, and defeat that presaged international calamities and predated forthcoming years of peace and prosperity made possible by the rise of authenticists in the Occident and beyond.

In next week's post, I will paint a literary picture of the cultural, racial, political, commercial, and religious landscape that can potentially rise in the midst of a nation and world committed to authentic principles and practices. Spoiler alert: the picture is a salient contrast to the images we presently see all around us; it provides what the Spanish call an Hermosa Vista (beautiful view).

Wordsworth Lake District Home in Cumbria, England.

In the meantime—as promised—I present to you the poetic portion of this post's authentic literary duet, compliments of that august English bard, William Wordsworth.

Character of the Happy Warrior

By: William Wordsworth

Who is the happy Warrior? Who is he
That every man in arms should wish to be?
—It is the generous Spirit, who, when brought
Among the tasks of real life, hath wrought
Upon the plan that pleased his boyish thought:
Whose high endeavours are an inward light
That makes the path before him always bright:
Who, with a natural instinct to discern
What knowledge can perform, is diligent to
learn;
Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,
But makes his moral being his prime care;
Who, doomed to go in company with Pain,
And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!
Turns his necessity to glorious gain;
In face of these doth exercise a power
Which is our human nature's highest dower;
Controls them and subdues, transmutes, be-
reaves
Of their bad influence, and their good receives:
By objects, which might force the soul to abate
Her feeling, rendered more compassionate;
Is placable—because occasions rise
So often that demand such sacrifice;
More skilful in self-knowledge, even more pure,
As tempted more; more able to endure,
As more exposed to suffering and distress;
Thence, also, more alive to tenderness.
—'Tis he whose law is reason; who depends
Upon that law as on the best of friends;
Whence, in a state where men are tempted still
To evil for a guard against worse ill,
And what in quality or act is best
Doth seldom on a right foundation rest,
He labours good on good to fix, and owes
To virtue every triumph that he knows:
—Who, if he rise to station of command,
Rises by open means; and there will stand
On honorable terms, or else retire,
And in himself possess his own desire;
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim;
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state;
Whom they must follow; on whose head must
fall,
Like showers of manna, if they come at all:
Whose powers shed round him in the common
strife,
Or mild concerns of ordinary life,
A constant influence, a peculiar grace;
But who, if he be called upon to face
Some awful moment to which Heaven has
joined
Great issues, good or bad for human kind,
Is happy as a Lover; and attired
With sudden brightness, like a Man inspired;
And, through the heat of conflict, keeps the law
In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw;
Or if an unexpected call succeed,
Come when it will, is equal to the need:
—He who, though thus endued as with a
sense
And faculty for storm and turbulence,
Is yet a Soul whose master-bias leans
To homefelt pleasures and to gentle scenes;
Sweet images! which, whereso'er he be,
Are at his heart; and such fidelity
It is his darling passion to approve;
More brave for this, that he hath much to
love:—
'Tis, finally, the Man, who, lifted high,
Conspicuous object in a Nation's eye
Or left unthought-of in obscurity,—
Who, with a toward or untoward lot,
Prosperous or adverse, to his wish or not—
Plays, in the many games of life, that one
Where what he most doth value must be
won:
Whom neither shape of danger can dismay,
Nor thought of tender happiness betray;
Who, not content that former worth stand
fast,
Looks forward, persevering to the last,
From well to better, daily self-surpast:
Who, whether praise of him must walk the
earth
For ever, and to noble deeds give birth,
Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame,
And leave a dead unprofitable name—
Finds comfort in himself and in his cause;
And, while the mortal mist is gathering, draws
His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause:
This is the happy Warrior; this is He
That every Man in arms should wish to be. [1]

Published in 1806

Notes:

[1] Wordsworth, W. 1893. The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth, Volume 4. Edited by Edward Dowden. The Aldine Edition of the English Poets. p. 228-230. Google Books edition. URL: https://books.google.com/booksid=AhPwN14f5v0C&pg=PA228&dq=happy+warrior+by+wordsworth&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjttP2Ekt_MAhVH2MKHWNdAaoQ6AEIMzAE#v=onepage&q=happy%20warrior%20by%20wordsworth&f=false

If you liked this article and would like to read other, similar articles, click on links below to read similar, recent posts on corresponding topics.

An American Bible and the Dangers of Presentism

Truths, Facts, and Predictions: A Freedom Focused Vision of the Future

Postmodernists vs. Authenticists: An Existential Comparison

TRUMP v. CLINTON: Americans are Getting the Leadership They Deserve

The Paradox of War and How to Prepare for Coming Conflicts

The VISION and MISSION of Freedom Focused

To learn more about pre-structuralism, click HERE

To learn more about postmodernism, click HERE

To learn more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM destined to replace both, Click HERE

Notes:

1. A reference to a comment in a speech delivered by Winston Churchill and broadcasted by the BBC on May 19, 1940 during the Battle of France (9 days after Nazi forces invaded France's eastern border).

2. Quote from Charles Schwab as reprinted in Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.

3. Second stanza in Longfellow's poem, The Builders.

4. Click HERE to read Longfellow's poem, A Psalm of Life.

4a. Longfellow, H. W. (1912). From A Psalm of Life in The Poetical Works of Longfellow. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Page 3.

5. From Hamlet, Act 1, Scene III.

6. Reprinted from Ames, M.C., Ed. (1874). The Last Poems of Alice and Phoebe Cary. New York, NY: Hurd and Houghton. Pages 72-73.

7. 2 Corinthians 4:17 (The New Testament)

Monday, May 9, 2016

Pre-Structuralism: The Equally Dangerous Far Side of Postmodernism

In previous posts, I have often invoked the term "postmodernism," and "postmodernist" to describe individuals and groups who do not believe in the concept of absolute truth.

Postmodernists do not believe in the notion of "Truth" with a capital "T." Rather, they hold that each individual or group is morally vindicated in selecting their own "truth" (with a lower case "t") based on individual whims, inclinations, interpretations, and presuppositions about life and reality.

Postmodernism is a temporarily convenient, but ultimately prurient and pernicious ideology that relegates mankind toward the animal plane and away from the divine.

But are the roots of all evil found in postmodern philosophy? The answer to this question is a resounding no! A conception of basic algebra illumines our minds to the reality that any linear continuum contains not one, but TWO extremes from the mean point of any given line.

Postmodernism represents only ONE extreme version of wrongness, and therefore only one half of the problems that we in the United States (or those in other countries) face at any given point in time. What then is the other extreme? What is the polar opposite of postmodern ideology?

The answer is PRE-STRUCTURALISM.

A synonymous term we could also employ is PRE-MODERNISM (as opposed to postmodernism—it being a polar opposite ideology to postmodernism). However, from this point on, we will employ the former term of pre-structuralism instead.

Before getting on to the definition and explication of pre-structuralism as a philosophical foil to postmodernism, I must remind readers of something else I have written about. In previous posts, I have often invoked—and endorsed—the Aristotelian concept of the "Golden Mean" as an ideal philosophical construct for conceptualizing absolute Truth and virtue as a perfect balance existing between opposite extremes that extend outward to the left as deficiencies and to the right as excesses.

In this construct, postmodernism represents the deficiency, or far left, side of the Golden Mean continuum. PRE-STRUCTURALISM represents the excess, or the far right side, as illustrated in the figure below.

Structuralism and modernism are terms given to the philosophic era preceding post-structuralism and postmodernism. While the latter prefers to deconstruct capital "T" Truths into individual lower-cased truths that are arbitrary, subjective, and non-absolute, the former favors realism and at least a semblance of rationale structure upon which to categorize objective reality.

It should be noted here that our utilization of these and other related terms (i.e. modernism, postmodernism, structuralism, post-structuralism) is purposely applied loosely and generally without undo regard to the endless details and countless nuances concomitant to these multi-dimensional philosophical movements. As such, attempts to counter our definitional purposes by means of intricate explication of said philosophical derivatives miss the point of our plain utilization thereof.

At Freedom Focused, our role is to define simple, concrete generalities from which individual students may then draw their own rationally informed conclusions and make their own conscience imbued decisions. In so doing, we openly acknowledge the liberty we have taken to co-opt certain mainstream philosophical concepts and terms with the explicit intention of putting our own carefully constructed spin on their generally understood premises.

Like light from the SUN, absolute truth as found in
Aristotle's Golden Mean shines forth in
resplendent and illuminating majesty.

With this in mind, we employ the term "Structuralism" to represent constructs representative of "Virtue," "The Ultimate Good," and "Absolute Truth"—in other words, the Golden Mean—which we aim to steer all of mankind towards. This is an appropriate term in light of our firm stance that Absolute Truth, Virtue, and the Ultimate Good represent very real metaphysical structures that are absolute, irrevocable, and indestructible. Moreover, such things are sacrosanct to all authentic seekers of Truth with a capital "T."

The following statements provide abstract explication of the difference between postmodernist philosophy (and the postmodernists who embrace it) and pre-structuralist philosophy (and the pre-structuralists who champion it). Afterward, additional, concrete examples will be provided to further contrast and illuminate the difference.

If postmodernism heralds the non-existence of absolute truth, then pre-structuralism heralds the absolute deification of outright lies.

Postmodernists herald an "anything goes" mentality. Pre-structuralist champion evil practices as the "only thing that goes."

Postmodernists are often personally irreligious and condescending towards persons of faith. Pre-structuralists are often radically religious; in extreme cases, they will even sanction senseless killing in the name of their god(s).

Postmodernists often pursue unbridled hedonism and exhibit unrestrained narcissism on the premise that there is no such thing as sin. Pre-structuralists will put people to death for exercising their God-given agency if that agency commits what they believe is a sin.

Postmodernists are overly laissez-faire with regards to moral compunctions, since, to a postmodernist, morality is absolutely relative. Pre-structuralists, on the other hand, are overly fanatical about their own deluded (and often evil) conceptions of truth, since, to a pre-structuralist, one's self-crafted morality is absolute.

We will now consider four (4) concrete examples of postmodernism, post-structuralism, and structuralism at play throughout different junctures of world history. First, we will illumine the role that postmodernism played in the moral entropy and physical attrition of the Roman Republic and Empire. Second, we will examine how the American Revolution utilized a Freedom Focused brand of structuralism to defeat the British and set up a successful Republic that would stand the test of time up until the present day. Third, we will look at how a pre-structuralist, anarchist, mob-mentality led to a very different result for the citizens of France in the French Revolution. Fourth, and lastly, we will attempt to consider the interplay of all three philosophies during the World War II period. First, we will consider the ways in which postmodernism and pre-structuralism led the world into war. Then just as importantly, we will discuss how a renewed structuralism that sprung up among the Allied powers ultimately saved Europe, America, and the rest of the world from evil conquest.

Example 1: The Roman Empire

The Roman Republic was the most orderly, disciplined, and prosperous empire the world had ever known... until it gave way to the entropic forces of postmodernism (personal prurience and dissolution) and pre-structuralism (unjust military aggression). The result was the fall of the Roman Empire, which, with the exception of a relatively feeble, pre-structuralist attempt by the evil dictator, Benito Mussolini, never rose again.

Cornwallis surrenders to General Washington
following the Battle of Yorktown
(Virginia) October 19, 1781.

Example 2: The American Revolution

The American Revolution, while containing vestiges of postmodernism and post-structuralism (all societies do), ultimately ended in the creation of a political, social, and cultural STRUCTURE undergirded by a Declaration of Independence and Constitution that affirmed man's divine right of personal agency and delivered political, administrative, and legal power into the hands of the collective populace.

Despite her salient advantages in resources and geography, the rise of the United States as the greatest superpower the world has ever seen was a direct result of—and directly rooted in—these historic and unprecedented structures that have, so far, passed the test of time. In the words of William Gladstone (1809-1898), the former 4-time Prime Minister of Great Britain during the later nineteenth century:

"The American Constitution is the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man."

The Reign of Terror and the Horrors of the Guillotine

Example 3: The French Revolution

Following chronologically on the heels of, and inspired in part by, the American Revolution, serfs from France joined forces with the proletariat in taking what they hoped would be a productive stand against the idle and debauched, yet nonetheless powerful monarchy of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

However, unlike the American Revolution, which made only minor forays into postmodern and pre-structural behavior, the French Revolution took an extreme pre-structuralist, blood-lusty turn. As a result, the disgruntled, disorderly, undisciplined, and unprincipled masses ended up with a vacuum of power that was filled by a narcissistic dictator—Napoleon Bonaparte—who caused far more death and destruction in the ensuing generation than any previous French monarch had even imagined causing.

Thanks to Napoleon, Frenchmen and women were, for a period of time, worse off than they had been under Louis and Marie's monarchy. Following Napoleon's rise and fall, France and her Empire would never again seriously compete with Britain for geo-political hegemony. Despite their Allied victory in World War I (despite devastating losses) they were embarrassed in World War II when Paris fell on June 17, 1940—a mere 37 days after German forces invaded the French border on May 10, 1940. France would have to rely on Britain and the United States and her Allies to eventually liberate her from the Nazi war machine in 1944.

Nazi flag flies ironically atop the "Arc de Triomphe"
in Paris during World War II.

Example 4: World War II

During the lead-up to World War II, Italy, Japan, and Germany were the active and fanatical pre-structuralists while the Western Powers (including the United States) were the distracted, passive, dissolute, and impotent postmodernists. While they initially set up two structures following World War I (the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations), the terms of the former were too pre-structuralist (austere, warlike) in nature and the political will of the latter proved feeble and ultimately impotent. The Treaty predictably embittered the vanquished, exacerbating a vendetta that was already planting the ruthless seeds of an even greater, future conflict, while the League of Nations stood idly by, powerless to do anything about the rise of fascist Italy, Imperial Japan, or Nazi Germany.

To make matters worse, instead of enforcing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles—one of the few international structures the Western Powers did have—they blindly allowed their former enemies to "live and let live" while they themselves grew steadily inebriated under the influence of their own postmodern pleasure seeking and prosperity, which led them into the calamitous delusion that World War I really was "the war to end all wars." They would pay dearly for their moral and political lapses during the 1920s and 30s.

Germany, on the other hand, desperately clamored after economic, cultural, and political revival following its disastrous fall from grace during the Great War. In the midst of such fetidly fertile ground, is it any wonder that a smart, patient, well-spoken, supremely (albeit delusionally) confident, and epically narcissistic pre-structuralist führer would arise to create a phoenix out of his conquered land and people and then seek to conquer everyone else who would not bow to his perverse, sadistic, and utterly diabolical ideology?

Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill at the
Casablanca Conference of the Allied Leaders.
January 14-24, 1943

Fortunately—for all nations involved—when push came to shove (and it certainly did), the Allies returned to the structuralist roots that had helped them become great in the first place—and earn a total victory in the Great War.

Led by Churchill and Roosevelt (and ironically Stalin too), the Allies, driven by a commitment to principle rather than the mere pursuit of power, were able to become "men and women of valor" [1] whereby they became a committed, disciplined, unified force that was organized and strong enough to win another total victory in the epic conflict and once again make the world "Safe for Democracy." By so doing, they were able to regroup, rebound, and ultimately reclaim the divine rights that are available to those who follow the course that is right—the one and only course that leads to individual and collective freedom—the pathway of the Golden Mean.

Thus we can mine from the earthen pages of history ample evidence of postmodern, pre-structrualist, and structuralist philosophies; and thus we can behold that only the latter of the three leads to long-term liberty, peace, prosperity and freedom.

Sadly, it seems collective humanity cannot, or simply will not, learn from the egregious and devastating lessons of the past. As a result, postmodernism and pre-structuralism are both alive and well in our day. Worse still, they are perhaps as bad as they were in the 1930s or the 1910s or the 1850s or any other period of time preceding a major conflict destined to change the course of history. Thus it is that we are almost certain to repeat another epic worldwide disaster in the coming decade.

John Greenleaf Whittier
One of America's "Fireside Poets"
1807-1892

In his poem, Maud Muller, the legendary poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, penned this famous couplet:

Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: it might have been!

"The Greatest Generation" must be very disappointed to behold how poorly their posterity learned the lessons of history, and how increasingly close we are to replicating the very conflict they sacrificed their youth (and in many cases their very lives) to overcome, ensuring the peace we have enjoyed—only to watch us squander it!

Yet it is happening right before our eyes! Pre-structuralist China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, and ISIS are preparing for and pursuing imperialistic aims as we speak! And postmodernist America and Western Europe are drowning in their own self-constructed pool of hedonistic narcissism while concurrently accommodating and appeasing the devil just as Neville Chamberlain and his Western European milieu did four generations ago. It is deplorable! It is despicable! It is dishonorable! But it is reality, and we and our children and grandchildren will have to pay whatever steep and heavy future price that natural law will exact from our imprudent and unwise behavior of the past and present.

In our current global climate, radical Islamic terrorists and other terror-sponsored groups are the most obvious pre-structuralists of the twenty-first century. Those who are too sophisticated and narcissistic to employ the term evil to describe them—those passive, impotent, ignorant forces who believe social and economic inequality is not merely a cause, but the cause of their radical ideology and evil acts (and pretty well all other woes domestic and foreign as well)—are the most obvious postmodernists of our day.

Going a step further, those who believe the key to rooting out evil lies in steel-fistedly "carpet bombing the hell out of the enemy" are clearly in the pre-structuralist's camp, while those who believe that evil in any form fails to rise to the level of a potential existential threat remain comfortably ensconced in a luxurious postmodernist penthouse—where a prurient milieu mingle, drink, and get ever higher on the thick, wafting vapors of their own delusional sophistication.

In mentioning these general, nameless examples, it should be noted that they are not meant to create strictly partisan alignments. To the contrary, both pre-structuralists and postmodernists can be found among ALL American political parties, although it is true that those who lean too far to the left invariably lean to far to the left of the Golden Mean and postmodernism while those who lean too far to the right inevitably lean too far towards the right of the Golden Mean and pre-structuralism. The farther that any person or group leans toward either extreme, the further they advance to predictable catastrophe and potential ruin.

Thus it is that the unprecedentedly political polarity that presently permeates our nation is positioning itself as a highly flammable fuse attached to a growing powder keg of ideological extremities poised to receive an impending spark of calamitous disaster in the not-too-distant future. And thus it is that moderate, structural, and morally minded Americans are rightly concerned with her upcoming election, which is set to feature a profoundly opportunistic and perennially untrustworthy postmodernist situated too far to the left with a deviously pragmatic pre-structuralist careening too far to the right with no sanity-restoring figure of homeostasis on the immediate horizon who can restore balance to American politics.

For some time now, Freedom Focused has been issuing caveat after caveat for Americans to "come to themselves" and recognize the extraordinary polarization of our country's current social and political climate, and to comprehend the dire consequences that predictably lie in our near future based on Aristotle's astute philosophical observation as well as history's terrible tale of extreme trends gone unchecked by Self-Action Leadership.

The goal of Freedom Focused is to illuminate the balance between these two epically dangerous extremes, which have been the result of all erstwhile human-made disasters.

Unfortunately, it is likely too late to avoid many of the catastrophic consequences that are due from our collective drift into such polarized ideologies since the end of World War II. Thus it is that a world-war esque trial by fire will predictably and cyclically result to refine humankind's eccentric ideological proclivities and return us once again to the safe and peaceful zones of the Golden Mean.

Click on link to read more about how we arrived at our conclusions concerning this impending calamity...

The Paradox of War and How to Prepare for Coming Conflicts

We at Freedom Focused are largely powerless to prevent or circumvent the approaching storm. We will, however, do everything in our power to prepare structures, structuralists, and structuralism in hopes—and a fervent faith—of developing a metaphysical army of authenticists who, when weighed and measured by our postmodern and post-structuralist enemies (both at home and abroad), will once more prove themselves "men and women of valor" [2] counted worthy to meet our fate successfully and thereby claim the ultimate victory—and a far greater prosperity and future than that which has ever gone before.

If you liked this article and would like to read other, similar articles, click on links below to read similar, recent posts on corresponding topics.

An American Bible and the Dangers of Presentism

Truths, Facts, and Predictions: A Freedom Focused Vision of the Future

Postmodernists vs. Authenticists: An Existential Comparison

TRUMP v. CLINTON: Americans are Getting the Leadership They Deserve

The Paradox of War and How to Prepare for Coming Conflicts

The VISION and MISSION of Freedom Focused

Click HERE to learn more about Postmodernism

Click HERE to read more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM aiming to replace it.

Notes:

1. A reference to a comment in a speech delivered by Winston Churchill and broadcasted by the BBC on May 19, 1940 during the Battle of France (9 days after Nazi forces invaded France's eastern border).