Every Good Man’s Calling: Part 3
The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. - Thucydides
It is immoral for good men not to steward their capacity for violence. For it is the calling of every good man to be dangerous.
Certainly, the goal is to steward our capacity for violence so well that it serves as a deterrent to evil and is never used. But when conflicts do arise, it is good men who must step in. Every conflict is eventually resolved by good men who are dangerous. And every conflict is prolonged when good men do not possess the ability to step in. Absent good and dangerous men, corruption increases to total tyranny. Where good men steward their capacity for violence, every good thing under the sun exponentially changes the world.
The crux of the argument is that good men with a capacity for violence have been and will continue to be the most fundamental pillar of human flourishing. I believe the essence of what it means to be a man is to bring strength into every situation, and if that is true, it would be the highest form of delinquency to abandon this most important element of human progress.
All things that make men good hold the highest axiom. This is why it is stated “good men” and not just “men.” Before I go further, I want to say as loudly and clearly as I can that it is goodness and love that the world needs most. This proof seeks to preserve and grow, love and hope for all people of every nation. That they might fully experience the joy of life and the thrill of seeing their dreams realized.
Ladies, if you feel this is for you, then it is. Welcome! I do not believe this calling is a moral obligation for women as it is for men. I also believe it would be wrong to discourage women from answering this call. Come on board! Know that you are welcomed, cherished, and wholly valued.
What is this whole thing really about, you might ask. Seems outdated, seems extreme. Is it though?
This proof stands in opposition to the certainty of the cyclicity of power.
Because if insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting new results, this world possesses no greater impropriety of mind, no greater foolishness, than to again, on a massive scale, put the child back into the rapists’ bed, to bind again one’s own family into the serial killers’ chains. History is a matter of record, and that record shows how a powerful few have a propensity to spill the blood of the common man for their greater good. It is the apex of insanity to hand over our birthright to protect ourselves to times worst repeated perpetrator of evil, to genocide’s oldest friend: GOVERNMENT. For while muggings and attacks on individual persons can be defended by good dangerous men it is the threat of this greatest violator of human rights that I aim this proof towards.
If you disagree with this most evidence-ridden fact, I must tell you that your arguments against it are not your own. They are arguments so foolish very few could come up with such nonsense themselves. This foolishness must be taught. It is most unnatural to strip yourself of your own civil rights just to hand them to those who have most frequently abused them. The argument for your disarmament is theirs, it was fed to you, sold as safety. More so, it is your good-hearted shortsightedness that is their greatest weapon.
Today is a new day, and it's time to review the data again, it’s time to look at humanity with your own eyes, it's time to make up your mind that you alone get to make up your mind. I believe in you.
There are two myths I would like to dispose of. The first one is that government doesn’t pose a threat. History shows us that every nation at some point has perpetrated horrific evil worth standing up against with force.
Any fantasy where government has committed their last atrocity is a form of wishful naiveté that will surely expedite the opposite of that most foolish hope.
The second myth I would like to set aside is the baseless claim that a people can not stand against their government without planes, tanks, etc. Besides the fact that revolutions against a tyrant split the military on both sides, civilians have stood against governments for all of time. E.g. Afghanistan. This graveyard of empire has thwarted India, Greece, Russia, Britain, and the US. All have failed to subdue this nation, for their people refuse to be subdued. The Afghan people have accomplished this while being vastly outgunned by their opponents and possessing little more than small arms. And then there is Ukraine; these barely armed and barely trained civilians are standing against the second most powerful army in the world. The fact that anyone could look at this war and not understand the power of armed determined civilians is beyond my comprehension. The United States civilians are the largest armed body in the world, possessing more guns than people. Any claim that this wouldn’t weigh in the mind of a tyrant is world-class mental gymnastics.
People tend to live in the span of a week, maybe a month, or group of years. This proof is aimed at the arc of time and stands to derail the cyclical train where hard times create good men, who create good times, which create weak men, who create hard times. A Greek proverb states, “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” There is no greater inheritance than that passed on by good and dangerous men. And no tree is safe when good men fail this call. Everything we do tilts the trajectory of progress, every life is an investment towards thriving or decay.
We are sensational beings. We mostly live within sight. Our mental framework for reality and possible reality rarely stray beyond our lived experience. Without a vision of the ages and a grasp of humanity’s inclinations, I imagine it would be nearly impossible to see the validity of this call. For each of us hold the full potential of good and evil within. It is not my goal to go after the expanse of goodness, and I will only touch on it here. To me, goodness is putting human flourishing first. Goodness pursues the sovereignty of the individual with the understanding that the individual is the ultimate minority. Goodness believes in the potential of every person and looks to provide opportunities for their unique genius. Goodness is a muscle that can atrophy. Therefore read, listen and study. With rigor and intention, we must pour ourselves into the practice of being good. For it is equally dangerous to have your fighting done by fools as it is your thinking done by cowards.
To some readers, I know this all sounds like the opposite of progress and the antithesis of your worldview. You may be of the thinking that we live in an era where we have moved beyond the ability of the powerful to abuse their position. You might say that the coming centuries do not carry the threat of a malevolent government. What is your supporting evidence? To those same readers, I ask: do you trust the government no matter who is in charge? In today’s world, do you think we should/could disarm our government? Pro-tip: there is no such thing as an anti-gun stance. People who think they are anti-gun simply wish to grant exclusive access to violence to a powerful few. How well has that played out for other societies?
Though keeping government in check was the main reason for the second amendment, it serves other purposes. Well over a million Americans use a personal firearm to defend themselves and their families every year. Do you think we have seen the last of violent mobs? What happens when automation ends tens of millions of jobs in the next 20 years? Maybe there will be a difficult but relatively smooth integration of the unemployed into other industries. Maybe not. Lack of income has often been a driving force behind mob action. Whatever the future brings, you deserve to be able to defend your loved ones from any threat, irrespective of whether it comes from an individual, mob, riot, or government.
What are you waiting for? It’s time to see what has always been completely clear: that it is your birthright to possess the ability to make an appeal to heaven.
The Bull Moose said to speak softly and carry a big stick, and Reagen built the United States military into such a domineering force that evil decided to sit one out. I will say again, this is the goal; to steward our capacity for violence so well that it is never used. Make no mistake if we, the United States, failed to diligently develop our ability to make war, we, and the rest of the world, would be Russia. And if We the People steward our capacity for violence, a tyrant may decide not even to attempt their well-meaning foolishness. For the heart of every bully is a coward. And the hope of every bully is a weak opponent.
Every good man is called to steward their ability to be dangerous. When times try men’s souls, it is up to us. Always has been. Ever will be.
What are you waiting for, your bloodline looks to you.
Hold Tension, Be Vast.Remember, restoration alone brings victory.