I have read several different articles lately regarding a sort of “revised” history. Obviously, as we learn new things or study different aspects of history, some views and thoughts about the past are bound to change. Sometimes it’s something minor, sometimes it’s something major, but it’s bound to happen from time to time.
One of the most recent articles I read was in regards to a new interpretation of Thomas Jefferson and what views influenced him politically. The article I read was from the Tenth Amendment Center (http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com) and was specifically discussing a new view that was taken by a couple scholars, basically pushing their own political views and trying to show how Jefferson believed the same as they do.
The basic beliefs that they are pushing, which they call “Republicanism”, is a socialistic view on public (group) happiness, participation, and power which completely disregards individualism. Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers were very individualistic. They fought a war and founded a nation in order that individuals be free to decide their own path in life, and how best to travel that path.
While the theory of Socialism is nearly perfect, but the system was, is, and will continue to be an epic failure because it disparages the individual in favor of the group. While the group is important, the individual is more important, as the individual is the building block of the group. That’s like building a beautiful new brick building, adding extremely finely crafted details – sculptures, pillars, etc. – but using whatever bricks you could find without regard to quality, manufacturing process, or size of the bricks. Further, slap them in and ignore them.
Sure, that building will stand for a while, but eventually it’s going to fall down. When you spend too much time on beautiful details and ignore the structural cores, whether we’re talking politics or architecture, the result will crumble.
No comments:
Post a Comment