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Re: Feedback on Articles
Posted:
Aug 13, 2005 1:47 PM
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Okay, allow me to break it down as to why I thought this quote pertinent.
“The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society. A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice,”
I think it's simple human nature to fight, where there is no reason to fight, we'll find one. Always have always will. No matter what your view or perspective, somewhere out there someone is going to disagree, because what's in my best interest is going to run counter to someone else's best interest. It's basic human nature to be competitive and get the upper hand. I'll go so far as to say that it's basic animal nature; dogs do it, monkeys do it, cats do it, we do it. Animals may not put semantic labels on it, but they have struggles for dominance as well.
“ an attatchment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whos fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and opress each other than to co-operate for their common good. So strong is this propensity of mankind to fall into mutual animosities, that where no substantial occasion presents itself, the most frivolous and fanciful distictions have been sufficient to kindle their unfriendly passions and exite their most violent conflicts.”
The tools of division, and by extention, conquer. The tone today (and not just in our contemporary age) is more polarized than I can personally remember. Left-Right, red-blue, two simple examples, there are many more but for examples sake and simplicities sake I'll stop there. Faction, throughout the world and within our own borders is just thick. I don't think that any faction is more right or wrong than the other, or that any faction is immune from the devices of corruption than the other. Eventually, within any system, someone is gonna get hurt. And yes, I do think that we have a propensity for head chopping of those we don't like or see eye to eye with, internationally and domestically. We've done it with ropes and dogs and guns instead of swords and video cameras. Different tools, same action. To place these terms of division on ourselves is a device of those in power to stay in power by keeping us bickering and distracted from the idea that all anyone needs or wants is a roof, a full gut, and clothes on our backs. And once we have that, in the perfect world, we should be happy. But were not, once again the human propensity to find a fight if there is none.
The last part of the quote was included out of keeping it whole,(as much as exerpted context can be) and to fill out the idea that most conflict is centered around the struggle for possession and dominance. It makes me chuckle whenever I see anyone claiming some sort of Utopian moral high ground that denies basic human nature, whatever faction their speaking from. Madison wasn't encouraging envy, but did recognize that it's the nature of man for better or worse, that it's inescapable. He may not have grasped the statistics of the next two centuries, but throughout his writings and in his rationale for the structuring of the Union as a union as opposed to a collection of (at the time) 13 Nation States was to protect this Union from internal and external aggressions and the murders of the populace. Attempting to protect the interests of the smaller states from the interests of the larger, and recognizing that it was inevitable if we were not to form into a Federation. He had the example of Shay in Massachusets fresh in his memory.
As far as my motive, just thought it applicable to today. Factional bickering, self interested aggression, a nation divided as opposed to a nation united, the inevitability of oppression of one over the other….seems pertinent to keep the conversation rolling. Have a good one, need to get on with the day, and look forward to a continuation of the discussion.
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