A Syllogism Worth Contemplating
As my nation (the former USA) plunges into an abyss of tyranny, corruption, and cruelty under the horrific Trump regime, we all need to find ways to cope with the panoply of horrors we face now and in the near future.
Withdrawal into denial or despair is not an option, for if we assume nothing can be done, nothing will be done to stop these thugs from wrecking our democracy and the rule of law; slashing funds for federal programs vital to the public interest; bullying universities, the media, and other vital institutions into submission; silencing or arresting us; and accruing absolute power. Conversely, simply feeding our outrage by following and obsessing over latest abuses and usurpations by this vile regime can lead to bad outcomes for us and for many others. Violence or sabotage is futile, after all, because they have all the biggest guns, the most elaborate surveillance systems to harass us, the mass propaganda channels to demonize us, and the deepest pockets to keep hunting us down and sequestering us in remote, hellish gulags, here or overseas.
Our best bet, in my view, is therefore to find ways, in accordance with our own beliefs and highest values, to blend resistance and contemplation, for each, without the other, is futile. But together, they can form a rising tide of principled mass resistance, an unstoppable force against tyranny, however long it takes. This was the way of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Lech Walesa, Vaclav Havel, Thich Nhat Hanh, Wangari Maathai, and many others — all worth studying and emulating.
So as a useful seed of contemplation, to undergird our commitment to resist tyranny, I offer the following ironic syllogism:
1. “Strength lies in attack and not in defense.” –Adolf Hitler.
2. [However,] “Force is followed by loss of strength.” — Lao Tzu.
3. [Therefore] “The meek…shall inherit the Earth” –Jesus.
The major premise, “Strength lies in attack and not in defense” is an example of satanic wisdom — that is, a wisdom devoid or morality (broadly defined as concern for others). But it is a kind of short-term wisdom nevertheless, as any street fighter, wrestler, boxer, or soldier will tell us. In any combat situation, the advantage accrues to those who attack first, due to the element of surprise. For this reason, this is also the wisdom of tyrants like Hitler, Putin, or Trump.
All tyrants are strongest, after all, in attack mode, whether physical, verbal, or through executive orders. We have seen this pattern repeatedly with Trump; from the day he descended that fatal golden escalator in Trump Tower, he has relentlessly gone on the offensive, and has steadily gained power as a consequence. After his inauguration (coronation?) last January, he traumatized the nation through a battery of executive orders, effected through his unauthorized crony Elon Musk, to take a wrecking ball against our vital institutions for domestic and foreign policy alike, all in order to accrue social, cultural, and political power to himself and to subvert the checks and balances of our constitutional government. And his attacks have continued nonstop, now directed at law firms, colleges and universities, and mass media outlets that in any way oppose, criticize, or ridicule him, as well as toward legislators in his own party who dare to step out of line with his catastrophic policy agenda, aimed at enriching his billionaire cronies at the expense of all the rest of us, and at providing unlimited funding his own private gestapo, ICE, to “ethnically cleanse” our nation of nonwhite immigrants, and to brutalize and intimidate all the rest of us.
Nevertheless, as Lao Tzu tells us, “force is followed by loss of strength.” This is simply the law of entropy, as applied to human affairs. Tyrants fall when they overreach; this has been proven time and again. Hitler found this out the hard way when he invaded Russia, and what he didn’t learn then was driven home to him at Normandy.
It is possible that the current scandal relating to the Jeffrey Epstein files may be the beginning of Trump’s downfall, since it has divided his MAGA cult followers and left him flailing and lashing out in an increasingly deranged manner toward…Obama? Biden? Musk? His MAGA detractors? Whoever… A vindictive clown in power can be extremely dangerous, but a clown losing power is only pathetic.
“The meek…shall inherit the Earth.” If the major premise is the short-term, self-serving wisdom of warriors and tyrants, and the second premise is the longer-term wisdom of nature, whether manifest as entropy, exhaustion, or humiliation, this conclusion follows necessarily as the wisdom of eternity — not only in the theological sense but in nature as well. For example, while giant dinosaurs ruled the Earth, mammals were tiny, rat-like beings who scurried into the shadows as the resident monsters stomped by. But after the great Chicxulub meteor annihilated the dinosaurs, some 66 million years ago, these tiny mammals crept out, diversified, and evolved over time into the current masters of the Earth, including us.
It is important to note, however, that the connotations of the word “meek” have changed considerably since this word was used in the King James Bible to translate the Greek word praeis (the plural of praos) which meant tame, mild, or gentle and flexible — not weak or cowardly.
And this quality, which Gandhi, King, Mandela, and others mastered, and which anyone can cultivate through regular practice, is the key to unlocking the deep connection between prudence and courage, between gentleness and firmness, that the great political geniuses of nonviolence such as Gandhi, King, and Mandela mastered. And we shall inherit the Earth!
For those interested in pursuing this sacred path of nonviolent resistance that is mindful, strategic, and relentless, I strongly recommend signing on to indivisible.org. Founded by a dynamic young married couple, Ezra and Leah, both with extensive political experience as Congressional staffers, Indivisible is deeply committed to nonviolent resistance to tyranny, to restoring democracy by exercising it, and to building a mass movement committed to subverting the tyranny of the Trump regime and restoring the rule of law, the Constitution, and the ethos of decency and tolerance that alone makes democracy possible. It has already gained considerable traction throughout the nation, working with a strong coalition of human rights organizations nationwide, and establishing local chapters in all but two Congressional districts nationwide. Welcome aboard!