When I was a child, my mother had this ingenious idea. Knowing none of her children were too fond of liver and onions, she would quietly take the vitamin-rich meat, slice it into very thin strips, crisp it up in the frying pan, and then enthusiastically present it as — ta-da! — “meat strips.” Note: we loved meat strips. Couldn’t stand liver… but my brothers and I loved “meat strips.”
Now with all due respect to each of my parents, my mother’s desire was simple. Here were 3 young children who didn’t know any better, where she had decided what was best for us. Granted, she knew best; we were children. We needed someone to teach and train us in the way we should go.
As the Intramuralist sees it, one of our culture’s current challenges is that we have men and women who believe they know best, and they have decided that they know what’s best for the rest of us — even though the rest of us aren’t children; we don’t need someone to teach and train us in the way we should go. That’s not someone else’s job. Government should never be confused as our parent.
I shuddered this week when listening to the United Nations Climate Chief. Yes, I know that climate change is a hot button issue… yes, I know it’s going to become a bigger issue (… especially, again, at least in part to take attention off of the negative ramifications of Obamacare)… and yes, I know that several among us passionately believe that man is responsible for changes to the Earth. The Intramuralist’s position on climate change remains steadfast: man’s role in any perceived earthly changes cannot be fully evaluated without an acknowledgement of and a submission to the one who actually created the Earth.
Lest I digress…
When UN Climate Chief Christiana Figueres interviewed with Bloomberg News late last week, the perceived world spokesman on global warming/climate change said that China, the top emitter of greenhouse gases, is the country that’s “doing it right” when it comes to addressing the issue. Figueres added that the American system of government is “very detrimental” to the fight against global warming.
Friends, my concern today centers not on the validity of global warming. My concern is that a global spokesman publicly praised an oppressive means of decision-making. Not only did she praise the decision-making of a communist government, she criticized the decision-making of a democracy. She has decided what is best, and in order to achieve that, she believes an authoritarian dictatorship is more effective in accomplishing the end goal. She advocates for the removal of decision-making by the people; in my opinion, she thus advocates for treating adults like children.
I’m concerned that because many agree with her end goal, they, too, will embrace an oppressive means of decision-making. They will embrace not allowing diverse input when making decisions. They feel so passionately (and arguably arrogantly) justified about their position, they don’t believe a diverse democracy should enter into the equation. In other words — with all due respect to my mother — they’re ok with serving “meat sticks” to adults.
Just for the record, last week I baked sweet potatoes for my own kids. I cut them up into very thin strips, baked them to the point of ideal crispiness in the oven, and then enthusiastically presented them as — ta-da! — “sweet fries.” Note: my kids loved “sweet fries.” Can’t stand sweet potatoes… but loved the fries.
But then, my kids are kids —not adults from whom it’s necessary nor wise nor appropriate to remove the decision-making.
Respectfully,
AR
This is a fundamental difference in one’s perspective on government – should decisions be put in the hands of the elite few, who know better than the rest of us what is good for us? Or should people be free to make decisions for themselves? I though we decided this before – it was called the American Revolution.
And when someone told on me, no longer were “meat sticks” tolerated. Maybe truth negates deception!
Love you “meat sticks” analogy. Seems like all legislation our politicians try to pass is presented as “meat sticks”. Not until the measure is passed and shoved down our throats do we learn what the meat is.