A Golden Calf and a Devil: Just Another Presidential Election
New Earth, Part 2
Here’s a story to set the stage for today’s post on The Tolton Path:
New Earth, Part 2
(Also read: New Earth, Part 1)
Tao Lynn often thought of his own beginning in a village on a small island off the coast of the mainland. It was here where Tao learned discipline. His father would instruct seven year old Tao daily on their way to ocean fishing, hunting, camping and surviving the outdoors in the humid jungle and rain.
“You cannot rely on others, Tao,” his father would say every morning. “You must live on your own terms. Without reliance on anyone or anything.”
Young Tao stared into his eyes. “Yes, Father.” Their heads slightly bow. Their focus quickly turned to catching lunch and cast their fishing lines into the calm morning ocean waves. They secured their poles into the ground and waited for a pole to bend.
Sun rays burst from the ocean’s horizon. “Father,” Tao said, “are there two of me here now?” He moved his arm slowly in a circle.
His Father laughed. “You are blocking the sun from touching the Earth. You are seeing your shadow.”
“But the other kids say…”
Tao stopped when his Father ever so slightly turned his head, looking from the sides of his eyes. “Always remember, there is only one Tao.”
Every day, Tao’s father said those words to him. He did so to keep Tao from the enticing experiences of other kids. “Reliance on anyone or anything other than yourself can be practical,” he would tell Tao, “but also dangerous.”
Still, by the time he was a teenager, technology had infiltrated the everyday life across the island, even Tao’s. It was now easier to predict and prepare for severe storms. Deaths were minimized. Sickness was detected sooner and typically cured.
Technology advanced at blistering speeds and duplicate versions of people were everywhere. Tao’s father still told him, “There is only one Tao.” At least as far as they knew.
But Tao’s father grew more concerned. As he pretended to sleep, Tao would listen to his mother and father worry. “It’s not the right time, Lyza.” His father’s voice turned more stern when he said the full name of Tao’s mother. “We’ve stayed on this island for a reason. I have to protect the family. We have to protect the family.”
“Zheto, it’s time.” Tao’s mother said one night. And when she used his full name, Tao’s father knew there was no use fighting. “We’ve done what we were meant to do. The time is now to prepare him.”
“Of course Leez, you are right,” he replied. “I still think of him as that little boy. The Formation must be put in place to protect us.” His mind quickly searched for another solution. Even though this next step was all part of the plan, he didn’t want to let go of his son. He looked away. “It is the only way.”
“We will return to the mainland, Zhee.” Lysa walked over and hugged him. “We must protect humanity. Even from itself.”
Tao remembers those words at this very moment. Now a master of The Formation, he stands on the space ship looking out at the giant New Earth with the weight of his mother’s words upon him.
A new government was the only way. But now it was Tao searching for another solution. Perhaps people can still be trusted to rule themselves? Tao searched for the answer.
He quickly found it. “They had their chance,” Tao whispered. “I must stick with the plan. It is the only way.”
-The End (for now)-
(Prior New Earth installments: Part 1)
Ending the Presidential Election Theatrical Production
The continuation of the New Earth series poses a question that every society has faced at some point: how should we live together?
Every four years in the United States, citizens are whipped into shape to idolize and abhor the two Presidential candidate frontrunners. It’s a theatrical production brought to you by politicians and the media supposedly to explain the most important problems and opportunities of our country, the dangers of the world and the appropriate way to handle them.
It is here where a golden calf is created for us to idolize and a devil created for us to fear. If you are a frontrunner, the media makes you one or the other. The citizens pick a side and head to social media to proclaim their golden calf as the only savior to protect us from the devil. The golden calf solves and protects and the devil creates problems and destroys.
Like the golden calves created to worship Baal–the false god that reappears many times in ancient history in the Middle East to solve societal problems–rolling out a Presidential candidate as our last hope every four years won’t fix anything.
But it feels good to be on a team. Even good enough to not pay attention to what is really going on.
The role of the President wasn’t established to solve our personal problems. Our government was carefully constructed to prevent a tyrannical rule by a person or the broader political state from getting that close to you. We have three branches of the federal government (supposedly) equal in power. But we seemingly look to the head of the Executive branch, the President, to run and solve everything. And the President and its ever growing Executive branch has no problem taking that power.
It’s only natural for individuals to care most about those issues and problems that hit closest to their homes. Those problems can only be solved through local laws and elections for governor, mayoral, sheriffs, school board, judges and district attorneys. Our energy should be focused on that rather than consuming the theatrical production of the Golden Calf and the Devil every four years. But this show is enticing. It is easy. The plot is all laid out for you. Pick up some popcorn and listen to your favorite talking head narrators discuss the twists and turns of what is our Presidential election.
In this production, a sliver of truth is exposed to hook and reel you into their entertaining narrative. This provides no solution and it is lazy. I’m tired of hearing about how old someone is and how they are unfit. It’s sad, not something to laugh at. And watching the government bend, twist and turn to put a candidate in prison is frightening and not something to celebrate. We need to stop laughing and celebrating and dig into the issues and the policies. Get a firm grasp as to the real problems in order to enact the proper solutions, otherwise nothing will get solved.
If we continue to look for the Presidential and federal elections to solve local problems, they will surely be glad to take that power. Meanwhile, nothing will ever change because only your state and local officials can make meaningful changes. Even if the federal government promises to send money to your state, guess who controls how that money is actually spent? Your governor, county, mayor and city officials. And how is that turning out?
Politicians aren’t prophets or gods. They are humans. They will sin just like us. Giving them more power will corrupt them. The solution is for citizens to maintain morals consistently across political issues and limit the power that the federal government has over our lives while making informed votes in local elections.
Don’t worship the modern golden calves that appear every four years to distract us, while corrupt people change nothing except tightening their control over us. An informed, moral citizenry is the answer to end the lazy theatrical run of our Presidential elections. Force governments to focus on protecting our rights instead of finding excuses for taking them.
Peace.
This commentary is very true. Thank you.