During times of strife and division, we often hear others and sometimes ourselves responding emotionally to events seemingly beyond our control. We may remind ourselves and others to remember our priorities. We say and write slogans such as, “country over party.” Or, perhaps, we may feel events have gone so far we must put party over country “to save” the nation. Or that the working class or the ruling class, depending on where you put yourself if not in the middle, transcend politics and thus our country. Or the Goddess, God, or whatever entity you consider as the Divine must rule over country and planet. All of these perspectives, save for country over party, are destructive, self-destructive, and inevitably result in violence and loss of freedom. Here we look briefly at country over party and go beyond that slogan.
Country over party. Over all political parties, clubs, and factions. Over even the organizations we ourselves may belong to and champion.
Country apart from religion. Our governments separate from all religions.
Country over socio-economic class. Yes, country over class and caste.
Country over business. Country over companies, corporations, lobbies, banks, militias, militaries, intelligence services, and non-governmental organizations. Work to untangle and limit corporate influence and control over local, regional, national, and global governance.
Don’t like your country? Don’t leave unless your life and limb and those of your loved ones are at risk. Instead stay to address the issues. Help fix them.
Ethics and morals over laws and rules, of course. Such are the foundation one must have before one can seek to overturn unjust laws and revoke unethical rules and commandments.
Country over government. Remember not to collapse our governments and their various administrations into the same paradigm as our country.
Country over nations as many nations may form one country. We’ve collapsed the state into the nation. There are currently 193 to 195 nation-states in Planet Earth plus several declared ones not necessarily recognized by others. In contrast, there are tens of thousands of stateless-nations around the world with many of them straddling the borders of two or more nation-states.
Planet over country. Solar system over planet. Unless the sole, emerging regime is a dictatorship. Love your country. Yes, love your country and still learn to work together with others for a peaceful, united planet. Work for a global, federated democratic republic with a democratic world parliament. Work against tyranny and despotism at all levels of religion, business, and politics.
One may consider similar stands towards humanity as a species and indeed the web of life itself.
Extremists on all sides along all spectrums of politics and religion box themselves into rigidly ideological boxes as they demonize everyone else. Beware of groups who identify their politics and religions with race, nationalism, class, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Which ones are inclusive and open to expanding our individual liberties and social responsibilities, often in the name of justice? Which ones seek exclusiveness and strive to dominate, control, and suppress our liberties and responsibilities, often in the name of freedom? What will we chose as human beings in the Twenty-first Century down in the bottom of Planet Earth’s atmosphere? Who and what are you as a person? What may our collective purpose be as a species in this solar system?
William Dudley Bass
Wednesday 3 August 2022
Seattle, Washington
USA
Cascadia
Earth
Sol
Copyright © 2022 by William Dudley Bass. All Rights Reserved by the Author & his Descendants until we Humans establish Wise Stewardship over and for our Earth and Solarian Commons. Thank you.