February makes me shiver, with every post that I deliver,

[BadBeast]

I started posting this in TCC, in some thread about some other shit, and it developed into something more than the thread was up to. Turned in to a bit of a rant, so rather than be misunderstood on a Pagan forum, I thought I'd much rather be misunderstood by people who take the art of misunderstanding seriously, even to the extent of trying to get their heads round it before crying "Shaddup you fuckin' hippy", and suchlike. So I'm leaving it here.

Oh, somebody was banging on about the Pilgrim Fathers or something anyway, founding the Nation that has become the USA. So I started saying something like

It wasn't just "Pilgrims", (Whatever they are) Basically a right motley crew of frothy madmen bursting with all kinds of Heresies, that would  just get the Fundies of the next Cult going off on some Jihad. But all "Pilgrims" of one kind or another. Add that to the mix of Zealous Puritans, "Fleeing the persecution". Persecution my arse! If they were persecuted, it was more for their rabble rousing, and their seditious zeal. And their little Sectarian groups of "Chosen" people, with their wild eyed  Prophets, delusional syphilus ridden maniacs, many of them. Factionalising the already pretty volatile Catholic / Protestant powershare, and poking at the wounds of pogroms from their Grandfather's day, and further back. That wasn't persecution!
In the socio-political climate of Europe at the time, it was self preservation! Not persecution.
Revolutions, Secret Societies springing up left right and centre, Cults, Papist Conspiricies, Mystics, Delusional doom prophets of endtimes Ascension Cults, Nope , there was only ever one way that was going to go, and that was West. If the New World hadn't been discovered, they'd have had to burn all the troublemakers instead. Instead of just the poor souls who fell into the hands of the Inquisition. (Who were only disbanded at the end of Franco's Reigime  I think) That would have been a long hard, burning time I think.

They took their Gods with them too. Squabbly, bickering, Gods, With the Egocentric tunnel vision of six year olds. All with their Prophets, all bibbling and ranting their torturous paths
towards some Heaven which they could spend the afterlife sneering as the unholy swarms
of the Godless suffer in eternal torment.
And your Political system is still infected with these festering blowhards of a Loveless,and punishing God, while Mammon spreads the Cancer that modern Economics has become across the globe, and Moloch strides across the Battlefields, consigning generations of Children to his flaming sacrificial pyres, devouring them as the plagues of 'Empire' take their cultural apocalypse to the ends of the Earth.

*"Calm down BadBeast"*, I hear someone say! (Me)  

I'm not saying that they were all like that. Or that you are like that, or in any way bad people. But Culturally, I think a lot of the rot we could all be doing without is down to the
people America has empowered. Statecraft is a thing that nations need to mature into, and a couple of hundred years is fairly young, on the scale of some of the European Powers. Your Constitution has all the best intentions in the World, and the potential to truly govern itself along those lines. But a Ruler must learn to persuade, and not to compel.

Some old dead dude once said,

"The Learning of the Wise, The Justice of the Great, and the Valour of the Brave all fall to nothing without a Ruler who knows the Art of Ruling".

And we could all benefit from a few more of those.
We all like to espouse the Western Democratic ideal of "Ruling by Concensus" but really, it's all Bollocks. You don't rule by Concensus. That just means a load of Sheep, all arguing to get their own points of interest represented to the detriment of all else. Ruling is always Meritocratic. Those who can, always Rule. Those who are Ruled, get to be ruled. But People will always follow a good Leader. But  Leaders lead.  The people at the top of most of todays Power structures aren't leaders, they are drivers.  

Our Rulers no longer lead, they drive. They drive Wars, they drive Economic trends,  they drive Famines, they drive
Markets, Oil, Food, Medicine, Educational programs, they drive for Sanctions against those who dissent, withholding Food, Withholding Energy, or Economics, withhold Technology, Medicine, whatever it takes to drive people on, before their parasitic greed consumes everything.

They no longer need to persuade us, or inspire us, like true Leaders do,
they drive us. Their Flock. To be fleeced, or slaughtered at their whim.

If Mandela had been released even 10 years Earlier, he could have been a truly great Leader, instead of the tired old man they released. We could even have been living with a United States of Africa, instead of a Continent festering with Wars Famines, and Plagues.

That Pedro the Third of Brasil that cropped up the other week, he was a great Leader too. I'd never heard of him before. How many more Great Leaders are we not seeing, because the parameters of Rule no longer allow for a following of any kind? Only room for the driven, the deceived, and the deluded.

People aren't really able to choose who gets to drive them, only allowed to pay a lip service to the Candidates they are offered as a placatory, hollow illusion of participation.
It's not that Leaders are not allowed to Rule. Of course they are. But it's a meritocracy. But for a leader to be able to Rule, he has to learn how to persuade people that he might be going somewhere worth going. And you do this by example.

Then he has to start by taking the first steps himself, without compelling anyone to accompany him. Without making bribes and promises he can only break. But to just set off, to wherever he's going.

Then he might just look over his shoulder one day, and behind him, are millions of people following him, of their own volition, not being led along, or driven,  but following because, well,  because they are Leaders. Someone like that would make a good Ruler.  

I have many of those qualities myself you know, The lofty ideals, the charisma, the selfless sense of altruism,  
Right that's enough of that.
I think I just cleared my rant gland.

To anyone who's just read all that,  I'm not  even pretending that I have any answers, or even that I'm right.
I'm sure you'll me tell where I'm right. Or where I'm wrong. Tell me whatever. But if I can go to the trouble of writing it, and you've been to the trouble of reading it, then you must have an opinion by now, and we're all opinionated people here, so lets have it!  
Thanks. BB.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_djmkbczJYQ

[The Good Reverend Roger]

As I understand it, the "persecution" the pilgrims were fleeing was the fact that the crown wouldn't let them execute members of their religion for religious crimes.

[Salty]

FUCK YEAH

Loved it. Permission to repost with attribution?

[Adios]

As I understand it, the "persecution" the pilgrims were fleeing was the fact that the crown wouldn't let them execute members of their religion for religious crimes.

So. Nothing has changed then.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

As I understand it, the "persecution" the pilgrims were fleeing was the fact that the crown wouldn't let them execute members of their religion for religious crimes.

So. Nothing has changed then.

...In the last 2 million years

[Salty]

For some reason that comforts me.

People were harmful, irrational shitbags then, they're harmful, irrational shitbags now, odds are they'll be that way tomorrow. Deal with it. 

[BadBeast]

For some reason that comforts me.

People were harmful, irrational shitbags then, they're harmful, irrational shitbags now, odds are they'll be that way tomorrow. Deal with it. 

Yup, that's pretty much the best conclusion I could arrive at too. And it is kind of comforting, in an "At least we're not getting noticeably worse" sort of way. Old Gods, New Tunes, Dangerous dances. But always the Big Boss Drum driving the rhythm.
Still good to be alive though. And that's important too.

Yeah, happy for you to repost, wherever it ends up, it's better than having it rattling around in my head, disturbing my serenity.   *Auuum*