Beginnings

"In the beginning was the word." How many blogs begin their incarnations with that quotation, I wonder? Probably more than should. It's an easy escape from the trials of the biggest question when starting one of these things, "How do I start?" In contemplating that very question I realized that what I wanted to write about in this first post was the issue of slogans, mottos, sayings, and rules of thumb.

We love slogans. E pluribus unum. Equal rights and justice. With us or against us. It's about giving 110%. Defense is all about effort. In God we trust. They hate our freedom. Better a bird in the hand than two in the bush. My school in England (http://www.bws.wilts.sch.uk/) growing up had the motto, "Veritas in Caritate", truth through caring. It sounds fabulous, doesn't it? It's got all the bits; it's in latin for authority and pomposity, it has buzzwords that people universally love in "Truth" and "Caring", it has a rhthym of two matched four beat segments. It's a smashing motto getting people focused on excellent values for children in a motivational and authoritative manner. But what does it mean? What is truth through caring? Feel free to take a minute on that one.



If you are like me and have had a liberal arts education you can probably come up with some sort of fudged answer. "Through the action of caring for our fellow man we realize the truth about ourselves," or some such statement. But it doesn't say that, does it? In fact, it doesn't mean anything at all, it suggests a direction for people to place upon it their own meaning. And it is far from alone in this.

Take a look at e pluribus unum, "Out of many, one." It sounds great, conjuring up all sorts of images of a united people, working together for a common goal. But think of it directly. Imagine a country in which out of many thoughts, views, perspectives, experiences, a single philosophy, thought, aesthetic was the result. That's pure fascism, the State above the People. The motto also does nothing whatsoever to describe the state it is supposed to represent. The USA is the most diverse country on earth, with a constitution guaranteeing the rights of people to be different. The USA is a republic, it's not even one state but a conglomeration of states. The population is divided in many, many ways, with debate, argument, and vitriol about how things should be endemic within the country. E pluribus unum is an erroneous piece of propaganda for something that most of us don't want in the first place. Still, it's better than the Official Motto, "in God We Trust." The real motto should be "Cooperation and compromise" but who's going to pronounce that in a stentorian bellow while pounding the lectern?

If you go through the rest of the slogans and read the actual words rather than enjoy the warm, fuzzy feelings you get from it, you realize that pretty much all mottos and slogans simply don't make sense. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" is self-evidently nonsense. Men have different aptitudes, motivations, capabilities and so forth. What it means is that a sensible political assumption is to have as a starting point that everyone gets treated equally by the law.

And it's not just slogans that are easy, sound nice, and are used in place of clear thinking. Labels are horribly abused. The gutting of the meaning of language that has made possible the everyday use of such absurdities as neo-conservative and nanny state liberalism is cause for a spittle-projecting rant for another day. You can be politically right or left, but try being parts of both, people just won't let you.


So, for the beginnings of this blog, this humble little blog, I want to say that I have picked my label, The Hopeful Muser (which was still available, which I find depressing) because I wish to use this place to think, to express thoughts, to learn and I am hopeful about humans and the future. The way I want to muse is by thinking clearly, trying to avoid the pitfalls of mottos, slogans and labels, to attempt to glean real meaning from words and thoughts. Hopefully someone will be interested.