Pernicious

  “What is morally wrong can never be advantageous, even when it enables you to make some gain that you believe to be to your advantage. The mere act of believing that some wrongful course of action constitutes an advantage is pernicious.” Cicero

Those words were written over two thousand sixty-five years ago. Marcus Cicero wrote them, there were a lot of Marcus's back in Roman times, and many of them pretty smart guys. Marcus was a philosopher among other things. He became a politician of great power and influence. In the end he was beheaded by order of Marc Anthony. Cicero's big crime was supporting the Roman Republic! Yes, it was a time before Rome was ruled by Emperors and Caeser. Without going into a whole history lesson on how the Roman empire was formed and ruled that was the problem with Cicero, he fully supported a Republic! His enemies, those wanting absolute power had him removed from the picture. Cicero believed that having an Emperor, one man with complete authority and power was morally wrong. That is what he was talking about when he wrote those words. For that he was beheaded, and his hands cut off. There were presented to Marc Anthony and that marks the beginning of the Roman Empire as we think of it today.

Morality in governance is what Cicero was talking about. When our Republic was founded, it was founded on a moral basis. That was clearly spelled out even then. John Adams said our constitution was written only for a moral and religious people. That is still true today despite attempts to "amend" that constitution otherwise. Yes, some amendments have solidified that basis for a moral governance, others like the sixteenth, increased the power of the federal government. We have to be very careful in making any amendments to the original document. So how do we determine morality in governance? That is the big issue, the core issue we face every time we cast our ballot.

If we are to say that morality, and indeed moral actions are individual things, how can we apply that to the whole? What system of government should be applied? If all morals and all moral actions are individual a dictatorship would seem to be the answer. Just allow the one to decide. But that is so restrictive, isn't it? So perhaps a simple democracy is the answer. That is what many would have you believe today right here in America. We hear that term used interchangeably with what we actually have, a republic. A simple democracy, however, is in practice, no more than mob rule. A simple majority is all that is required, always one vote away from defeat or victory.

I think it can be seen that a moral standard in government is a requirement. That standard can only be maintained by individuals, the citizens of that government. It cannot be legislated. It is the moral convictions and beliefs of the people that sustain a moral government. It is the concern for the whole, not concern for oneself, that should fashion your moral standard. Religions have been established among men to serve that function. The promise of reward is the motivator. A reward that lasts forever, far beyond our mortal existence.

The function of government is to maintain a balance between what should be and what actually exists. Ideally all would share equally in every facet of life. There would be no wealth gaps, no housing gaps, no awareness of race, handicap or infirmary. Everyone treats everyone equally! The reality is quite different however, the best we can hope for is a moderator, a governance of inequities. That is what government should do. It all depends on the individual, however. A republic attempts to maintain a moral standard in government without the removal of a moral standard in legislation, ie: no laws that are immoral. Even those laws that appear to create an advantage to the individual. As Cicero pointed out, even believing so is pernicious. It is pernicious to you and to the whole.

The evidence lies before you. You don't have to look far to see that happening here in our Republic. The lack of morality is shocking. And I'm not talking about Christian morality, Christianity is a doctrine, morality is a universal thing. Society dictates what will be accepted as "moral" behaviors, but that acceptance doesn't make the action moral. Morals remain as an individual thing. Morals cannot be imposed; they must be accepted. That is the reason our constitution was written only for a moral and religious people and is totally inadequate to any other. Whether it is a mob or a dictator when moral is decided by the one, it is always to the advantage of the one. To believe otherwise is pernicious.

Synonyms for pernicious include:

harmful · damaging · destructive · injurious · hurtful · detrimental · deleterious · dangerous · adverse · inimical · unhealthy · unfavorable · bad · evil · baleful · wicked · malign · malevolent · malignant · noxious · poisonous · cancerous · corrupting · ruinous · deadly · lethal · fatal · malefic · maleficent · pestilent · pestilential · baneful · pestiferous