The cost of freedom is truth. That is the fundamental premise upon which a republic is formed. Integrity is the cornerstone. That is what the founding fathers portrayed in their public lives. A code of honor, if that is what you choose to call that, an expectation of civility, ethics and yes, Christian principles of fair play. The truth was to be told and upheld, no one is above the law as we may say that today. The constitution itself was in question and there was genuine fear that it would not receive the votes necessary for ratification. The fear was the constitution gave the government too much power. James Madison agreed to write the first ten amendments too further that end, that is, give more power to the people. That was to align the constitution with the initial idea of government by the people. The people should have more control. The framers of the constitution were well aware that it may need revision, additions or modifications in the future. That was the reason for adding an amendment process in the first place. That is article five of the constitution.
Now all that being said it has to be noted that those framers were men like you and me. Their private lives were certainly different than their public lives. It remains that way to this day. What we say and what we do are often quite different things. It is in all of that that we have the mix we call politics. What are politics? The first thought that comes to mind is government. Politics is the control of power. Yes, you could say that and be correct, but it is much deeper than that. Politics involves individuals getting what they want to further their personal agenda. They will work in concert with others when it suits their ends but will break away when it does not. The most important aspect of any politician is the public perception of that individual. The most successful never have their "faults" exposed to the masses. Either through the press, or through private means secrets are kept from the general population.
Consider those founding fathers. In the not too distant past, like when I was in grade school, those folks were beyond reproach. They existed on another level above the common man, examples of integrity and honor. Those men would stand on the battlefield facing death for a cause they believed in. Indeed, they would face each other in a duel if their honor was called into question! Sometimes it was the truth that they were defending against. But the thing was to defend that honor publicly, to give that impression of integrity. That's what I mean when I say they were in all reality just men like you and me. But they were judged on their public performance. It was results that mattered. That has certainly changed in today's world of politics. Now it is a no holds barred free for all. Today there is no honor among thieves!
Yes, that used to exist, that honor among thieves. "The phrase “honor among thieves” is a phrase suggesting trustworthiness within a group that is not considered trustworthy to outsiders. It means that even criminals have a code of conduct among themselves, such as not stealing from each other, or not betraying a fellow criminal to the police. The idea of this proverb dates back to ancient Rome, where Cicero used it in his speeches." I extracted that from Wikipedia as I have found others often express my thoughts far better than I do. And that is what I was thinking about. Those politicians can no longer trust one another. I believe it is the removal of consequences for such actions that has led to this. What I mean is, no being called out on the field of honor these days! No more being run out of town on the rails. Far more learned people than I have written volumes on this subject. It concerns what is often called the social contract. There is a contract between those elected and the electors. You expect your elector to vote the way you want him to. You expect your representative to represent your values, ethics and morals. Those are the reasons you vote for that individual. Today we are enamored with this concept of broadcasting our virtues! We feel like all we really need do is show public support for whatever, we have become the politicians!
The best way I can express this is a passage from this article I read: "In a good governance society, a moral leader is one who upholds the core principles and ethos and creeds and values of the overall society," says Feinman. "Most societies have some kind of social contract, whether that's written out or not, and if you have a leader who breaks those principles, then people lose trust, diminish their willingness to pay taxes, move away, or take other steps that undercut the fiscal health of the polity."
I think the social contract has been broken here in the United States. The evidence is all around. The removal of statues that honored leaders of the past, the removal of religious signs and symbols from the public domain, our government ignoring its' citizens in favor of refugees, migrants, deadbeats and criminals! The failure of our educational system. All signs that the contract has been broken. It must be understood that in our form of government the "moral" leader are the people! It isn't one person, sitting behind a desk, signing executive orders. It is the 535 voting members of Congress. That is the moral leader in this country. You elected them!
If you want to read the article I quoted here is the link: History shows that societies collapse when leaders undermine social contracts (phys.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment