10.24.07

In Man We Trust - Why atheists are good for American Freedom, even if they're half wrong by Justin Hartfield , on politics and culture

"Say nothing of my religion. It is known to my god and myself alone." - Thomas Jefferson

Atheists are rapidly growing in numbers, probably more so now than any previous time in history of the planet, and especially among the younger generations. The number of atheists aged 18-25 has nearly doubled in twenty years, and young people attend religious services less than adults by a wide margin. Most striking, only 4% of Generation Y claims to becoming more spiritual. The trend is clear: America is becoming more secular with each passing generation.

Atheists are usually very vocal about their favorite issue- taking God out of politics. But ultimately, the atheists' message isn't gaining traction because their disrespect of religion clashes with the political perspective of the majority. Atheists are dismissed before the debate even begins because they can't even agree in premise with the theists, who constitute an overwhelming majority of present-day politicians and voters.

According to a recent Gallup Poll, more Americans would vote for a homosexual president than for a atheist. Clearly, the atheists need to start making more friends if they want to achieve their desired ends.

The atheists' commitment to eradicating religion from law to preserve rights of free expression is an important contribution, and I commend them for their efforts in this arena. Atheists passionately fight for individual rights and embody the spirit of American freedom more than any other group, perhaps outside of libertarians.

What I think the atheists could improve on however, is their underlying message. It isn't religion that corrupts politics, as the atheists proclaim, but politics which corrupts religion. It seems that atheists have it half right.

Religion, in its most pure and fundamental form, is about helping a person harmonize with the world to realize its true nature. Every religion in the world would agree that in order to realize the universe's true nature you must heed divine lessons through performing selfless acts of generosity, compassion and love just as the divine did when forming the universe. Certainly, if every politician was truly spiritually enlightened, our society would know abundant success and peace.

But when religion evolves from a deeply personal and creative experience to an institutionalized system of government, it becomes corrupt. Because politics is fundamentally about egos vying for power in a meaningless game of King of the Hill, any divinity is lost and religion loses much of its meaning. When Catholicism was institutionalized for example (see Holy Roman Empire in your AP US History text book) it became a sad parody of itself.

The lesson to take from this division is that we should take religion out of government for religion's sake. Let's not desecrate religion by muddying it in the very human game of politics and power. Reaching the divine essence is still the noblest aim of mankind and should be treated with reverence, even if you personally think God is made up.

Atheists would be much more successful if they adopted a mindset that, rather than shunning religions, they accepted them and focused their energy on limiting government power instead. As the atheists would undoubtedly agree, warped and spiritually misguided politicians have assumed way too much power over the last several decades. By eliminating redundant, wasteful government agencies, cutting government spending, and lifting market restrictions, we drastically decrease the power of crackpot politicians. As we all should agree, the root of the problem is not religion, but in giving ethically insolvent politicians leverage over our lives.

"Ignorance is preferable to error; and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing, than he who believes what is wrong." - Thomas Jefferson

The above work is the opinion of the author, and not necessarily that of the Prometheus Institute

Godless and proud, Mr. Richard Dawkins

08.21.07

Being Big Vs Being Powerful by Justin Hartfield, on politics

In the gym, they are everywhere. You can spot them by their tribal tats and 20" biceps. They are blasting Pantera so loud through their headphones you can hear it on the Smith Press some 20 yards away (Crush! Kill! Destroy!). They seem to have a particular preference for black Tapout wife beaters at least two sizes too small, along with the mandatory weight belt, Harbinger gloves and ever-so-slightly skewed Yankees hat.

The people I am speaking about go by many different names: Body builder, Gym Rat, Muscle-head, but they all share a common trait- they aren't nearly as strong as they think they are. Yes, it's true, these muscle-bound studs merely give the appearance of strength. Underneath their huge swollen deltoids is, for the most part, water. These dudes can lift massive amounts of weight, but only about one to four reps worth. Yes, they have strength, but they usually lack true power, flexibility, focus and endurance.

I find a strong parallel between the mentality of these creatine-loving individuals and the mentality of the current Administration on foreign policy. Mr. Bush loves to use the brute force of the American military to scare potential enemies into submission, while also giving the proverbial dead lift to any country to whom he chooses to "bring" democracy. Like our friends in the raised Silverado Z71, the Bush Doctrine is chock-full of brute strength, but lacks true power, flexibility, focus, and endurance.

It lacks power because it has severely overestimated our military's ability to lift a country to peaceful democracy. It lacks focus because as our troops are dying around the world, the 9/11 mastermind still roams the world free. It lacks flexibility because our military occupation inhibits our ability to respond to potential new conflicts. And it lacks endurance because there is no clear stopping point to this military onslaught euphemistically referred to as the War on Terror.

America's military policy needs to work smarter, not harder. We need a President to behave less like the dude who always seems to be at the bench press, and more like someone who spends his time in the library.

If Mr. Bush researched the history of terrorist attacks on the U.S., he would notice that they were all committed in direct response to American intervention in the Middle East. Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the two founders of modern al-Qaida, each declared war against the United States and cited exactly three causes - American military support of Israel, American military presence in Saudi Arabia, and the (first) American invasion of Iraq. (Neither mentioned American Freedom.) In fact, our muscle-bound American military policy is exactly why "they" want to kill us. Put down the protein shake, Mr. Bush, and pick up a copy of Prometheus.

The above work is the opinion of the author, and not necessarily that of the Prometheus Institute

Kids, don't do steroids, or you'll end up like our Governator

08.16.07

What Tiger Woods Can Teach Us About Politics by Justin Hartfield, on politics

When progress happens in politics, it happens slowly or not at all. Quick and dramatic changes in policy are mostly reserved for revolutions and sweeping regime changes. But if you want to change the world permanently for the better, you've got to start slowly. Which is why this institution has always promoted pragmatic change.

For real life examples on the importance of patience and systematic change look no further than to the worlds best known athlete, Tiger Woods.

After graduating from Stanford and relinquishing his amateur status, Mr. Woods found absolutely no difficulty in waxing his seasoned professional competition by two digits in his first few years on the PGA Tour. He was the fastest player in the history of the Tour to rise to #1 status, with an unprecedented four wins in his second PGA tour season. The Tiger Woods betting line was (and still is) routinely even money against the field in Vegas. He could do no wrong.

But underneath the surface Mr. Woods knew that his swing was putting too much pressure on his surgically-repaired left knee, and that his body would simply not take the punishment of another year of competitive play. So, shocking the entire golf community, Tiger fired his swing coach Butch Harmon and changed his famous swing. The result? No major wins in 2003 and 2004 and he lost his #1 status in the world to Vijay Singh. Oops. Many wondered, out-loud, how could the most successful athlete since Michael Jordan throw away his entire career?

Bewilderingly, Mr. Woods still felt confident he would regain his place among golfs elite. "Have I ever second-guessed it? No," Mr. Woods said in early ‘05. "I took some steps backward to go forward, to make some giant leaps forward."

In 2005, Tiger finally completed development of the swing he was struggling with for almost two years. A win at the Buick in January, followed by a dramatic playoff win against Phil Mickelson in March signified that the rest of the league will be playing for second place for a little while longer. A Masters playoff victory would follow in April, followed by a slew of other championships in that same year.

His victories have continued to pile up every year since his swing changes were finalized and he's never lost his status as the #1 golfer in the world since that chip.

Mr. Woods dedication to improvement is a constant reminder for us in the political arena to continue perfecting our craft and to never be afraid to change for the better (even if it means more pain in the short-term). Take, for instance, the much maligned concept of free trade. At first, people employed in industries that will be outsourced will lose their jobs. There's no getting around this. But after tree-trade is established the overall economy will be more dynamic and competitive in the long term. Afterall, Mr. Woods had to eliminate the bad habits of his old swing before he was able to lavish in the success of the new. Let's embrace change, and even the pain that comes with it, in order to forge a better America.

The above work is the opinion of the author, and not necessarily that of the Prometheus Institute

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