Do You Live By A Code?
Do You Live By A Code?
Not living by a code allowed for human catastrophes like Nazi Germany and Mao's China. Right now it is critical that we establish a code once again, and live by it.
What kind of code do you live by? Are you a person of action? Would you be a whistleblower if you saw something that implicated your place of work or political party? Are you prepared for combat (mental or physical)? Are you willing to stand up to cultural forces if they violate your code? Are you willing to fight for them? Do you value loyalty, honesty, faithfulness and the willingness to protect, defend, and support your neighbors? Do you even have a code?
(meme credit: Transparency International)
As the commonly studied phenomenon teaches us, the horrors of Nazi Germany and Mao’s China only happened because good people stood by and did nothing as it unfolded. The people allowed the entrenched powers to confuse them, make them second guess their own code of ethics and behaviors, and eventually behave in ways that nearly all regretted. The simple rule of “do no harm” was subverted by the relentless and calculated propaganda-based peer pressure. Without a code, the people harmed each other in ways that stain all of humanity to this day.
So given the obvious culture war that is happening right now, it might be a good time to review our past and extract the lessons so we don’t succumb to a similar fate.
If you can’t see the current culture war, I’m sorry, but the only explanation to me is that you are purposely ignoring it. It exists. If you do see the culture war I’m sure you notice that it is attempting to belittle all that is good all around us. It is a constant barrage of gaslighting, trying to convince us that what is bad is actually good for us. A 1984-like assault of doublethink: “war is peace,” “freedom is slavery,” “men and women don’t matter” “heroes are the enemy,” and “ignorance is strength.”
A blurring of words so even if you live by a code that code can become convoluted by vague grammar. A culture war is as much a war on language as it is a war on culture itself.
We may not realize it, but we have options to fight back. First, we need to take control of that culture once again. We can’t let institutions and media set the cultural bars for us. We need to ignore them, and make our own more rigid code. One that is more difficult to obscure with language trickery. We need to praise the people who choose to live by the code. For example, praise the intellectually brave medical staff who believes their own eyes and says what they really see instead of what they are told to see by the monolithic establishments. Or praise the law enforcement officers and citizens who train extra - to become the best versions of themselves learning hand to hand combat, and practice shooting, and safe de-escalation techniques and scenarios. Praise the politicians who run on platforms of real transparency, decentralization, and participatory inclusion with their constituents in the governing process. Praise the teachers and parents who recognize when this culture war propaganda has seeped into education systems and call it out for what it is. We need to establish that the culture we most admire is one with a brave, ethical, honest, and fearless resistance to evil, tyranny, and especially corruption in all forms.
This isn’t about religion, either. You bring up living by a code and people want to automatically equate that to a religion. Our code should transcend other systems like religion and politics. The code we set for ourselves as humans should be inclusive, basic… but firm, and include those other systems. Simple things like be kind to others whenever possible, help those who obviously need it, be willing to stand up and fight for injustices, be actively involved in protecting the systems that govern over our lives, be involved and participate in our own communities, and be willing to help root out corruption anywhere and anytime we see it - even if it puts our own safety at risk.
Without a code, we are too vulnerable to manipulation by those who wish to control us. History has shown us that. History is ripe with examples of neighbors turning in their neighbors because of their religion, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, or even medical status. The way to shield ourselves from repeating this is by living by a code.
Our institutions used to help mold our codes. One of empathy. One of helping each other achieve greatness. One of national pride. One of holding heroes in high regard. One of loving and helping thy neighbor. Even if you are against religions or higher education institutions it is hard to overlook the benefits they used to have on molding this type of culture in our societies. That’s why ruining the institutions was so important to the people who wanted to corrupt us. And look around, they have succeeded. Can you name an institution you still wholeheartedly trust? From the military, to the police, to the academies and schools, to the governments, to the media, to the churches and community centers - the core codes of our institutions have been corrupted.
The good news is that the culture war can be reversed if enough of us push forward with fearless intent.
As the saying goes, any society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. We need to marry this again.
We need some champions - the people with the loudest voices and wideset audiences to get behind a movement - a movement for a better code… a movement for better systems that govern over our lives (like we wrote about here)….a movement for a better world.
We need people like you and me deciding today, right now, that we are going to live by a code of honor. One of duty and respect for each other. One of something bigger than ourselves.
In other words: I’ll get your back and you get mine. And we don’t waiver if culture, or outside forces try to trick us. We defend the code with honor.
As always the entire purpose of this is to connect with other solutions-minded people like yourself! For 4 billion years on this planet there were only single-celled organisms. Then one day they somehow learned to work together and make complex multi-celled creatures like you and me. Right now we are like those single-celled organisms. Our next evolution is finding how to work together, better.
If you enjoyed this topic we explore part of it (the better humanity part) in several other articles we wrote here, here, and here.
Thanks for problem solving with us, you beautiful, rational creature.
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About the author:
Josh R. Ketry - Director of Strategy and Systems - is an advocate for freedom, human growth, and human potential. A Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blackbelt and Academy owner. Growth Mindset student (for life). Entrepreneur. Writer. Philosophy fan. Long-time carnivore diet practitioner for autoimmune issues. Birder. Muskie fisherman. Photographer. No topic off limits. Thank you for reading!
Great post.
You talk about values that I suspect would be regarded as "old fashioned". I try and drum these things into my kids; honesty, reliability, punctuality, professionalism and discipline. For me, especially discipline. And I don't mean smacking my kids. I mean grinding out whatever it is you are doing to the best of your ability, even if you don't want to. Especially if you don't want to.
Broadly they fall under the guise of "honour" or perhaps chivalry.
Perhaps I am being old and grumpy.
A younger generation might reasonably argue "What is the point of honour in an anonymous digital world" or "what of is the point of discipline when everything is on demand"?
The strength and allure of honour is dependent on the shame of breaching it. The allure of discipline comes from overcoming challenges and understanding those challenges made you stronger. You only understand the value of discipline by being disciplined.
But for discipline and honour to have meaning we must have consequence.
We seem to live more and more in a world without consequence.
Eat yourself to death; there is no shame in sloth or gluttony. Burn down the building and riot. Bite the energy hand that feeds you. Cancel what you don't agree with. Hurl Twitter abuse at people you know nothing about in the most horrible way. Shoplift, it's fine it's not really a crime. Safe spaces and safe speech. The worst part of the pandemic for me was the rise of the term "stay safe". As if staying safe is in any way enlivening. Where ever we can we seem to remove consequence from situations, unless the consequence is more good times.
Much of this is nihilism which itself is more or less an anti code.
It seems to be the old battle between conservatism and progressivism. The code helps you maintain a structure. A structure allows you to move beyond the chaos. But not all of the structure is good or right and the environment of the code changes as well. Progressives see that and want to change the code for the better. This is correct. It is how we improve.
The problem is when you smash the code to pieces and have nothing in it's place. When you choose cataclysm over evolution. That seems to be what we have now. Society becoming ever more permissive, ever more accepting, ever more tolerant until those things themselves are becoming the code. Everything goes and anything goes, nothing matters, the anti code......this surely leads us back towards chaos.
The problem is that these are all passive aspects, they all involve just letting. But passivity alone does not engender discipline (physical or mental). And it makes it very easy for the corrupt, the ones with a code of exploitation, narcissism and fear to take the reigns.
This explains what we see in Canada or my own country, New Zealand. A sort of a hugs fascism. The hugs fascists weaponise characteristics that are good (tolerance, empathy, love) and use them to control the populace in a completely insidious way. To stand against them with honour, trust, fidelity or strength is to be seen as an anachronism, to be accused of "hate speech" or "wanting to maintain the patriarchy". They take these positive but passive characteristics and wield them as a shield. It is difficult to combat because they have captured the moral high ground and battling them makes you look "mean" and "unkind".
If you are the guy that criticizes the policies of the nice, open, tolerant people, you immediately look the opposite of those things. You may well be standing up for free speech, or bodily autonomy or just good science and logic. But you are simply labelled mysogynist or a bigot and cast aside with the other racist, ant-vaxers.
Resisting the hugs fascists is like resisting a blanket. You can punch it and wrestle with it but it makes no difference. You get worn down.....the blanket is still there and it slowly suffocates you. It's not a jackboot on your throat......it is even worse. Everyone understands resisting force. But resisting hugs..........
Of course I also have to entertain the idea that this has always been, and I am just getting old and grumpy!
Thanks for your post.
I guess I do live by a code. I had never thought of it that way, but reading the things you mentioned, helping, empathy, love thy neighbor, standing up against wrongs, yeah, that's mostly my "code." Part of my code is, "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." BUT, they get 3 chances. If they continue to abuse me after that, they're fair game. I guess, that means, IMO, codes should have limits. Accidents happen, apologize. If I think you really mean it, you get another chance.