Seeds of Destruction

Every evil thing contains within itself the seeds of its own destruction.

Isn’t it a lovely thought that we needn’t fret about the evil being done to millions of people by dictators and oligarchs, including the American variety, because somehow, automatically, almost magically, they will self-destruct. Pretty picture. Reassuring. But not true!

To stay with the metaphor of the seed, there is nothing automatic about it. To flourish a seed must be planted, watered, cultivated and protected. Fields of weeds will grow without human intervention, as we see, but weeds are an evil from the human perspective of feeding ourselves and our children. Long rows of productive crops, healthy corn and wheat, will only grow if properly husbanded.

By contrast, it is a revelation to some that every good thing also carries within itself its seeds of destruction. Freedom of speech, if it’s a good thing, means we must allow evil and hateful things to be said, else it’s not free speech at all. Freedom of assembly means militias, some with violent intentions, can organize and carry out their meetings. Democratic elections mean that anti-democratic people can run and be elected.

A moment of reflection on this contrast will teach us that it is not the thing itself that carries the seeds, either of success or destruction. Humanity is the vessel of good and evil, and our values are applied to all things under heaven.

Where dictators and oligarchs are concerned, they continue to exist only because the great bulk of humanity continues to allow them!

As a practical example we should know that Hitler did not cause World War II. Hitler did not cause the extermination of millions of Jews. It was the German people, with many collaborators across Europe and elsewhere, that did those things, albeit under Hitler’s frenzied leadership. In a phenomenon I call reciprocal hegemony, Hitler could not have led those people to do those things unless the people themselves wanted those things done!

Come forward to modern times; Trump cannot lead a MAGA movement to undermine or destroy American democracy without the complicity and willing help of millions of Americans! It is our people, or at least many of them, who contain within themselves the seeds of destruction of our hard won Republic.

It is, therefore, up to the people. A majority must act to stop the destruction and deny the evil intentions of the oligarchs (already a reality). A majority that already knows better must resist the ambitions of would-be dictators, including those at the top of the federal structure and those in our neighborhoods. The minority of well-meaning people who have been lured by false promises must wake up and see the threat hidden behind the lies. Too many who have been passively watching from the sidelines must now engage in politics where they can make the difference by choosing inconvenient truths over reassuring lies. Those few who foolishly trust in and want dictatorship must be outnumbered at the ballot box.

Sadly, there is no automatic process that will deny authoritarianism and save democracy. We must do it ourselves!