Theledge.net

Some time ago I put up a post entitled "Lessons in Coercive Force". It was meant to be humorous.

Recently, though, I have watched much of my little corner of the world struggle with increased legislation. I want to try to explain some of that to you.

There is a quote (attributable to Lord Acton in 1887) that says “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”. I would like to try to explain to you why this is true. To do this I have to tell you a little about coercive force and its relationship to government.

I would like to note that if one chooses to interpret coercion as always resulting action, the term “coercive force” can be viewed as repetitive. I believe that most people who refer to “coercive force” are attempting to discuss a form of compulsion caused by near complete dominion, as opposed to compulsion that results from naked violence.

This is the manner in which I have used it.

So, how does this view of “coercive force” relate to government?

I, personally, believe that all government authority results from the “coercive force” that a state can exert on individuals. I believe that, once an individual is at odds with the state, a strong state benefits from such economies of scale that the individual has little option but to comply with the state’s wishes.

(Note, this is also seen to apply to non-state actors such as corporations or unions, though these organizations often need some state framework (and thus the coercive power of the state) to gain leverage against an individual.)

This, I believe, is the reason the rule of law is so important. In a culture where the law is easily changed (or subverted) the individual will have no means to fight those economies of scale.

How does all of this relate to power and the economics of legislation?

It simply means that, in a culture where there are strong coercive forces, legislation becomes a “cheap” method of regulating cultural behavior. That is, in a culture where allegiance to the state’s wishes is strongly enforced (whether willingly or not), the use of the resulting coercive force (though legislation) is relatively easy to apply in order to regulate the behavior of individuals.

And this means that anyone with the power to legislate will be tempted repeatedly to use that power as an easy means of changing the culture. And that is why absolute power will corrupt absolutely.

Note that I do not make any judgments on the motives of those who legislate. They are human and you will therefore find both good and evil in their hearts and actions.

But I want to raise the point with you so that you understand that any legislation is in some way an attempt to control others through the use of force, rather than by changing hearts, minds, and attitudes.

Anyone willing to resort to prescription and prohibition without first attempting persuasion and advocacy probably shouldn’t be given the ability to legislate.

I had a funny thought the other day. You can blame it on a decided lack of sleep and an amazing amount of pressure created by the end of the semester.

I don’t remember exactly what caused it, but I had a sudden and rather urgent thought. It was the kind of thought that jumps free of everything else rummaging around in the lower recesses of your mind and bounces up into conscious thought, almost as if it could actually write itself in bold lettering a crossed your vision.

It was “Your questions personified.”

And immediately I had a vision of a small room filled with a whole range of people who were not exactly real, but were real enough that you might find them in your memories of an unfamiliar party.

And my mind immediately said “That would be like an afterlife of your own making. A very real personal heaven or hell.”

So what would your afterlife be like if you had to interact with every question you ever asked in a very real and personal way?

I would probably have a large group of “just plain stupid questions” and I assume most people would have their fair share. It wouldn't be that they were “bad” questions, they just wouldn’t be quick enough to really follow the conversation. They would laugh at the wrong times and try to fake their way through anything more complicated then the most basic of concepts.

I don’t think they would be enough to really bug me, though.

I would have some aggressive questions, probably spawned in days at work with people who didn’t seem to fully grasp what they were talking about.

I’d have some insincere questions around, acting smarmy and a little like used car salesmen. I know I have asked a few of those... They might even be a little loaded, depending on how mean I was at the time.

But what would the majority of my question be? Would they be a collection of stoics, boring me to death with talk of virtue and value? Would they be whimsical, airy things that seem vapid and empty the longer you talk with them? Would they be a hard working group, kind, generous and wise? Would I find them boring? Would I find them difficult? Would they know how to be funny?

Or would most of them be snide, snippy little creatures that are perpetually amused by the pestering and arguing of people?

I don’t actually know.

I have been taught, throughout my life, to pay careful attention to my words, and I believe that I use what I say carefully and thoughtfully. I know full well that words can do tremendous injury to people and I avoid making rough statements and I try not to speak in haste too often.

But I primarily apply those thoughts to statements. Certainly I consider my questions carefully, for I do not wish to sound stupid, but I do not often ruminate on questions I have asked (unless they are exceedingly inappropriate).

So really, what better way would there be to judge ones life than by the questions they have asked throughout it?

And what better way to design a heaven and hell then by allowing one to make it themselves?

I figure there is no one in the whole world more qualified to write it than I am.

Matthew L. Groeninger, father of Alphie, husband to Angela, passed away somewhat peacefully [insert a date here], after a long, mediocre battle with the forces of the universe. He passed from this world surrounded by those who knew him best, and therefore liked him least. He was [insert an age here] and, like so many others of his generation, Matthew was defined not by what he accomplished in this life, but by what he managed not to accomplish.

Matthew, though believed to have an extremely high IQ, never managed to join any of the high-IQ societies. Though many people who knew Matthew see his refusal to take the entrance exams as a fear of failure, the truth is that Matthew did not like meeting people who were as, or perhaps more, intelligent than himself.

Matthew also failed miserably to make many friends. His surly nature and tendency to remain sober meant people often had a hard time getting to know him. His tendency to make random comments about obscure tangents also meant that people felt he was either making fun of them, or that he was socially retarded. This had the effect of keeping most people at bay, meaning the funeral at [insert place here] on [insert date here] will be lightly attended. This may mean that there will be extra food.

Matthew failed, repeatedly, to hold down any type of “real” job. This is partly attributable to the same reasons he had so few friends, but part of this is also because he was incredibly lazy. It is safe to say that he has actually managed to get out and do more in the last couple of days than he ever did in the last few years.

During this failure to be employed, he did participate in a lot of college education, finally settling on getting a degree in math. He gravitated to Mathematics because most of the people in the discipline were at least as strange as he was and are generally as unhappy with the direction of their lives. Still, he loathed the notion of fitting in enough that he set his sights on studying Applied Mathematics. He failed to ever really apply it, however, and instead would use it randomly, at moments where it was not exactly called for.

Matthew also failed to remain single and childless, as hinted above. He, between being surly and blurting out random trivial information, managed to marry a wonderful woman, consummate the marriage, and subsequently stay alive long enough to hold his daughter shortly after she was born. Beyond that his daughter raised herself, and has managed to become the bright, precocious child she is today by using the natural cunning her genetic heritage has given her. His wife, meanwhile, has managed the no less strenuous task of actually living with Matthew for [insert number of years of marriage here] without killing him.
[NOTE: If she did kill me, it would be best to revise that paragraph.]

Matthew was preceded in death by most of the people who are now dead, and he is survived by pretty much everyone else.

[Use this paragraph if my 401k has performed well this year]
In lieu of flowers, please give a donation to your favorite charity in Matthew’s name.
[or else use this paragraph]
In lieu of flowers, a donation to Matthew’s family would be greatly appreciated.

And I would love to say that the preparation of the new server is the reason I haven’t posted of late, but I must admit it is only part of the reason... I’d also love to say that the warm weather and sunny days have been part of the reason, but they really haven’t been as much of a factor as I would like.

The reasons, in some form of order (intuitive to me, obviously):

• Building the server: I tend to treat building a server (or most technical tasks) as problem solving. Problem solving does not lend itself to seeing the world through any scope except the immediate need.
• We are dog sitting: As simple as this sounds, two dogs is more than twice the work of one dog. Two dogs and a baby seem to need a logarithmic scale to properly express the work involved.
• I haven’t felt like there is anything to talk about: This may actually result from the other reasons, but it is still important. I firmly believe in only talking when I have something to say. Sometimes (for long periods) I have little to say about life.
• My interests have shifted: Writing, like building the server out, is something I work on in fits and spurts. I worked on the basics of the server in early January, but only returned to it this last week. This month, I have worked on armor, built a remote controlled car-thing, read a ton of books, and tried to maintain a daily schedule with my daughter. And dog sat. And I haven’t finished anything but the books.

My interests are cyclical. I apparently use time-division multiplexing to deal with life, and try to squeeze more into my time by rotating through various activities. Or I am just bored easily... As Robert W. Service pointed out in The Men That Don’t Fit In (which I mentioned previously) this type of organization doesn’t often lead to much accomplishment:


So sometimes, I will head off in new and different directions and I seem to cast aside the things I am working on. I invariably return to them, hopefully with a new perspective. This month I have stopped reading most everything online, except some news. I have talked more with my brother and mother online (and in fact, I have talked more with wife while she is at work than I have in a while). In the last couple of months, I have broken with my old pattern and started a new one (yet again).

Returning to build the server was a way for me to do something technical that I could accomplish in short order. Most of my other goals are unwieldy and take time, and sometimes I am impatient and need some tangible (at least to myself) success. However, those tangibles aren’t usually worth describing to my family, exactly because they are simple tasks. So I do not make note of them here.

So from time to time I am literarally doing nothing of interest. And I won’t waste your time, or mine, trying to write about my doing nothing. Usually. (Alphie, on the other hand, is usually always doing someting of interest, but most of the time I can barely manage to get the camera on her, let alone organize those thoughts into a coherent recorded memory...)

I hate Christmas. I know hate is a strong word, and I have tried to find a better word to describe my feelings towards this time of year, but I haven’t been successful. ‘Loathe’ seems too filled with dread, and I do not dread these times. ‘Detest’ seems too pretentious, and I do not believe my feelings on the subject are worthy of special notice or consideration from anyone. I do not ‘scorn’ Christmas, nor do I feel ‘disdain’ towards it. I actually find it extremely worthy.

But I more than dislike Christmas. I intensely dislike Christmas. I feel hostile to Christmas itself, as if it has done me some great wrong, even though I know it has not. I, as I said before, hate Christmas.

As Charlie Brown said, in a Charlie Brown Christmas, “I think there must be something wrong with me, Linus. Christmas is coming but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel. I always end up feeling depressed.”

I do not wish to be saddened by Christmas. So instead, I will hate it.

I do not doubt its value. I especially enjoy seeing friends and family, as is often our tradition. Nothing in the world, not even Christmas, could diminish the joy I repeatedly find in the people who surround us. I enjoy that people are happy during this time of year, and I enjoy the fact that most people get more time off, which they can use to enjoy themselves. I certainly enjoy receiving gifts. I love, even more, giving gifts to those I love and cherish.

And I do not believe I am a grinch. I certainly do not want to rob other people of the holiday spirit. I certainly do not want to prevent other people from celebrating the holidays in whatever way they wish. And I do not respond harshly or bitterly towards those that show me the “holiday spirit” because they are being nice, and I happen to like it when people are nice. I honestly enjoy other people being happy, and I enjoy other people enjoying Christmas.

I know that I loved Christmas as a child. I know that I, of all my family, was infected by the Christmas spirit each year. I have caroled, I have decorated, I have cooked Christmas cookies, and left my little imperfect cake-like biscuits out for Santa with a glass of milk. I have made gingerbread houses, and I have decorated trees. I have waited to open gifts and I have stolen down early to the tree because the excitement was too great. And I wish I could feel that way again.

But I find, year after year, that I cannot. I find putting up lights gaudy and irritating. I find most of my neighbor’s attempts to decorate, especially those of businesses, even worse. I find the continual regurgitation of Christmas songs and holiday cheer, without any new expression of the season, to be more irritating than chapped lips. I find purchasing a tree a horrendous pain, one worse than buying a car, and I find driving it home and putting it up a tremendous burden. I find that most of the actions of Christmas bring no real changes to my life, and feel empty and meaningless, like hollow tradition. We do these things because we have always done them, and not because they warm our lives. The only joy I derive from going through these motions is that my wife loves Christmas, and these little things can make her happy.

Angie and I discussed this, as couples are want to do when one of them is moody and irritated. Angie says she is excited about Christmas, but oscillates between feeling as if it is all too much and feeling like she needs to reach out and seize hold of the opportunity, since it is only offered once a year. I completely understand that feeling.

I think it is that feeling, the feeling like this is only offered once a year, that is why I hate Christmas. I would rather be allowed to buy people presents anytime I like (or whenever I see something I want to give them) rather than having to wait for the end of the year rush. I would rather be allowed to decorate my house anyway I want throughout the whole of the year, rather than only being allowed to put lights and blinking things up during the silly season. I would love to be able to get together with friends and family and laugh and joke and play whenever the mood seizes me, rather than wait until a bitter cold holiday to have an excuse. I would rather that people reach out and seize everyday as an excuse to enjoy themselves, everyday as an excuse to improve the lives of those around them, instead of holding off to cram it all into one day of the year.

Please note that I have not, until now, made mention of religion or Christianity. I do not believe either drives our national celebration of Christmas, er , the “Holidays”. Personally, I am ambivalent as to whether it should, though I fully understand that people with greater faith than I believe the holiday and religion are inseparable. To those people I would submit that most people who celebrate the holidays without a true celebration of Christ still do good things, and perhaps you should not be bothered (as most people are not) by someone simply saying “Happy Holidays”. And to the people who do not believe in Christ at all, I would submit that the holidays are a time of cheer and rejoicing, and maybe you can join in the celebration without rejoicing for exactly the same reasons, and that you might accept a “Merry Christmas” as someone saying that they like you enough to wish you well in the way they feel best.

After all, if someone like me, who hates Christmas, can enjoy the fact that other people would like me to be happy, maybe those who actually like the stupid season can get along for a little while.

Those who believe in Christmas as a holy day probably found my phrase “empty and meaningless, like hollow tradition” most striking, and would no doubt offer to me that Christ is my answer. Unfortunately, they miss my point. Christ is one reason to celebrate Christmas, but he has nothing to do with Christmas trees, or gift exchanges, or Santa Claus, not in any real sense. He certainly has nothing to do with Christmas shopping, or most of our Christmas carols, or hanging increasingly gaudy lights from our houses, or buying big inflatable dioramas to place on our lawns. If one was to celebrate a quiet Christmas in remembrance of Christ without the modern trappings one would hardly participate in Christmas at all. (And to those of you who do, I say well-done!) My hatred of Christmas does not come from anything missing in my life, or from a dislike of Christian celebration, but from my increasing frustration at watching so much of our nation beat itself silly trying to accomplish the traditions of the season.

As Linus (with the help of great writers) reminds Charlie Brown, more earnest than I ever could, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.” When it comes to religion, some people tend to over-emphasize the Glory to God. Not enough people, religious or not, over-emphasize peace and goodwill towards men.