Hi Moonbeam:
You pasted:
Memes.com: "Memes are Mind Viruses. One needs to be aware of the power, incestuous, and insidious nature of ideas, icons, concepts, and theory. There is a reason why, in mediaspeak, the format of broadcasting is called programming. We are entirely susceptible to the influence of others. We are community-dwellers and as such, we have a natural tendency to be part of a hive."
That is a good definition of "memes." I should define such an unused term before I build a whole thought on it.
However, I don't think all "memes" are bad. I think they are either divine or demonic. The problem comes from our own ignorance of where our thoughts really originate. In your own way, you have said this many times. That's why I've always appreciated your posts, even if you are a hopeless, left-wing, ranting lunatic
We think our thoughts are our own; I have a hunch that many of them are "introjects." They originate outside of the individual self but are perceived by that self as arising internally, especially when they so readily appeal to some seemingly unmet need within.
Some of these memes/introjects are benevolent, some are malevolent. An example of a benevolent meme might be found in ancient Greece and produced Socrates-Plato-Aristotle. In three generations, huge strides were made that benefited the entire world for ages to come.
"Memes" are nothing new. The Apostle Peter gives us a wonderful insight into the power of memes/introjects in Matthew 16. Jesus asked a very simple question: "Who do you say that I am?" Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ.
Jesus then said (in paraphrase): "Peter, you are blessed. But don't think that you thought of this on your own. This idea did not originate in your mind. Its source is external and divine."
A few verses later, Jesus said, "Now don't be shocked by this: I am going to go up to Jerusalem and the leaders will kill me." Peter again spoke up and said, "Never! You are WRONG!"
And Jesus said (again in paraphrase): "Peter, you just became the mouthpiece of Satan. You think you are being motivated by compassion and a desire to protect me, but you need to understand that, just as the good thing you said before did not originate in you, so now this does not originate in you."
One meme was divine, the other was demonic. In both cases, Peter simply said what he thought were his own thoughts.
But what if memes have a life of their own? They are non-corporeal, so how do I discern whether something is truly orignating within me or whether I am being carried along by something else?
Memes are powerful things. We need to judge. Not judge people, but judge thoughts. We are obsessed with the corporeal, with biology, with evolution. Yet it is obvious to me that genes are not the real issue, memes are. They are far more powerful, they have (or take on) a life of their own, and they can do tremendous damage or bring tremendous blessing very quickly.
But is the idea divine or demonic? Both? How do we separate the two? It almost assuredly is never merely human.
You asked if my post was a condemnation or an accomodation. I hope it was neither one. I don't trust this entire idea of "Pax Americana." Then again, I don't see any current political process in the world that offers a better solution. Western Europe has no ability to lead. Solzhenyitsen (sp?) rightly foresaw the moral bankruptcy of the West even as he rebuked the even worse tyranny of the Soviet Union. Some see "Pax Americana" as imperialism.
The United States is not being an imperialist. But it is being globalist. "Pax Americana" seems led by a conviction that
1) religious pluralism
2) free markets, and
3) representative republics
are the most stable system that humanity has seen. It also seems (post 9/11) to hold the conviction that there are competing memes (such as radical Islamic fundamentalism) that will never rest until that above mentioned trinity is destroyed. For others see that trinity as this:
1) infidel apostasy
2) greedy, lustful, rampant consumerism
3) godless, corrupting, mob rule
"Pax Americana" sees that response and says, "If we don't prevail, the world will become hell."
Which "meme" is less "demonic"/more "divine." Or do we even have the integrity to hang on to something divine? Given this scenario (which I think Bush embraces to a large extent),I don't think Bush killed by fraud. I think he is quite sincere, at least as politicians go. He probably believed that Iraq was an imminent threat. So he said what he was going to do, and then he followed through and did it.
But Peter was completely sincere when he told Jesus that Jesus was wrong. Sincere, but manipulated by a "demonic" meme of which Peter was not consciously aware. Only the rebuke of Jesus brought Peter back to his senses.
It all seems so convoluted, but the road home is a simple first step: am I moving in a more divine or a more demonic direction? Am I willing to dare to make that value judgment?