THE TRAP OF POWER- Jersey Flight

In many circles the flare of atheism will die out. This is what happens when a movement is intellectually superficial. What do we mean? 

A large part of the function of atheism is merely a juvenile emphasis of power; it is a reaction against the illegitimate moral structures of oppression. To be an atheist for the sake of power is to leave oneself open to the structures of power. A moral man must transcend the temptations of power; he must act for the sake of a higher purpose, which is the purpose of community (as community is the strength and ground of the individual; it is the genesis of genius).

I can gather power to myself; I can lord over other people by taking advantage of their ignorance, but this is not the kind of life I choose to live. These are not the kind of actions that lead to a better world. 

Formally we have disposed of theism; it has been shattered, even though a large portion of theists remain. This is because belief in God is not about evidence or reason; it's about faith as a means by which to overcome a contrived sense of despair; it's about occupying a position of moral authority. In short (and I suspect this has been said a thousand times before) religion is about making oneself feel better about the uncertainly of existence. 

Many religious men and women are needy for affirmation, and when they taste power in the form of theism, they have found an artificial crutch by which to pacify their need. The way they were subverted is the same way they seek to subvert, which is to say, by the declarations of authority. The God they embrace has made them authoritative, which is the same reason they believe in God. Remove the authority and the attraction of religion dies. In this sense religion appeals to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of psychology. The individual is too independent to succumb the assertions of religion. Instead of embracing authority he challenges authority (which is the same reason we call him an individual). But the needy man (the dependent man) has been searching his whole life for the affirmations of religion. Without this infrastructure he feels incomplete. He needs the illusion of religion in order to foster any sense of purpose. Having no root in himself (no inner strength) he must find himself in shallow declarations, which he takes to be universal truths. In short, such a man needs to be told what he is and what he can do; he is the opposite of a creator.
              
It is one thing to play sophistical games with sophistical theists; it is another thing to strike at the heart of theism. I fear we are too needy; we choose to take the inauthentic rout of power. But the free thinker must not mimic the insecurity of the theist. It is essential that we find root in ourselves; that we practice values we can stand on and be proud of. We must declare ourselves moral without becoming moralizers. 

The idea of having root in oneself is that one has character. We must be men and women of character (that from this strong and beautiful center) can proceed the quality of our protest, the effectiveness of our love and compassion. 

A humble man is not a stupid man, and neither is he a passive man. The best thing to be is a just man. A just woman is humble, but this does not mean she keeps silent in the face of injustice or abuse. Humility is not equivalent to quietism or piety.   

In order to avoid the trap of power we must rid ourselves of the need for power. When we speak, refute and exhort other people it must not be for the shallow reason of power; let us speak because we care; because we know we can be of help to other people. But make no mistake; there is a time to slay monsters; there is a time to break the mountain that stands in our way. There are many men and women who prey on the insecurity of other people [this takes from the world it does not give back to the world]. Let this not be our vocation. Let us strive to rid the world of insecurity. Let us strive to build up the needy individual, so in return, she can build up other people.

When we move let it not be for the shallow gain of person power, so as to squelch our own insecure, selfish needs, but let it be for the sake of love, which is to say, for the sake of promoting the health of other people. 

For it is only from the center of our strength that we can ever truly hope to help other people. And unless we have strength, which is to say, we are ready to give from the quality of our abundance, then we have no business helping other people. A man who is needy does not give, but takes the thing he needs. 

Our responsibility is to make ourselves so strong and so wise that we can be used by those who need us, that they may equally be full, thereby placing themselves on the altar for other people. 

We make the world a better place, not only by teaching ourselves, but by creating ourselves, and then taking this thing we have made into the center of a world with needs. 

At the end of the day it is only the power and beauty of our character that counts. 

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