Blackwater

Recently private contractors in Iraq have come to dominate the news because of a situation involving the company Blackwater. There is a widespread public outcry against the company because of its alleged violence toward "innocent" Iraqi citizens. It is impossible for anyone who was not directly involved to say with any certainty exactly what happened. For our purposes it matters less exactly what happened. In such cases, the whole truth is rarely revealed. For example, who really shot JFK? It is clear that rational individuals who also happen to be law enforcement personnel or active military are in impossible situations in places like Iraq. At the same time, it is also true that those with the power to maim and kill, rarely show restraint if they can get away with it. This is not really a reflection on law enforcement or military personnel so much as a reflection on people in general. The Blackwater fiasco is no different from what takes place in America on a daily basis to many individuals. It is not always so dramatic, but it is nevertheless discouraging.
Private contractors circulate in Iraq to supplement and support the military. Iraq is a cauldron of chaos with sectarian violence, insurgency, terrorism. That these kinds of wild events happen is not at all surprising, most particularly when there does not seem to be any clear strategy for engagement or military involvement in Iraq at least not for the long term. While the Blackwater situation is unfortunate and extreme, it is not much different in principle than what happens in other circumstances where a disjointed, incomplete philosophy leads to tirades, outbursts, and other forms of destruction. The strategy of "no strategy" is perfectly acceptable these days as a guide for human action. This has a direct impact on individual life as the Blackwater affair shows quite well. For, individuals, both Americans and Iraqis, were involved in the affair.

In one of the "For Dummies" books, Rich Tennant brilliant depicts the situation through humor. It is interesting that humorists and comedians often have a better stethoscope on society than so-called "intellectuals." He writes:

This is a "dot-com" company Stacey. Risk-taking is a given. If you're not comfortable running with scissors, cleaning your ear with a knitting needle, or swimming right after a big meal, then this might not be the place for you.

The picture with this caption shows several fat people throwing objects, running with scissors, cleaning their ears with needles, etc. Most people look at such a cartoon, laugh, and then shrug comfortably going back to their football games or television shows. There is nothing wrong with these forms of entertainment, unless they are used as a means to escape reality, which is often how they are used. It is the desire to escape reality as a viable philosophy of life that seems the characterize these times. This is probably not the first time in history when such was the case, but we are living through these times. So, it is worthwhile to understand the philosophy that leads to wild insanity.

Negligence is the ultimate form of evasion. Negligence leads to Iraq. Negligence leads to the Blackwater affair. Negligence leads to the situation that Mr. Tennant describes. The problem for rational individuals is that negligence is the socially acceptable philosophy governing human affairs and cultural moors. I have worked for a major "high-tech" company that is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work. I was shocked, in a sense, to see chronological adults firing off toy guns and otherwise cutting it up like five-year old children. "They were just having fun" you say. Well that is precisely the point. The attitude that there is a proper time and place for "fun" of that sort is an adult, mature, rational attitude. Similarly, the attitude that such "fun" is okay in the workplace, despite the fact that it may be a dominant attitude, is irrational. Not only does this kind of behavior show disrespect for the company who is paying these "adults" to work and to take the work seriously, it shows disrespect to the customers. Now before you leap to the conclusion of blaming the employees--or leap to the conclusion of blaming Blackwater employees--remember that the company tolerates this behavior and condones it by not firmly taking a stand to stop it. But, that is precisely the point. Few people desire to take a firm stand for anything. It is the logical result of not wanting to think things through and of allowing a philosophy of negligence to guide human action.

How did this happen? It has been a long time in the making. Essentially it is the result of the growing dominance of a particular type of philosophy that believes humans are powerless to know and understand the world. If one is powerless to understand the world around him, then why try? Just get drunk, get doped, or "veg" out. The other result of this type of thinking is the unfortunate situation in Iraq where people are perfectly content with getting involved in chaotic, confusing, volatile situations and remaining in such situations. In other words, without a standard or a model of balance and equilibrium with which to compare it to, the frenetic situation seems perfectly "normal." The value of reason and the process of thinking things through is what leads to an integrated view of existence where balance, calm, logic, and strength are the desired goals. People do not seem to feel as uncomfortable with illogical circumstances. It is impossible to study and learn in a stadium filled with 60,000 screaming football fans. This is understood. However, it is equally impossible to concentrate in a public library, the intellectual depository for human civilization, with high-volume chatter, screaming or homeless people wandering around intimidating patrons. Now, why is one easier to understand than the other? It would not be more difficult to understand the relationship between such things if critical thinking was not given such a low value to so many people. Nor would it be difficult to see how events like the one involving Blackwater could transpire. Most importantly it would not be difficult to see why the intellectual capacity and advancement of the population declines. The two go hand in hand. Advancement requires focus. Focus requires concentration. Concentration requires a certain amount of peace and quiet. And, this logical train of thought requires the ability to think and analyze, which of course in turn depends on what was just stated. It is cycle, a logical interrelatedness.

For most people a wild state of affairs is perfectly acceptable. For most people seem to have very little ambition or desire for self-improvement or learning. However, for rational, intelligent people, who want to think and understand these kinds of situations can be murder, intellectual assassination.


The Blackwater affair indicates a great deal about the status of society and quite possibly the status of Western if not human civilization. It is that serious. When a civilization begins to crowd out its thinkers and innovators, it decays. The reason that ideas and inventions flourished during the Renaissance, was because enlightenment was a high value. "Light"--not darkness--being of course an important of the word. Chaos, confusion, and negligence are the equivalents of darkness. When these become acceptable standards, the results are predictable: a wild, frantic, terror-filled, existence. "We will use terror to achieve political ends." The first thug who comes along and proclaims such things, people blankly stand on the sidelines, nod, and reply "that seems reasonable." Cole Porter was prophetic in his song "Anything Goes":

Times have changed, And we've often rewound the clock, Since the Puritans got a shock, When they landed on Plymouth Rock. If today, Any shock they should try to stem, 'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Rock would land on them. In olden days a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking, But now, God knows, Anything Goes. Good authors too who once knew better words, Now only use four letter words Writing prose, Anything Goes. The world has gone mad today And good's bad today, And black's white today, And day's night today, When most guys today That women prize today Are just silly gigolos And though I'm not a great romancer I know that I'm bound to answer When you propose, Anything goes When grandmama whose age is eighty In night clubs is getting matey with gigolo's, Anything Goes. When mothers pack and leave poor father Because they decide they'd rather be tennis pros, Anything Goes. If driving fast cars you like, If low bars you like, If old hymns you like, If bare limbs you like, If Mae West you like Or me undressed you like, Why, nobody will oppose! When every night, The set that's smart Is intruding in nudist parties in studios, Anything Goes.


The world has gone mad today And good's bad today, And black's white today, And day's night today, When most guys today That women prize today Are just silly gigolos And though I'm not a great romancer I know that I'm bound to answer When you propose, Anything goes


If saying your prayers you like, If green pears you like If old chairs you like, If back stairs you like, If love affairs you like With young bears you like, Why nobody will oppose!


And though I'm not a great romancer And though I'm not a great romancer I know that I'm bound to answer When you propose, Anything goes... Anything goes!


This is not a question of being prudish. For, it is better to have an open mind, and Reason and Combat most certainly encourages erudition. However, at the same time reason is an important element for this column and for life. Common sense and the ability to integrate reality for individual survival is the essence of Reason and Combat. Therefore, clarity, health, strength, substance, life, all of the things required for a constructive, goal-oriented life are of paramount importance for us. When you are living in a world where "Anything Goes," where extreme violence can brake out at any time--and usually does--where wild, high-volume furor transpires in places of learning like classrooms, libraries, and places of employment, it makes life more akin to a soldier's life than anything else at least for the rational individual.


The combat soldier leads a solitary life. In battle, a soldier has only his wits, his values which are determined by his philosophy, and his training to ensure his survival. Similarly, the rational individual has only his wits, his philosophy, and his fighting spirit to ensure health, happiness, and survival. In an environment where anything goes, rational ideas are not welcome because they get in the way of indulgence or a "good time." Therefore, the rational individual is not welcome. In such situations people are very happy to encourage self-doubt, recrimination, and ultimately dementia. Standing up for yourself is not permissible. All kinds of smears will be thrown at you: unfriendly, scary, intimidating, hostile. Often the implication, especially if you are a man, is that you should be incarcerated. So that, any form of independence, whether anger has anything to do with it or not, alienates you. This is often enough to get people to get in line and tow the mark, but for the courageous few who do not, it can be an arduous road, much like the soldier's journey: treacherous, uncertain, and isolated. Very often you have a choice to make: self-annihilation, or self-defense. Obviously the latter is the more rational of the two and the only real alternative.

Self-defense is firmly rooted in the philosophy of war. In other words, to survive in an environment where anything goes, where a false sense of entitlement encourages anyone at anytime to harass and distract you, you have to attack the root cause of such bellicosity. But, to do that, you have to be willing to fight for your ideas and convictions at least intellectually. To do that, you have to first value ideas and convictions. And, to do that you have to have already though critically and logically about the matter.


What is so great about people? It seems that the longer one lives on this earth, the more one realizes how disturbing people actually are. It is not that everyone is is a nuisance, but in general, it seems particularly in America, people grow to be uncouth, uncooperative, obnoxious, brats. When one is small, one has the hope and dreams encapsulated in the beautiful song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," from that wonderful movie The Wizard of Oz. Such songs and such movies were golden American creations because of the joy and hope that they gave to open hearts. Now it seems the culture is full of overweight, snarling, malcontents that are hostile toward everything, dissatisfied with everyone, and generally belligerent. How did a culture go from that to this so quickly? The hope encapsulated in songs like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is what makes music and movies gigantic. In fact, without them some of us may not have survived as long as we have. Movies like the Wizard of Oz give you some much needed inspiration to deal with an increasingly hostile and apocalyptic world. It is unfortunate that more movies do not engender the wholesome values that give one the spirit to carry on. Perhaps one can only really expect to find that type of inspiration in literature these days. Heroes are important, particularly now. For heroes give one strength, an antidote, an alternative to what one normally sees and hears. When you watch and learn about people such as Frank Sinatra or Sean Connery, particularly if you are a male, you have a sense that strength and common sense in life are possible. In fact, they are desirable. Heroes are critical because almost no one teaches you such things, a few writers maybe, but for the most part one is encouraged to be a mindless dolt. For example, when Frank Sinatra sings about "Blue Skies," you have the sense that there are those in the world who do maintain and understand the concept of optimism. For, despite the fact that so many people flap their gums about "positive thinking" there are very few things that people do which are consistently positive. Just look around at the war and other conflagrations that exist in for any additional proof you may need. Therefore, it seems that art and philosophy are the kinds of things that one can turn inward toward for a much needed sanctuary, a respite from the mindless mayhem that is touted so much as a goal. Just about every societal institution makes it seem that life among men is brilliant. So, why then do so few people seem to mature past the age of five? At five little kids fill their lives not with curiosity, but with infantile games and cliques. "We don't want you play with us. You are not a part of our gang." How little things change when so-called neighbors ten, twenty, thirty years or more later say precisely the same thing. "You can't be in our country club. You don't belong here, blah, blah, blah." "What school did you go to? What is your zip code? So how much money do you really have in the bank? Human superficiality does not seem to evolve, and the promise of in songs like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" often goes unfulfilled. That is until you fill it. Superficiality only becomes more entrenched with time, at least for a large percentage of the population it seems.


If, on the other hand, you grow up as you should and become an adult, that is when your troubles begin. Because when you grow up and strive to fulfill the promise of"Somewhere Over the Rainbow," cliques will not matter anymore. Appearances will be irrelevant. Skin color will tell you nothing. One's educational level will be meaningless. The type of car one drives superfluous. Ideas, character, self-restraint, intelligence, ingenuity, these will become the guiding lights of life. Unfortunately, when one lives by the light of these values, one typically lives in isolation. For a great majority of the "rest" of the population, these are nothing more than floating abstractions. One must be prepared for that, and the only philosophy that seems to adequately prepare you for the long hard road that such values will undoubtedly necessitate in this life, is the philosophy of war, the fighting spirit, but these values are worth fighting for. These values give one a working definition for concepts such as worth. So, while it may be easier in the short time to follow one's whims and let mass hysteria guide one's life, in the end it leads to feeble, repugnant, brutish individuals and an extremely superficial life. Not very appealing is it? LSV.