Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Ever-Present Warrior

Some people are born to be certain things. I've known singers who knew they were going to be singers at the age of five. I'm a natural-born comedian, much like a Pug dog, and even though I don't remember it, have been told by my relatives I used to crack them up at the age of five or six. I certainly remember being 13, by which time I was a class clown.

Some men are even born to be natural warriors, no matter how many deluded leftists think that banning squirt-guns will change human nature and make these guys grow up to be Hugh Grant-watching girlie-boys. Unfortunately, libertarians have pretty much ignored the natural-born warrior, and since they don't know about the problem, haven't thought about it and therefore don't have a clue what to do with these guys.

Mythology gives us a hint as to how to deal with them.

I pay quite a lot of attention to myths. If they weren't true, and didn't have universal wisdom in them, they wouldn't have lasted for thousands of years.

Let's take a look at the myth of Hercules. He certainly is a natural-born warrior--he strangled two snakes which attacked him while he was in his crib. Significantly, he's not only a protege of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and civilization, he's her half-brother. The point? Natural-born warriors are part of society, and we can't get rid of them, no more than we can get rid of singers or comedians.

Hercules was also tipped over a bit toward the insane side, since in a fit of rage he murdered his entire family. He then had to atone for his crimes with his Twelve Labors, feats which took many years. What does this mean? That natural-born warriors may not be the most stable people in the world? Or that when they murder the innocent in war, they must repent and atone for it? Or both?

Things get even more interesting when we find the Greek god of war, Ares, is the half-brother of Athena, meaning that war is part of society, and we can't get rid of it, either. We never have in the past. We can only reduce it as much as possible, which is certainly a reasonable goal.

Ares, who was a coward who delighted in murder and destruction, was hated by all the other gods (including his parents), but he was especially despised by Athena. Since she was the goddess of civilization, and he was the god of war, it is no wonder she hated him, since war and civilization are eternally at odds with each other.

Now here's an important question: Why was the warrior Hercules a follower of Athena and not Ares? Shouldn't it be the other way around? In the stories, Hercules often fought Ares, always beating him (but never killing him), just the way in the long run Society will always beat the State. Societies may survive; States never do. Hercules also rubbed out probably half of Ares' murderous offspring.

The myth is telling us these natural-born warriors must be accepted by society and used in some way against the State. These days, mythologically, Ares is the god of the State, and Athena should be the goddess of society.

Since the State tries to trick the masses into thinking it is not only the protector of Society, but indeed is Society, it is no wonder these Oliver North-types goes into State militaries, since they, like most people, can no longer tell the difference between the State and Society.

We'd be better off if in some ways we lived as we did in the past, when the King would take his Hercules warrior-types and go to war with another kingdom while leaving all the citizens alone. Personally, I'd like to see all the politicians fight each other with swords in an arena. I'd not only pay to watch it, I'd bring a couple of camcorders. I suspect most of the world would, too.

Instead, today we have standing militaries. The Founding Fathers understood the dangers of these standing armies. They wanted nothing to do with them, since all States are followers of Ares, no matter what they say. They then use the militaries, with its natural-born warriors, to advance its interests. Which are rarely--possibly never--the same as Societies'.

Stories about Hercules show up, however unwittingly, even today. I don't mean silly cartoons or silly movies. I mean excellent movies like 1986's The Mission. In it, Rodrigo Mendoza (played by Robert De Niro) is a slaver and murderer with an unstable, violent temper. Then, in a fit of rage, he murders his brother. To atone for his crime he drags his armor up a mountain. After that, he protects the people he had formerly murdered and enslaved. In the end, it costs him his life. Under the circumstances, he had no choice.

Mendoza was a natural-born warrior. At first he had been a follower of Ares and the State (the State which gave him license to be a murderer and slaver.) Then he repented and atoned for his crimes, became a Jesuit, and began to defend the Society he had once exploited and tried to destroy. He was a Hercules who, in the end, became a follower of Athena, not Ares.

We can see this Hercules myth (in part) in lesser movies like Rambo. In it, Rambo engaged not only in State-sponsored military killing, but murder. He never atoned for it; as a result, he came back to Society unable to cope. (The book, First Blood, by David Morrell, is a serious novel far superior to the movie and is in no way pulp-adventure. In it, Rambo--who had no first name--was far, far more disturbed than Stallone's portrayal.)

When I was in college, we were shown movies in class about "primitive" cultures in which two rival tribes would gather in opposing lines and throw spears and shoot arrows at each other. They were so far away there were very few injuries and rarely any deaths.

At the time, I thought the tribes were amusing. Yet, they never had real wars. Throwing spears from 100 feet way was their idea of war. When they were done, everyone went home and bound up their minor wounds.

Right now our Politically Correct Society is in a bind. On one hand, the liberals are trying to get rid of these warriors by frothing at the mouth about little boys playing with G.I. Joe. On the other hand, we cheer these men for joining State militaries and engaging in fantasies about "defending their country" and, worse, making "the ultimate sacrifice."

Both views are wrong. Leftists are not only wrong about human nature, they don't understand it at all. They're literally blind. And those who support the State and State militaries under the guise of "patriotism" are nearly as deluded, if not just outright scoundrels wrapping themselves in the flag while insisting others fight and die.

Society has to evolve methods to deal with these men; they can't be imposed from the top down. I am reminded of Thomas Berger's wonderful novel, Little Big Man, about the Cheyenne . They had two chiefs: a War Chief for battle and a Peace Chief otherwise. None of the people had to listen to them unless they wanted.

For them, the greatest, bravest feat in battle lay not in killing the enemy but taking coup, i.e., whacking him on the head with a small stick as they rode by. Perhaps we, too need mock battles, as did the tribes I watched. We seem to be evolving them, with something like paintball fights.

These natural-born warriors are an extremely small minority, just like great singers or comedians. When they become enamored of the State, and join its militaries, horrendous problems can result. Therefore, they must be kept away from the State. These men must defend Society against the State, not the State against Society.

The libertarian view is that there should be no State, only Society. Since these men exist, and always will, Society has to learn how to deal with them and give them a place in it.

16 comments:

Glen Filthie said...

LOL. I can see why you were the class clown Bob. Where DID you get your education, anyway? Berkley?

A. Today's modern warrior is not a loose cannon. He is trained, totally in control of himself, and most are more intelligent and educated than you are. That is why a greasy hippy can spit in their faces and they won't blow him away with an M16. Yes, there are exceptions - but they ARE the exceptions.

B. The gods of myth hated EVERYONE. Ares was no different from at least half a dozen others. And, like today's bible and Christianity - myth and scripture alike can be twisted to 'prove' any point you like. Without it's warriors, society can't exist. Just as the Israelis.

C. Good lord - I am Canadian and even I have a better grasp of your Constitution and the intent of your Founding Fathers. They were huge fans of a standing military - America wouldn't have existed or flourished without one - but they WERE picky about how it was used with regard to their own citizens. See point A - in other countries, stupid people often get slaughtered when they get involved in politics they aren't smart enough to get involved in! In America, gays, greasy hippies, and liberal turd brains treat our warriors with contempt - and get away with it. That is the price we pay for ensuring that rational people get to speak too, I suppose.

D. Libertarians are mostly idiotic lefties that just happen to like guns. A Libertarian nation, by it's very nature, can't exist. They couldn't form a cohesive society to support a standing military - and would fall to any nation that could.

There's a pile of even more crap in that contemptable screed but I shan't bother with it. The peaceniks were full of shit in the 60's, Bob - and time hasn't done them any favours. You and Fred Reed should have grown out of this hog wash back in the 70's when Jimmeh Carduh was making an ass of himself with Iran.

Interesting times are ahead for all of us, I suppose!

Anonymous said...

Bob, excellent analysis. Unfortunately Glen remains blinded the the bloody remnants of the Red, White and Blue of the mass-murdering, globe-straddling State.

James said...

Glen, reserves /=/ army. Why is it that every few months you hear about death squads in Iraq or Afghanistan, where squad members are hazed into murdering innocent locals. Or that the army has a significant amount of former and current gang members.

Or how about that trigger discipline to not go slaughter innocent villages on foot, or the trigger discipline to not predator drone a civilian wedding. It doesn't matter if you have 8 people with trigger discipline when the 2 behind them end up murdering many.

Plus, many people join the volunteer army for college scholarships, benefits, grants and loans. I suspect that a high number of the American army aren't actually the warriors in the sense that UncleBob is talking about.

And lastly UncleBob never said a society could form without a standing military. In fact I do believe through his writing he has made clear that despite Ares and Athene being far apart, a society must always have both. His post is not that warriors should not exist, it is what role. Yes warriors should not be treated with contempt but warriors also should not be allowed to let loose. A society of unchecked warriors is a doomed society much like a society of only scholars.

Anders said...

Bob, you should check out Julius Evola's Metaphysics of War; and Men Among the Ruins if you have not already. His material fits right in line with this post.

Quartermain said...

@Glenn- Get over yourself and quit being a dick head.

If you don't like the opinions that Bob posts, go somewhere else and leave us in peace.

Unknown said...

Glen's okay. I don't mind him expressing his opinions here, or anyone else for that matter.

As for Evola, I have read very little, but have heard much about him. I'll investigate further. I do know he spent the last 20 years or so of his life in a wheelchair. I have forgotten why.

Glen Filthie said...

I am not the one wrapping myself up in phoney morality and ethics Quartermain. Good grief, listening to elderly hippies like Bob and Fred Reed - you would think that the Russians, the Chinese, and the Viet Cong were nice guys and that America invented greed, collateral damage and propaganda. Any idea, boys and girls, how many people died when the flower children of the US pulled the troops out of Viet Nam?

2 Million.

That is a conservative estimate. That's right - Bob and Fred Reed cheered when the troops were brought home but never said A SINGLE WORD about the blood of 2 million Vietnamese that paid with their lives when America chickened out of a war it helped to start! Oh yeah - you boys are just the picture of integrity and honesty, aintchya? HAR HAR HAR! The same will happen when we chicken out of Iraq and Afghanistan too - but it won't matter to you at all, will it Quartermain? You are sticking your head in the sand! And being self righteous when you do it! Sorry boys. Pull my other finger...after you've both gotten your strap from the principal, go to the black board and write this 100 times:

"It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag."

Charles Michael Province, U.S. Army

Copyright Charles M. Province, 1970, 2005.
All rights reserved.

Glen Filthie said...

Sorry Bob, you and Fred are bang on about a lot of stuff - but here, you both have missed the boat by a mile.

A year ago I ran into a Canadian vet at the rod and gun club. He was back from Afghanistan. He was almost in tears over the shit he saw on our news. You should have heard his tone..."FFS - we were winning! We were building schools. We built hospitals. We build court houses and had to teach these guys about rule of law because the second we gave them weapons and police officers - they went after their rivals...but we were making progress..."

It was heart breaking. We have a lot of vets at the club and the story is always the same. The squaddies are being betrayed by us guys here at home because we are fed a diet of shit from the media, written by leftist scum in posh hotels while the troops do the heavy lifting outside the perimeter. Our anonymous friend yaps about "globe spanning empires". America is the ONLY country that can offer the kind of hope for a better life for them.

Do these idiots think people LIKE living in a religious tyranny and a moslem police state?

Bah. It's a hot button I suppose and we will not agree.

Quartermain said...

I am an Army veteran who was stationed in the DMZ in the 38th parallel in Korea, and I stand with Bob Wallace and Fred Reed,

Fred Reed is an actual Viet Nam vet who knows what he is talking about unlike you.

I find your slander and attacks on Bob Wallace and Fred Reed to be sickening and deeply offensive
to me.

I do not have the patience to wade through your piled high and deep bullshit.

You are just an arm chair warrior.

You chose your handle well.

Quarternain said...

That last post was for Glenn.

Anders said...

Glen, when jewish Marxist social engineers mention the term "useful idiots," they were talkin' about you and your spineless chicken hawk ilk.

some dude said...

"A year ago I ran into a Canadian vet at the rod and gun club. He was back from Afghanistan. He was almost in tears over the shit he saw on our news. You should have heard his tone..."FFS - we were winning! We were building schools. We built hospitals. We build court houses and had to teach these guys about rule of law because the second we gave them weapons and police officers - they went after their rivals...but we were making progress..."

It was heart breaking. We have a lot of vets at the club and the story is always the same. The squaddies are being betrayed by us guys here at home because we are fed a diet of shit from the media, written by leftist scum in posh hotels while the troops do the heavy lifting outside the perimeter. Our anonymous friend yaps about "globe spanning empires". America is the ONLY country that can offer the kind of hope for a better life for them.

Do these idiots think people LIKE living in a religious tyranny and a moslem police state?"

The progress of Afghanistan is immaterial. Instituting reform and progress for others merely robs them of the necessity of doing for themselves.

As to the rightness of American and Canadian action versus the actions of the Taliban or the NVA, it matters not what others do. Only what we do.

To round this all up, it doesn't matter that we built schools or any other shit in Afghanistan. The majority of people obviously don't want a war fought in their name. It's worth respecting that little fact.

some dude said...

"A year ago I ran into a Canadian vet at the rod and gun club. He was back from Afghanistan. He was almost in tears over the shit he saw on our news. You should have heard his tone..."FFS - we were winning! We were building schools. We built hospitals. We build court houses and had to teach these guys about rule of law because the second we gave them weapons and police officers - they went after their rivals...but we were making progress..."

It was heart breaking. We have a lot of vets at the club and the story is always the same. The squaddies are being betrayed by us guys here at home because we are fed a diet of shit from the media, written by leftist scum in posh hotels while the troops do the heavy lifting outside the perimeter. Our anonymous friend yaps about "globe spanning empires". America is the ONLY country that can offer the kind of hope for a better life for them.

Do these idiots think people LIKE living in a religious tyranny and a moslem police state?"

The progress of Afghanistan is immaterial. Instituting reform and progress for others merely robs them of the necessity of doing for themselves.

As to the rightness of American and Canadian action versus the actions of the Taliban or the NVA, it matters not what others do. Only what we do.

To round this all up, it doesn't matter that we built schools or any other shit in Afghanistan. The majority of people obviously don't want a war fought in their name. It's worth respecting that little fact.

Glen Filthie said...

I am not a soldier Quartermain. That does not mean I am craven and that I will run from a fight. Yes, you WILL stand with Fred Reed, and Bill Clinton and Cindy Sheehan.

Kinda disappointed to see Uncle Bob throwing in his lot with those turdies though.

Quartermain said...

@Glen

The words of a chicken hawk means nothing to me.

The Anti-Gnostic said...

We were building schools. We built hospitals. We build court houses and had to teach these guys about rule of law because the second we gave them weapons and police officers - they went after their rivals...but we were making progress..."

LOL. Canadians are ridiculous. They probably think all the vibrant new Canadians actually pay taxes.