One Nation divided

Our nation is more divided than anytime, since the 1860’s.  Today differs from the 1860’s in one big way, there is no mason Dixie line. There are no physical line’s North/South, City/ Country, Rich/Poor, although the last one is what is being used by those that wish to divide us further.  The divide is in our minds and hearts. The division is within each of us.  Which America you live in depends on what you believe the answer to one question is,
Is man capable of ruling himself?

If you see an America that is unfair and the deck is stacked against you and different groups are victims of other groups, then you would tend to believe that man needs government rulers to ensure that no one gets an advantage or his fellow man.   The poor are victim’s because the rich have cheated/stole their fortunes.  Minorities are victim’s because the majority has oppressed them.  The “workers” are victim’s because the bosses are oppressing them.  If you see yourself as a victim then you need someone to stand up for you because you are not able to stand.

If you see America as a country that has unlimited possibilities if you work hard and practice prudence,(on a editorial note, unlimited possibilities does not mean that everyone will be filthy rich and own 10 cars, it means that you are free to become the best that you are able to be, to be the best teacher, plumber, electrician, salesman, CEO or Janitor out there) that it us up to you to achieve what you consider success, you would tend to believe that there should be limited government. You would tend to see yourself as an individual. You want to stand for yourself.

This leads to two different philosophies:  First what does “Victim” mean? According to dictionary.com

1. Person who suffers from an injurious action or event

2. Person who is cheated

A victim is a person that has had something external “out of their control” happens to them.  They were powerless against the event.  The second definition is a little trickier—“a person who is cheated”, it seems straight forward but if you feel you deserve something and don’t get it, were you cheated?  That is for a latter topic.
We have many people in our country that feel something out of their control (financial collapse, Inflation, born poor, color of skin) has caused them injury.  Victims feel powerless, unable to control what happens to them.  There are many people in the country feel this way, perhaps most of us.  I did not benefit, like those at Fannie Mae, from the housing bubble.  I did not devalue the US Dollar, thereby causing gas and food prices to go up.  It is a very human place to be, for most of human history we were not able to control what happened to us.  Being a victim has happened to every human that has lived or will ever live.
The evil of victimhood is the road it leads to.  The belief that you cannot control what happens to you leads you become despondent, fearful, angry, depressed and fatalist.  In history, humans have dealt with these feelings in the same way; we turn to someone else.  
We turn to someone that is more powerful to help us, whether it is sacrificing to gods or turning to political leaders, we look for someone to avenge us, to take away our victimhood and this has led to king’s and tyrant’s.  When we don’t think or feel that we can control our lives we look for someone that promises to make things better, to avenge us.  The leaders that rise up will identify who has oppressed us, they will galvanize the victims.  History is full of examples of this, but it almost always has the same “villain”.  The villain is always those that are different; different skin color, different hair color, different religious beliefs, different facial features, and of course the wealthy. This attitude leads to extermination, genocide, holocaust; it leads to us vs. them.  In order for “us” to prosper we must get rid of “them”.  
The problem with this thought process, beside the mass deaths, is that it is based on a false premise, “victim” is a noun, a term used to indentify someone, it is not a verb, it is not an action word, it is not a lifestyle it is a label no different than fat, short, pretty, ugly it is a label not a lifestyle.

Now if you answer yes to the question “can man rule himself?”  Well this is trickier because it has not happened very often throughout history; perhaps the Greek city-states were the first example of self-rule, and democracy.  Where the citizen’s were seen more as individuals and having rights, then there was the Roman Republic, before the Caesar’s.  After the fall of Rome, there was a long period before man tries to rule himself again, the next attempt begin with the Magna Carta which was the first attempt to wrestle power away from a king and institute self rule.
Fast forward 500 years you have the American Revolution and the French Revolution (although the French revolution’s self government did not last long).  The belief that man can rule himself, is proven throughout history to be an oddity as opposed to the norm.  
If you believe that man can govern himself, you tend to think and feel that you control your destiny, that if you succeed or fail it is based on your merit.  The believer in self government is willing to take more chances and is not bogged down by the idea that someone or something will keep me from succeed.  You feel that they can shape your own future, because you were born poor does not mean you will always be poor, that a label does not define who you are.  This belief, too can lead to dark places, if you believe you can rule yourself there is a tendency to become selfish and only self concerned.  If we are only concerned about ourselves then others can be viewed as not your problem.  It truly becomes Darwin’s survival of the fittest.
So we have a nation that is really two nations, one believes they are victims and are oppressed to such an extent that they cannot improve their lot in life, and those that believe that they believe that they control what happens to them and if they are left alone they can do whatever they are capable.
Is it any wonder that we cannot have a civil debate?  Each group see’s the other as the cause to their problems.
Can a free society exist when the population is so divided?  History tells us no, remember that the Roman Republic, ended with a Emperor and the French revolution ended with Napoleon.