There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt. – Niccolò Machiavelli
Initially, I was going to use an example of contempt, but the examples I found were all too offensive. Instead, let's think about how we can work together in harmony.
What does that mean?
Without going deep into the history of the Italian Renaissance City State era, the quote was a useful tool for the Princes of the era. It helped them spot the weaker, more easily influenced cities and differentiate them from the stronger and more robust cities. In this era, science had not yet supplanted religion as the primary rule of order.
Religion provided the basis of law and morals in that era, so places where religion was held in contempt were places where law and morals were likely to also be held in contempt. This indicated places where the social order was weak and could be more easily influenced through threats, bribery or blackmail. To the Princes of the day, that was like blood in the water is for sharks.
Why is order important?
Here I use the term order to mean a single prevailing set of social and moral values within a population. In the context of the quote, each city-state was it’s own small kingdom (thus the rulers often claiming the honorific of ‘Prince’). Without some level of order, they were easily influenced or toppled by other, stronger and more cohesive city-states.
Today, most nations are much larger than the Italian city-states. However, as we see in Egypt (as well as Iraq, Indonesia, India and many other places), when a strong national sense of law and order is lacking, there is frequently violence in the streets. What I have seen in these places is violence between rival populations, often split along religious lines. Lack of order is costing people their lives.
Where can I apply this in my life?
While we as individuals have little power on the world stage (unless we are willing to dedicate, and even sacrifice, our lives to a cause), we still have our influence in our own circles, in our own back yard. Call out bad behavior and violations of societal norms when you see them.
As an example, at the Occupy Wall Street protests a few months ago, someone actually pooped on a police car. It appears to me that this person was showing contempt for the police, and by extension law and order (and I may well be reading too much into this). In the United States, there is a certain pride in the country for being a nation of laws, where all are treated impartially and fairly. This act seems to show contempt for that as well.
While there was some outrage at this incident, can you imagine how it would have been handled by the media of the 60’s? Now imagine how the media of the 50’s would have handled the story? While some of the changes in society over the past 60 years have been for the better, some (like the incident above) are not. How do you feel about it? Have you considered the implications of allowing such actions to go unpunished?
Then there is the contempt many people have for science and scientists on both sides of the Global Warming, cloning, cold fusion, and faster-than-light particles debates. This is particularly disturbing as the realm of science largely supplanted religion as the foundation of order.
Add to that the contempt with which religion in general, and Christianity and Buddhism in specific, is treated the world over, and the quote seems to shine more brightly than before. While there is always decay in society (the anarchists have entropy on their side, after all), it appears that many countries are showing significant signs of decay, at least in certain populations within them.
OK, enough gloom and doom. Life is for living, so what can we do to help in our own way? I’m not going to promote evangelizing, as I feel that is disrespectful of the rights of others to hold their own beliefs. But I do believe that a population can hold common values and still remain diverse and hold on to their traditions.
To this end, I would recommend tending to the future by setting a personal example of being orderly and standing up for order and helping the children you have influence over understand the importance of cohesion within a population. Encourage people to explore their differences, but remind them to embrace our commonality.
In short, I guess I’m pro-inclusion and anti-exclusion. I’m for embracing the festivals of different cultures, different religions (you can observe without being converted, right?), etc. I’m against condemning groups of people who are respectful of the rights of others and just want to live their lives without interference. Embrace both freedom and responsibility. Where do you stand?
From: Twitter, @PhilosophyQuotz
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/niccolomac386466.html
Photo by Omar A.
