Replace Paramilitary Vigilante With Compelled by Love

Let's start with: Snowy, I love you. We need more people like you.

Anyways! I wrote a program for Let's Regroup on social reform. Actually puts American history into prospective. But it doesn't really go too well with this theme Whyte Horse seems to have come up with, so I think focusing on Snowy's idea is a great one. It's actually in line with a book I've been reading- called Compelled by Love (it's by Heidi Baker). It's a beautiful testimony of a woman's walk with God in Mozambique. Whyte Horse wants to get rid of people, Snowy on the other hand speaks directly to the heart of my beliefs: That a lot of transformation can come from giving to others.

We have so many talents right here in this small order (okay so comparatively to the other Jedi Orders this is the largest order the community actually has, the Facebook groups don't really count- but I mean in terms of religious organizations in general, we're kinda small), and we have a thirst to do something to help others. Some of us thrust ourselves into the walk through means that put us on the line every single day (public servants) some are volunteers because they don't have the means of volunteering all the time (job constraints), while others reach out and help when they see it is needed. It's our love that brings us to the Jedi Path, not the craving for adventure- because we can get that in other forms.

Now I expressed to another order recently that the situation doesn't need to have one order become a champion of a cause. I don't believe that is the best direction, we're here to inspire people to go out and work in their journey, not our collective journey. But there is something we can do. We need people to get to know one another better, so that when questions arise "how can I better expand in this field" or "how do I get into this type of work" or "how can I find funds for this cause" we know who in the order is best able to answer those questions.

It's not about boasting, but it is about sharing experiences and life together in order to improve the capabilities of one another. To help others expand their love (their passion) for those they feel are in need of help. We can protect others from the evil men that Whyte Horse talked about by lobbying against them. Another method is to just strengthen their resolve to overcome the obstacles and help them do it. Drug addicts? Pelzer has that problem, they want the police to resolve it, as a result I've done A LOT of research into the subject and have found that the answer lies in helping those people overcome their addiction, not in providing further legislation and placing them in jail (for a myriad of reasons). Theft? Well what is the root cause of the thieves? That's the question we need to be asking before we jump to a conclusion that the problem revolves around justice. Sometimes it does. But we can alleviate the case load of our law enforcement officers by reducing these issues and hopefully through mutual pursuance, reduce the problem significantly.

But as a recent drug addict told me: Your heart has to be in the right place, or your works will never become fruit.

This is the first lesson in the Social Reform class I spoke of earlier. It is said that if we do not learn from the past we will fail miserably in the future. I'm posting this one because it gives you an idea of how to start looking into your options for any cause you want to carry forward.

Revolutionary War
Often times we look at American History as though it is something to simply glaze over and be proud of. We can be proud that a bunch of colonists decided they had had enough of the crown and wanted to break free. Silently they cultivated their frustrations into something that could really make a game changer, and on one faithful night, Paul Revere rode to alert the minutemen of Lexington that the British were coming. As history kept going on, people around the country created changes because they had visions of a what a bright future would look like. Some took to transforming the United States by exploring, some by demanding their rights, and some transformed the country through innovation. At the core of all of this, is fortitude. The ability to not let up on their visions until they have drawn their last breath, or they have seen the change they sought.In this class I hope to challenge your views on how American history can better help you build the world you want to live in. To do that we need a better idea of how America freed itself from Britain. The short version is that America made a decision to start their own government, and then rose to the occasion. When we consider this, we look at countries that are run by dictators and/or terrorists and wonder “why can’t they just do what we did in 1775?”. The solution isn’t as simple as you might think, and even America faced a great deal of obstacles convincing the people that the fight was worth battling.
There was no real organization
Imagine having to figure out how you are going to train troops across 13 colonies. In a world where communication was done by a mail or through the use of the news, it would be difficult to find a person that could command respect from their subordinates. George Washington was selected for his previous training as a military leader in the French and Indian War (despite having been defeated fairly easily by the French).General Washington found himself combating a lack of self-discipline and fortitude in his troops. On the high sea, the Continental Congress had to rely on merchants to flock to their cause and join the fight until they could stand up their own version of a Naval Fleet to provide a barrier while ground troops prepared a good defense.
Convincing the Masses
While the military made an attempt to stand up, politicians that were ready to form the new government had to build trust and confidence within the people that would become their “subjects” so-to-speak. This would take winning over the hearts and minds. They had to make gestures of good faith towards the people, while mitigating the risks of losing all they had worked for. This meant taking actions that were compassionate, but firm; realistic, yet advantageous and ultimately all answers had to be creative.Recognizing the risks that loyalists posed, the Continental Congress had to find a way to eliminate the threat. By passing the Tory Act, which criminalized being a loyalist. What made the Tory Act unique, was that the Continental Congress itself insisted that loyalists should not be treated poorly. Although there were areas spread across the colonies which made decisions to label the vast majority of loyalists as dangerous, the Tory Act is an excellent example of how the Continental Congress won favor by slowly giving more power to the individual colonies while maintaining that there should be a degree of cooperation with an umbrella government.In the military side of things, service members had an advantage over the British because they were fighting on their own soil, which made the war more “real” for them.
Where’s the Calvary?!
When the conflict started taking form, America had to find it’s own will to carry on. Eventually they won over the alliance of France, but only after they proved they were committed to overcoming their enemy the British. Later on Spain would enter the war after witnessing the British surrender at the Battle of Saratoga.
Funding
Washington’s largest obstacle was probably finding a way to fund the war. Everything from supplies to the service that soldiers would give their country. The Continental Congress decided to make a bold move- create their own paper currency that could be exchanged for goods by their service members. By giving the soldier something to work for, and something they could send home at the end of the day, the early Continental Army started a concept that carries on into our modern day military- “Take care of the service member, and they will take care of you”.

*blush* Thanks, I love you too, hehe

I have been thinking that (if there isn't already, I don't want to be arrogant or assume) that perhaps the best way to get people talking about their skills and talents is to maybe start something. But I'm actually wondering about a few problems:

1. It stinks that we're all so far apart. We'd have to brainstorm service ideas that can be done by people that aren't in the same place at the same time or focus on one region at a time.

2. On the other hand, it's awesome that we're all spread out because we'll be able to effect a wider range of people. A local church here recently walked about giving hot chocolate to the crowd at a parade, no strings attached, just spreading kindness. I wonder how that would go off in Russia, the UK, etc, at the same sort of parade or something, haha.

3. We, as yet, have no collective hub in which to discuss ideas like this and actually find out who can do what. Maybe TotJO needs a group based on this service idea. (Omg, call it something vigilante related, in honor of what got the whole idea rolling ) As I understand it, a Knight has to start the group and I won't be one for at least 8 months because of the timeline. I'd happily volunteer to give whatever hours I can to the group as well, if it happens. This is the kind of thing I always, always have wanted to spend my life doing, but I never knew exactly what it was that I wanted to do, and it was very intimidating to consider doing it alone.

Either way, I really want to do /something/. I just don't know where to start or what is already out there.

I think I need at adult xD

Correction: Whyte Horse does not want to get rid of people. I want to get rid of the elites who bought the gov't, and no I don't want to kill or hurt anyone.

Define "get rid of" please.

Rickie wrote: Define "get rid of" please.

Turn on the lights, the cockroaches run. Put the spotlight on the people behind the scenes, go passed the left-right paradigm and expose versions of history that are documented but not known, especially relating to the military industrial complex.

Elites are people too :dry: maybe

except Wintermute

Lightstrider wrote:

Rickie wrote: Define "get rid of" please.

Turn on the lights, the cockroaches run. Put the spotlight on the people behind the scenes, go passed the left-right paradigm and expose versions of history that are documented but not known, especially relating to the military industrial complex.

Good thought but I don't think that is possible as long as humans are greedy. It's human nature and the human condition. People with power want to keep their power. Life isn't fair. Sorry.

Rickie wrote: Good thought but I don't think that is possible as long as humans are greedy. It's human nature and the human condition. People with power want to keep their power. Life isn't fair. Sorry.

It was a good metaphor and potential methods I thought Whyte Horse might mean by saying get rid of them as opposed to the face value meaning of killing them. There will always be elites, first they were the ones who cracked the first nut, who first captured fire. I don't think the so called elites are evil, and those who truly do must understand the opposite could be true too that they see them as evil, lazy, wastes of life who just live to eat and reproduce wanting the same things. I don't feel as though any elite person has directly impeded my life and either way I still have my right to make my own mistakes and can adapt, improvise and overcome.

To go beyond the black and white of this issue is to be compelled by love, because to love on one level is to first to try to understand, accept and relate to one another. To stay in the black and white is to fight fire with fire, instead of fighting fire with water. Like many have said the real issue is not knowing your neighbor, not taking an active role in your community by whatever method available. We won't need anymore police or groups with guns out patroling the streets, we need people to stop thinking only for themselves and not worrying about just what car the neighbors bought, who's family is better, all the nonsense everyone is caught up in.

Most of the elite are great innovators, and those who may misbehave just give another lesson to learn from. While many of us individually may not reach the level of the Masters of the Universe who've held wealth and influence for centuries perhaps even back to cracking the first nut, but having the fortitude as mentioned can allow one to achieve great accomplishments and anyone of us could become elite and hated by those who themselves do even bother to apply their own aptitude.

Adder wrote: Elites are people too :dry: maybe

except Wintermute

My uncle definitely qualifies as an "elite" (CEO of a large, LARGE company for MANY years) and he is one of the nicest, most genuine and helpful people I've ever heard of.

They're not all monsters... we just get so used to the "us vs. them" paradigm we've all been programmed to accept as reality. Having money and status is not the opposite of being a good person.