Legitimate Authority

He should seek to observe regulations issued by legitimate authority for the sake of the common good.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2429

How is one to identify a legitimate authority in order to observe their regulations?

There are natural authorities such as parents and grandparents but also pseudo-natural authorities such as community elders and clan chiefs. All other authorities are based on consent or force, although most often force. Natural authorities are those we are born with and which we cannot repudiate or innovate as they directly express our nature as men.

Pseudo-natural authorities closely relate to our nature but not directly. Generally based on kinship, age, religion, respect and from long held local traditions they are the most immediate authority outside of our direct lineage.

Authorities based on consent are contractual relationships where the ruling party receives it's authority from the conditions of the agreement. Employers and those with power of attorney fall under this category.

So far identifying legitimate authority has been without issue, however authorities based on force pose a significant problem. Conquest, political intrigue and democracy (the "tyranny of the majority") are the most common forms of force and each one begs the question, does "might make right"? That is to say, why does anyone have an obligation to follow the directives of a non-natural authority thrust on them by force?

For the sake of argument lets imagine China invades the United States and manages to conquer the country sufficiently to rule confidently. Are Americans then morally obligated to follow the Chinese authorities or can they still be considered usurpers and therefore illegitimate? At some point all Governments have been usurpers be it by conquest or the majority forcing a system on the minority.

In the case of democracy what gives the majority the right to lord over the minority? Why does numeracy also grant legitimate authority? The intention is to free the people from tyranny but in attempting to do so it creates a new tyranny, that of the majority. There is simply nothing inherent in numbers that gives any group authority over another group which happens to be smaller. This is especially true when considering the natural rights of the individual which democracy cannot hold as an absolute since democracy is always contingent on the whim of the majority.

In regards to socialism the use of force is immediate and perpetual with private ownership being limited, abolished or state control being extended over private property. This violates the natural rights of the individual to enjoy and hold sway over the fruits of his labour.

Democracy and Socialism are both illegitimate forms of Government because they both represent a form of perpetual tyranny that does not protect man's natural rights. As for the other forms of Government which are established by force, the best answer to why legitimate authority is granted to them is that over time they become the tradition. As traditions they stand as firmly as traditions do which is not always very sturdily.

The Case For Forgiveness

This post was motivated by all the hate being expressed towards the Virginia Tech shooter Cho Seung-hui all over the net.

Our Unfortunate Delusion

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Martin Luther King Jr

Christ came as our Saviour which implies we are in need of saving. It doesn't takes a lot of research to come to this conclusion regardless of one's religious convictions, simply read a newspaper. However in contrast to our general picture of humanity we like to think of ourselves as "good people," who don't do evil things. We rationalise away our transgressions, because they're "small" and "hey it doesn't hurt anyone" right? We're constantly making comparisons in our minds of our actions against those of others. "I'm not a murderer, I'm not a rapist, I wasn't a director of Enron!" And this is very comforting to us. So when horrific acts are committed we feel justified in believing that the perpetrator is obviously pure evil and deserving of our hatred.

Nowhere are these sentiments more starkly illustrated than in the response to the horrific murders at Virginia Tech. Calls for Cho's eternal damnation abound along with many other equally uncreative curses, and anyone suggesting forgiveness is balked at or likewise cursed. In fact it is such a controversy that anyone might actually have the imperative or capacity to forgive him that it has gotten quite a lot of media attention.

What an arrogant and self deluded lot we are for believing that we are righteous deliverers of justice. The reality of the situation is that the true comparator to judge our actions by isn't Cho but perfection. Perfection always recognises the inalienable human dignity in every person no matter what they've done. Perfection wishes good for everyone, always tells the truth, is never impatient, never selfish, never spreads gossip or says anything deliberately hurtful, never treats people as objects for sexual gratification and the list goes on. Now truly and honestly examining yourself against moral perfection do you still feel so righteous? Because you're not.

Those who still hold to the delusion that they are righteous will balk at this saying "there is a big difference between what I've done and Cho murdering 32 people." Yes the difference is that what you did was with full consent and what Cho did was an expression of a psychosis. No one in their right mind would be able to watch what he recorded on video and read what he wrote and consider that he was in his right mind. And who hates a mad man for doing anything when his insanity is in control? That is analogous to hating a man with REM Behaviour Disorder who one night dreams that he is protecting himself from an attacker with deadly force and ends up killing his wife in reality. Cho thought he was protecting himself and others like him from aggressors, but this was from his psychosis. He thought he was doing the right thing when really he was acting out a proverbial dream.

The Case For Forgiveness

"Resentment is like drinking poison and hoping it will kill your enemies." Nelson Mandela

The case for forgiveness is not simply one of faith, it's rooted in natural law and can be argued for based solely on secular reasoning. This case for forgiveness is therefore universal and not restricted to the "religious" as some like to think.

To put it succinctly no one harbours any amount of hate, anger or resentment unless they are hurting in some way. This includes people not directly involved, such as the countless people expressing these emotions towards Cho. If they are hurting they need to heal otherwise it will fester and poison them and those around them. Forgiveness is the beginning of the healing process. When you forgive you wish no evil for the person but only good, you don't curse them you bless them, and for the prayerful then praying for them is the perfect manifestation of forgiveness.

This does not mean that you have to feel positive toward them, as forgiveness is not about emotions it's about an act of the will. This is an important distinction to make as many do not understand that forgiveness is not an emotion but a decision. When true forgiveness has occurred eventually the emotions will catch up, even if it takes time and other aids such as therapy. Forgiveness also does not entail forgetting the evil committed, quite the opposite, forgiveness demands that there be resolve to not allow the evil to occur again.

The Good News

"Come to me, all you who are burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

How do you forgive the unforgivable? As I said earlier, Christ came as our Saviour and He calls us to radical forgiveness, for our own good, and He supplies the means. If you surrender your pain and suffering to Him, and surrender your will to His you will find peace. God wants to give you incredible gifts in order to do His will! First faith so you can believe, then hope so you can live, then charity so you can be fulfilled.

If you're reading this and you're skeptical then ask yourself isn't it worth giving it a shot? What do you have to lose? You simply must have the will to try and with Christ you have the means to succeed, so ask Him for the strength.

"When we say we forgive the man who killed Katie, it's not a denial of what happened. It's not a denial of justice. Forgiveness is like love. It is an act of the will. Ultimately, you surrender to Our Lord, and He applies the grace." Mike Clarey

About the Name of this Blog

Having built enough motivation and topics to talk about in order to start my own blog I came across my first hurdle, what to call it. The frustrating reality is that the name is somewhat inferior to the content but so important on a human level.

Firstly it gives a clue as to the purpose of the blog. Is it about technology, spirituality, philosophy or simply autobiographical?

Secondly it must be somewhat memorable therefore random combinations of alphanumeric characters probably wouldn't be a good idea.

Thirdly all your first, second, third and probably fourth choices are already taken.

Luckily I was reminded of one of my favourite and rarely known saints, Takashi Nagai (not yet officially recognised by the Church). My mind's eye has the image burnt in of Nagai finding his wife's ashes laying beside her melted rosary. She had been close to ground zero of the atomic bomb that exploded over the city of Nagasaki in 1945 and died praying.

Then, Nagai having contracted terminal leukemia from years of selfless devotion to healing in those pioneer days of radiology created for himself a hut on the site where his former home stood. He called this hut "Nyokodo" or in english "As Yourself Hermitage" referring to the scriptures "love your neighbour as yourself." (Matthew 22:39)

He dedicated his final years, those spent in increasing agony, to research into the effects of radiation, to prayer and faith in Christ, and the teaching of radical forgiveness even to those who caused his wife's death and those of thousands in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. His final words were "Pray! Please pray!" As a testament to his sanctity and popular devotion 20,000 people came to his funeral.

So hopefully by now you've got the general gist of the purpose of this blog. Nyokodo was a hermitage of divine love, that sacrificial love that poured from the heart of Jesus on the cross. The love that consumes all sins and sinners in it's fire. And it stands as a testament that even in the darkest depths of the evils that man afflicts on his fellow man this love cannot be destroyed. A small humble hut standing in the centre of a nuclear holocaust.

I hope you get a pinprick of that impression from this blog.