Parallel Society

Humanity is afflicted with a desire for a magic fix to its problems. And that desire, if it’s allowed to fester, soon enough becomes a demand for a magic fix for their problems… and particularly to problems they fixate upon. That much was obvious in the rise of Hitler, in the sale of socialism to the oppressed people of Eastern Europe, and in other disasters. But it goes even further, afflicting nearly the whole of mankind on a continuing basis.

Book One, Segment 1

Back when Western civilization still had a foothold in the public square, people paid attention to the freedom of belief, the freedom to choose a career, and the freedom to speak one’s mind. All good and necessary things, of course, but there was one freedom that they dared not mention… dared not consider. And that’s the one I’ll cover today: Political freedom... the ability to choose how we will be governed, if we wish to be governed at all. 

Passion, in our time, is badly misunderstood. And so I suppose I should start by saying that I’m not talking about the human sex drive, though that, though the truth is that as you choke passion proper, sexual passion tends to be choked along with it.

Let’s begin with this: We express passion – real passion – when we make things sacred to ourselves; when we erect borders to protect things we care deeply about... when we say “This is mine, and no one else is permitted to come in, unless I invite them in.”

It would be hard to overstate how important I think this is, and not just for Christians… I think it’s applicable and essential for every human.

This concept is deeply radical – if it doesn’t jar you, you probably haven’t grasped it – and at the same time it’s deeply transformational. I know that once I wrapped my mind around it, one important understanding after another followed behind it.

And so I very much want you to grasp this. This philosophy that Jesus left us – not a theology, but a philosophy – stands ready to revolutionize human life. People just need to see it… to allow themselves to retain it… and then to face the terrifying prospect of taking it seriously.

"Shame," wrote psychologist Silvan Tomkins, "strikes deepest into the heart of man... it is felt as a sickness of the soul which leaves man naked, defeated, alienated, and lacking in dignity." 

Shame is the great barrier that keeps people from acting as individuals and from expanding beyond a minimum-energy state. The expectation of shame is paralyzing to the vast majority of humans at some points of their life, and to some more frequently than others. Many people have spent their lives seeking shame-avoidance positions.

All of this is a horrific waste, and in this podcast, we take it on. 

The idea that running away is a virtue bothers a lot of people, but when you that find the greatest men and women of history have done precisely this, it’s time to re-evaluate, no matter how it makes you feel.

Compliance is how we shrivel and ultimately die to ourselves. Acting on your own decisions – with all the risk that implies – is the path of life and liberation.

Due to the number of questions I've received about Jesus, I thought it was fitting to produce a podcast on these subjects.

People addressing this material, from whatever angle, tend to have fiercely held opinions and to cherry pick facts to support their opinion. I won't do that, and I think that opens a fascinating subject to us.

Serfdom was... and is... a state of mind far more than an economic or social position. 

The Serfdom State of Mind focuses on the desire for safety and security... of remaining clear of blame... to the detriment of self-reliance and living as a free and independent moral agent.

Everyone enjoys safety, of course, but to place placidity above life itself is a grave error, and lies at the root of serfdom.

Lèse-Majesté, an offense against the dignity of a ruler, is a little used but very important concept. And it is the central crime that cannot be tolerated by the ruler.

Lèse-Majesté stands against the concept of free speech, of course, but when push comes to shove, necessities stand above the law, and lèse-Majesté is a necessity to rulers.

As we examine in this podcast, lèse-Majesté is crucial for the  legitimacy of the ruler (without legitimacy the whole structure of rulership would fail), and is crucial to what I call "applied idolatry" in our world.