Post a response:
|
First of all, thank you for responding. I had been tempted to write at the bottom of that post "Let the silence begin!" But you came through. It's always good to have some kind of feedback after assembling thoughts and concerns. That's something that we shouldn't take for granted, i.e. that people will stick around when there is never, or rarely, a response. Um, Biden. I'm not going to delve into American politics in this post (much) but I will say that my politics have shifted significantly as a result of some very disturbing developments in the country and the world and some hard realizations that they have imposed on me. I've changed my mind of what's possible or even desirable and the people with the most guns in this country scare me quite a bit. I've largely quit libertarianism as it is popularly understood with some finality because I began to realize that almost none of the people calling themselves libertarian were libertarians. So now I'm, once again, a liberal in the original, best sense. In short, there is a much greater danger afoot than Biden or even Harris today and he is about to enter office, again. The Democrats are miserable. The Republicans are actual fascists. As bad as things are, they can get much, much worse. So, to "other choices," when I said that, I meant that there had to be other choices to which to aspire, not ones readily at hand. So, for me, not only is the classical age or 1955 unavailable, I don't much find them terribly desirable, either. As a matter of history, ancient Greece is intriguing but I can't see how it is a system that maximizes human flourishing, in general. For one thing, I find the level of authoritarianism, and the degree of compulsion, as I understand it, completely unacceptable. But, as you acknowledge, it's a moot point because it's not coming back. So, while there is a wealth of important knowledge that should be better known and appreciated about ancient Greece and Rome, thanks to the efforts of Edmund and yourself, I don't have an ardor for the glories of antiquity or for that model of pederastic relationships, in particular. There's just too much compulsion, all the way around. If I were to indulge in imagining how a possible future age might better accommodate people like us as well as boys, I think I'm going to have to start with a pretty clean slate. I'm not seeing anything from ancient or recent tribal cultures that I think could be viable in such a remote future that would safeguard the liberties of the individual or the well-being of the community. Still, always great to hear your thoughts! |