The Spherical Model. The Civilization Zone is more important than either the Free- Enterprise or political Freedom Zones; it is essential for the others. A civilized people (people who choose to be honest and caring with one another) are essential in order for free enterprise to function. No amount of regulation and manipulation by law enforcement can compensate for people unlawfully and unethically taking advantage of one another or refusing to care for the less fortunate. And if regulation and manipulation are used to control the greed, then it’s not a free market anyway. I see you are confused about what constitutes cultural appropriation. I would like to provide you with resources and information on the subject so that you. Full list of past and current PBS shows. Find show websites, online video, web extras, schedules and more for your favorite PBS shows. One of Utah's biggest school systems apologized Thursday and told angry parents it was investigating why dozens of elementary school children had their.Call for Recipes: Share your favorite recipes with the Cooks.com Community! Click on the 'Add Recipe' link at top of every page. The Declaration of Independence. The Want, Will, and Hopes of the People. Likewise, it takes a civilized people in order for a free society to work. No amount of government control can force out corruption among a people in power who choose to grant favors according to bribes and special interest pressures. The public behavior will mirror the private behavior of the people. But with a truly civilized society (people choosing to be moral), free enterprise and political freedom can and will thrive. I believe we can identify particular characteristics and practices of civilized societies. And if we can identify them, these characteristics and practices can be reproduced. Every time they are reproduced, consistently over time, civilization, with all the thriving and harmony that implies, will be the result. What Does Civilization Look Like? In the northern circle that is the goal—Civilization—families typically remain intact, and children are raised in loving homes, with caring parents who guide their education and training, dedicating somewhere between 1. Civilized people live peaceably among their neighbors, helping rather than taking advantage of one another, abiding by laws enacted to protect property and safety—with honesty and honor. Civilized people live in peace with other civilized people; countries and cultures coexist in appreciation, without fear. There is a thriving free- enterprise economy. Poverty is meaningless; even though there will always be a lowest earning 1. Creativity abounds; enlightening arts and literature exceed expectations. Architecture and infrastructure improve; innovation and invention are the rule. People feel free to choose their work, their home, their family practices, their friendships and associations. And they generally self- restrain before they infringe on the rights and freedoms of others. Where there are questions about those limits, laws are in place to help clarify boundaries of civilized behavior. When someone willingly infringes on the rights or safety of another, the law functions to protect that victim as well as society from further uncivilized behavior from the offender. There’s a big difference between Civilization and a utopia (an unrealistic ideal that is impossible to achieve, but is often promised by those seeking power in the southern/eastern quadrant). Civilization is actually a near ideal we have glimpsed a number of times through history and frequently in micro- societies. You’ll find many of these characteristics in early civilizations during their thriving golden years: early ancient Greek and Roman republics, ancient Salem (city of Enoch, a precursor of Jerusalem), ancient Israel following Moses, many parts of early America, and within individual families in nearly every society. And as with the other spheres, there can be a fair approximation of civilization between the 4. But that section of the sphere has downward pulling gravity. Think of it as standing on a very large ball. Up on top it’s easy to stay up there. But as soon as you edge downward, it gets harder to maintain position. Between the 4. 5th and 9. Metaphorically this is true because philosophically it is true. There are philosophical principles used as bases for making decisions in our behavior toward one another that lead to Civilization. Fail to adhere to those philosophical principles, and life with one another gets less pleasant. Some infractions will be minor, and can be easily corrected; others cause worse damage, and it will take concerted, determined effort to rise back up to Civilization. The Formula for Civilization. There are a couple of basic requirements for Civilization. They may seem self- evident to people living civilized lives. But for those not there yet, they might require some explanation—and time to sink in. So, rather than dismiss the concepts out of hand, I ask that you at least give the ideas consideration. Not all religious societies are civilized (according to my definition), but every civilized society is a religious society. This absolutely does not mean state- sponsored religion or lack of religious freedom; in fact, the opposite is true. Freedom of religion is essential, and the flourishing of religion in general must be encouraged. The family is the basic unit of civilized society. Whatever threatens the family threatens civilization. So preserving and protecting the family is paramount in laws and social expectations in a civilized society. We’ll take these two premises in turn, the first in the remainder of this article, and the second in the article titled “Family Is the Basic Unit of Society.”Why Every Civilized Society Must Be a Religious Society. If rights are God- given to every human being, then there must be a God from whom they come. Without God granting the rights, then “rights” would be totally dependent on whoever or whatever entity currently wields power over human beings. So, freedom from tyranny is only possible if we acknowledge God as the right- giver, and then we set up governmental systems for the specific purpose of protecting those rights—limiting governmental power to protecting rights rather than taking or granting them. Laws of Civilization. When Jesus Christ was asked what was the greatest commandment, he answered, and gave a second as well: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 2. KJV) In other words, every law comes under the categories of honoring God or honoring your neighbor as equal in value to yourself. Some people might reword this second part as the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you—which is universally accepted as basic civilized behavior. The Ten Commandments, from the Judeo- Christian tradition, must therefore also come under these two categories. The first four command that we honor God, who is the source of our human rights, which we are free to exercise in a civilized society. The remaining six identify ways we must honor one another in a civilized society: honor parentsdo not murder (take innocent life)do not have sex outside of marriagedo not stealdo not liedo not covet (want what belongs to your neighbor)Other religions that lead to civilization must require these behaviors of adherents. There aren’t any civilizations (using my definition) that do not share these beliefs. Is it possible for non- religious people to adhere to these basic civilized behaviors as well? Yes, but their reasons will be pragmatic, that people are happier when they treat each other this way, therefore logic suggests following these rules. And since they consider themselves, rather than God, the final arbiter of good (including what is logical and what feels happier), they can be depended on only so long as they consider the behavior beneficial, not out of duty to a higher being. So the society is helped by their adherence, but it is more true that they benefit from the duty- bound religious people bringing about civilization around them than that the civilization comes from these (often rare) civilized- living secularists. It’s fair to say that there must be a critical mass of religious people honoring God’s commandments in order for Civilization to result. Civilization doesn’t require perfect people, which would be impossible. But it does require a strong majority daily going about their lives in purposeful effort to be civilized toward one another. Less civilized people will always exist among them, but the stronger that majority, the less savage effect the non- civilized will have. Ways the Ten Commandments Civilize. We can look at the last six of the Ten Commandments in more detail and find that they all civilize, either by valuing family, valuing human life, valuing property, or valuing truth. Value Family. Why “Honor thy father and thy mother”? Because family is the basic unit of society, the means of perpetuating both life and the principles of civilization, society must honor and protect family relationships. This commandment is an organizing principle. Children, even when they grow to need less of their parents’ care, will still honor and value them for the nurturing they provided, and for the wisdom they continue to provide. And then, when they are old, the children will provide for the elderly who are no longer able to provide for themselves. It’s economically beneficial to the young and the old for fathers and mothers to be honored. In the article “Family Is the Basic Unit of Society” I have much more related to “Thou shalt not commit adultery (have unlawful sexual relations).” In short, sex outside of marriage degrades the family, and particularly harms children, who are the source of perpetuating civilization. We may need a later chapter to talk about how to maintain virtue, because what was probably self- evident to our country’s founders has become lost information in society in our century. Value Innocent Human Life. Then there’s “Thou shalt not kill”—with kill better translated as “murder” or “take innocent human life.” It is a savage culture that does not value human life, specifically innocent human life. Baby killing is savage, yet as abortion becomes a settled fact of society, child abandonment at birth (children left in restrooms and dumpsters) is heard of more and more.
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