2001-2-18 20:06:00
There seems to be a major misunderstanding as to what the Beast is here that I would like to comment on.
It seems that we are taking actions of others that we personally do not like and calling them the work of the Beast. In other words, many are seeing the Beast as a misuse of power.
Using this criterion the environmentalists would see the Beast as the lumber companies cutting down too many trees and the lumberjacks conversely would see the Beast as the environmentalists using their power to stop them from cutting trees to put them out of work.
The consumer sees the big oil companies as the Beast for protecting their territory and the big oil companies see the government as the Beast for preventing them from drilling on public lands.
Which side is the Beast on?
Answer: Neither has anything to do with the Beast. 99.9% of all people, groups and business will act in their self interest and in doing do those who do not have their interests served by the self interest of others will feel a loss and sometimes ill will.
When entities are given the freedom to act in their self interest will they always act for the good of the whole?
Answer: No. Their decisions will almost always be in their own interest and this will sometimes be contrary to the good of the whole, but on the positive side, that which is good for the individual entity is often good for the whole and thus by allowing the freedom to be selfish we also allow the whole to be healthy for a dominating good is at play.
What happens when we see the Beast as being a selfish power we do not like and try to correct this by force?
Example: Communist Russia. There every attempt was made to eliminate selfishness and the people were miserable, because they were looking in the wrong place for the Beast.
Example of people free to be selfish, free to be wrong and free to misuse power: The early United States where was experienced the greatest rise to power and prosperity in the history of the world.
So, if big oil companies are not the Beast for attempting to prevent the little guy from displacing them, and Bill Gates is not the Beast for putting little software companies out of business, then where is the Beast?
Answer: The Beast is much bigger and more pervasive than any corporation or organization and affects every business and every organization and every person on the earth.
If some person, company or government is not the Beast, then what or where is the Beast?
Give an example of the true Beast in action.
Hint: The fact that Bill Gates may act to put the little guy out of business may not be the Beast, but there are actions that Bill could take (and does) in this direction that makes him (and employees) agents of the Beast. Give a possible example.
"There does not exist a more appropriate behavior than a battle for righteousness."
Krishna - The Bhagavad-Gita
Copyright 2001 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved