Christian Tullos

Throughout the course of history, mankind has possessed a unique need. Faced with turmoil, instability, and injustice, man has searched persistently for the cure. A tool men have turned to through the ages has been government. Men seek to find structure, order, and stability in its confines. Government has been interwoven into the fabric of society. Government is a constant in the world of man. The only inconsistency remains the constant inconsistency of the form the government takes.

Many sages, philosophers, and thinkers have proposed forms of government hoping to find the proper balance of power, freedom, and security. The balance has been elusive and many great ideas for government have not withstood the strain of society. The governments of past and present have proved corrupt, failures, and warped. Yet many men have perpetually struggled, and still do, making vigorous effort to provide a solution to the problems government and societies have. Henry Thoreau proved to be one of these men.

A Transcendentalist, Thoreau espoused many radical ideas for his time. Outspoken, logical, and insightful into the nature of man, he attempted to rectify what government is, into what it should eventually become. His ideas for and about government are captured in his work, “Civil Disobedience.”

Immediately opening his work he erects his core pillars: “I heartily accept the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least’; and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe — ‘That government is best which governs not at all’; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.” Diving headlong into the fray, Thoreau opens with excessively strong words. He believes the best form of government is a detached one; one that doesn’t interfere with man and his relations.

Following up this statement Thoreau states, “Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.” In plain language, he is saying government is a tool, a means to a certain end. Government ought to better society easing the lives of men, but it failed drastically. Government now hinders their lives. Governments, according to Thoreau, have defeated their own purpose.

Next he says, “The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for, in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure.” Government being composed of the people should be controlled by the people, not a select few in authority. Thoreau leads one to believe in order for government to be good it must be controlled by the good people.

Thoreau then lays out his thoughts on the American Government. He addresses his countrymen stating their country is corroding. It started out well but is regressing into the trends of the Old World. He points out the accomplishments of the people saying they didn’t need the government to achieve great things, and, in fact, the government hindered their progress in many ways with their rules, regulations, and delegations.

He then challenges the reader: “But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.” Thoreau isn’t saying immediately abolish government but immediately strive to make it better. In many ways, the hardest part of change is starting the change, so he gives men a starting block. He wishes for people to make their opinions known.

Consistent with his Transcendentalist views, Thoreau believes men should be self-reliant. Men should not tie themselves to a certain group, state, or government as it could limit their potential to become truly great. He believes a good and wise man is one who is independent, who has transcended the restraining structure of society. Man should seek to ascend the impediments and constraints of society and government.

“A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be ‘clay,’ and ‘stop a hole to keep the wind away,’ but leave that office to his dust at least.”  Man should be careful to attach to any form of government as it will seek to use and mold him into what it desires or needs. If he desires freedom, he will seek it outside of the confines of government, Thoreau concludes.

Through his writing he cites the mistakes of the government. He sees error in their morals, their views, and their actions. He disagrees with the war, slavery, and legislation government has engaged in. In some ways Thoreau blames the government for the state of turmoil he believes the nation to be in. He sees government as oppressive to minorities and the general population as well. He sees it as a corrupt system passing corrupt law, evil begetting evil.

If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth — certainly the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.

Here Thoreau condemns government commanding those who will not stand for it to not vainly follow, but to stand against it. He wishes to change man’s disposition: that all men would see the evil he believes it has caused and to strive to amend the wrongs it has done.

Throughout Thoreau’s work, he has some keen insights. The government is not perfect nor has any form of government under any kingdom or civilization been perfect. It has been used for evil, it has been a platform for injustice, and it has been oppressive; yet Thoreau forgets a key point. Government is not intrinsically good or evil. The government is only a tool — a tool that can be used for good or ill. It is a powerful tool and, if put to its proper purpose, can accomplish great things. The reason governments fail is because of the people who lead them. What Thoreau and many other philosophers have failed to realize is mankind is a fallen being. He is sinful, fallen, and prone to temptation. It is because man doesn’t have a tendency toward good that governments become corrupt and do unjust things.

The fact man is fallen also negates his proposed solution. As men are not innately good, they will not create a better society with the absence of government. Power, lust, greed, would consume people. Government is made to restrain the very thing Thoreau is proposing to loose. In a perfect world where man is good, there would not be a need for government, and man could live in peace without restrictions. However, man will not have that privilege on this side of the grave. Thus, governments should primarily be used to protect the God-given rights and liberties with which every man is endowed, the liberties that need protecting from men who chose to abuse their own.

Ultimately, Thoreau’s idea of each man acting autonomously and free from government rests on a faulty and dangerous premise. His recipe, rather than promoting prosperity and peace, would lead to anarchy and chaos. As Thoreau states, there may be a time for civil disobedience, but not for the reasons Thoreau indicates. When a government oppresses citizens in a way that compromises their God-given freedoms, people have the liberty, and even the duty, to disobey a government out of loyalty to their higher authority.

Christian Tullos

Man is a unique creation.  What separates him from every other creature on earth are his questions: Why am I here?  Where am I going?  What purpose do I have?  Is there a greater power?  Is there truth?  Through history man searched for answers to many deep questions.  Many religions, beliefs, and philosophies have been established in hope to answer man’s questions.  Transcendentalism is one of these philosophies.

The Transcendental movement sprouted in New England around 1836.  The leaders of the movement were Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.  The members and leaders of Transcendentalism met in the Boston home of George Ripley.  Though the members were loosely connected, they considered Emerson their leader.

Ralph Emerson: “What lies behind you, and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you?”  This lies at the heart of their philosophy.  Truth, spirituality, and peace can be found inside of a man; they just need to be unlocked.  Transcendentalism hinges on the belief man is naturally good.

The crux of Transcendentalism is the issue of the origin of truth.  Transcendentalism itself is a philosophy that says man’s knowledge of reality comes from an analysis of his own thought process.  In essence: truth comes from inside man.  Transcendentalism, being influenced by Romanticism, places emphasis on emotion and feeling as the sources of truth.  Transcendentalists attained their name because of their method of enrichment.  Stemming from the belief emotions are the key to unlocking the truth within, members try to transcend the distractions of the world to become one with themselves.

Similar to the Christian belief the Holy Spirit lives in people, Transcendentalists believe all men have a piece of the “Over-soul” living inside of them.  This belief contributes to the lack of a need for organized Church-like gatherings among them.  If all men contain the “Over-soul,” they are connected in spirit, which negates the need for shallower physical connections.

As the very nature of a Transcendentalist’s views on truth is relative and determined by the individual, Transcendentalists have a difficult time defining their core beliefs.  The lack of a unifying vision also hindered the cohesion of the movement.  Henry David Thoreau himself pointed out the difficulty of understanding Transcendentalism in his popular journal entry for March 5, 1853:

The secretary of the Association for the Advancement of Science requests me . . . to fill the blank against certain questions, among which the most important one was what branch of science I was specially interested in . . . I felt that it would be to make myself the laughing-stock of the scientific community to describe to them that branch of science which specially interests me, inasmuch as they do not believe in a science which deals with the higher law.  So I was obliged to speak to their condition and describe to them that poor part of me which alone they can understand.  The fact is I am a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot.  Now that I think of it, I should have told them at once that I was a transcendentalist.  That would have been the shortest way of telling them that they would not understand my explanations.

Transcendentalism clearly eluded succinct definition in Thoreau’s time as much as it does in our own.

Even Emerson had difficulty explaining his beliefs.  Transcendentalism fractured into many beliefs and practices.  Some of the questions posed to Emerson regarded the purpose and outlook.  What was the goal they strove for in themselves and society?  In his 1842 lecture “The Transcendentalist,” Emerson suggested the goal of a purely transcendental outlook on life was impossible to attain in practice:

You will see by this sketch that there is no such thing as a transcendental party; that there is no pure transcendentalist; that we know of no one but prophets and heralds of such a philosophy; that all who by strong bias of nature have leaned to the spiritual side in doctrine, have stopped short of their goal.  We have had many harbingers and forerunners; but of a purely spiritual life, history has afforded no example.  I mean, we have yet no man who has leaned entirely on his character, and eaten angels’ food; who, trusting to his sentiments, found life made of miracles; who, working for universal aims, found himself fed, he knew not how; clothed, sheltered, and weaponed, he knew not how, and yet it was done by his own hands.…  Shall we say, then, that transcendentalism is the Saturnalia excess of Faith; the presentiment of a faith proper to man in his integrity, excessive only when his imperfect obedience hinders the satisfaction of his wish.

In some ways Emerson is running around the question.  He is stating no Transcendentalist has achieved perfection. that none has fully submitted to the truth within and have fallen short of his goals for which he strives.  Yet he fails to state the goal of Transcendentalism or define it specifically.

All actions come from beliefs.  Beliefs are formed out of philosophy and philosophy flows from what a person believes to be true.  As Luke 6:45b states: “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”  The truths a man stores in his heart are revealed in the way he acts.  Every religion, belief, or philosophy will influence a man’s outlook on life as well as his actions.  Transcendentalism lacks the basic principles of a moral and spiritual standard.  It attempts to provide clarity, a sense of truth, but cannot even provide the true definition of itself.  In its own confusion many people have taken an idea here or there and run with it.  Individuals use Transcendentalism as a basis for moral relativism.  This  tool allows individuals to become their own higher power, their own authority, they own “Over-soul.”

Emerson and the others in his party attempted to free the minds of men but achieved the opposite.  In searching for clarity, they kicked up a bunch of dust.  Even with all of Emerson’s intellect, he still failed to see what Isaiah 53:6 says: “Those who rely on their own intuition and ‘good sense’ to lead them to spiritual truth will find themselves being led astray.”  In trying to be wise, Emerson became the fool.

Bibliography

Goodman, Russel. Transcendentalism. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentalism/. 3 October 2015.  Web.

Lewis, Jone. Transcendentalism. http://www.transcendentalists.com/what.htm 2 . 2 October 2015. Web,

Miller, Perry. The American Transcendentalists: Their Prose and Poetry. Garden City: Double Day Anchor Books, 1957.

U.S. History. 2008-2014. http://www.ushistory.org/us/26f.asp. 5 October 2015. Web.

Christian Tullos

The Titan War marks a great event in Greek mythology.  It, in many ways, is like the origin stories for our superheroes explaining how and why things came to be the way they are.  It shows how the gods came to be.  A story consistent with other Greek mythology depicts the gods with very humanlike qualities and flaws.  This war depicts the battle between the Titans, the older gods, and the Olympians, their children.

Some brief background information helps to better understand what’s going on and who’s on what side.  Gaia, one of the three original beings, who is the goddess of earth, and Uranus, her son, and who is the god of the heavens, had Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Lapetus, Theia, Rhea, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Cronus, who became the original Titans.  The other Titans, Atlas, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Metis, Dione, Thea, and Themis, were sons and daughters of the original Titans.  In addition to the Titans, Gaia and Uranus also had three Cyclopes: Brontes, Stereopes, and Arges; and three Giants: Cottus, Briareos, and Gyes, who had fifty heads and one hundred arms each.  The Giants came to be known as the Hecatonchires because of this.

Uranus, fearing and despising the Cyclopes’ and Giants’ power, locks them up when they are born deep inside the earth.  Gaia, their mother, cannot stand to see such cruelty done to them, so she calls upon her first born, the Titans, to bring justice upon their father.  Accounts vary, but it is generally believed Cronos answers the call by defeating his father, casting him into the sea.  Cronos then takes the throne and marries Rhea.  Rhea gives birth to Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus: the first Olympians.

Here is where the conflict really begins.  A prophesy is spoken.  The prophesy reveals Cronos will be overthrown by his own children.  In an effort to prevent this from happening, Cronos swallows each of his children whole at their birth.  Despairing, Rhea asks her mother for help.  Taking pity on her, Gaia rescues her next child, Zeus, and hides him in a cave in Crete.  She gives Cronos a rock in Zeus’s place, which Cronos swallows whole assuming it to be his child (babies apparently taste like rocks).

Upon reaching maturity, Zeus seeks out vengeance upon his father.  He gets a potion from the Titan Metis that induces vomiting.  Rhea arranges for Zeus to become Cronos’ cupbearer.  Zeus pours some of the potion into the cup and serves it to his father, causing Cronos to vomit up his siblings, who had apparently just been waiting around.  Cronos then starts a war to destroy them all for good.

Cronos calls for the Titans to join him in his battle against the Olympians. None of the female Titans join him, and Prometheus and Epimetheus actually join the Olympians.  Of the remaining male Titans who join him, Atlas is elected their leader.

The following ten years ensue in a battle with neither side gaining any advantage.  Gaia, having secretly been supporting the Olympians, advises Zeus to free the Cyclopes and Giants.  So Zeus goes down into Tartarus, kills the monster standing guard, and frees the Cyclopes and Giants.  In return for their freedom, they pledge their support to Zeus.  The Cyclopes give Zeus the power over thunder and lightning, Poseidon a trident, and Hades a helm of darkness.

Later in an ambush against Cronos, Hades uses his cloak to steal Cronos’ weapons.  Poseidon charges Cronos to distract him, which allows Zeus to strike Cronos with a lightning bolt, subduing him.

With Cronos down and the Cyclopes and Giants having joined the fight, the Olympians subdue the Titans.  The Titans who participated in the war are sent to Tartarus.  For his particular role in the war, Zeus requires Atlas to hold up the sky.

As was the custom, Zeus ascends to the throne upon their victory.  He would later wage wars against the Giants and the Typhon to gain total control of the heavens and the earth.  For now, though, there is peace with the new king on the throne.

The Titan War marked Zeus’s ascension and a change in the world.  The Olympians’ victory also marks a change in ages in Greek mythology.  It signifies the passing of the Golden Age.  Seasons change, order and justice are still intact, but mercy is lacking.  Times are harder.  As with the real world, there are different ages.  “For rarely are sons similar to their fathers: most are worse, and a few are better than their fathers” (Homer).  Is it a change for the better or worse?  That question can only be answered by the reader.

Bibliography

KET Distance Learning, LLC, 2014. KET. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

Rymer, Eric. History Link 101, LLC, 2000-2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.

Shmoop University, LLC, 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.