Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Ancient and Modern Sociologies

My esteemed readers might be scratching their heads regarding the title of this piece. “There is no such thing as ancient sociology.” You might fume. But, dear reader, let’s not overlook the obvious: There was an ancient sociology. It was the sociology given to Moses at Mt. Sinai 34 centuries ago, while Rameses II was erecting great monuments to himself in Egypt. The Dedication of Bye-Bye Sweet Liberty is as follows:

this book [is dedicated] to those who, in my opinion, are the greatest sociologists of all time: The ancient sages from the area of the globe presently called the Middle-East who held their societies together in good times and bad, and who etched out the moral codes that have made our modern, marvelous world possible.

In short this book is dedicated to the cultural ancestors of the founding fathers of this nation.

After the Dedication, the following “Note” is appended:

Surely, the elders observed that those communities that abided by the Commandments had much less strife and unhappiness, and were more reliable in battle, than were those communities that did not. Surely, the elders noted too that communities of the former were cleaner and more prosperous than those that did not abide by the Commandments. The elders noted too that the leaders with the finest minds and greatest initiative were from the communities that abided. The individuals fighting under those leaders were more easily inspired, and more invigorated. The free men and women that abided by the Commandments seemed to be autonomous and could perform without constant supervision. In short they were competent and reliable Would this not be taken as proof that the Commandments were of great benefit for those who abided by them?
Thus the elders came to support the Commandments, and caused all communities to abide by the Commandments. This was the greatest step ever taken for the promotion of individual freedom ever seen on this planet. Those who had been held in bondage in Babylon and Egypt were free individuals who could live in peace with each other and be the staunchest opponents to others seeking to deprive them of their freedom. Perhaps by following the Commandments, the following thought gets lodged in our minds:”If you cannot refrain from harming a neighbor, you are not worthy of self government. You shall not live free.”

It was these elders, both men and women, of ancient times who set the entire human race on the road to individual freedom. It is to these people that this book is dedicated.

No comments:

Post a Comment