by Capricorner
Dogmas do not allow for differences of opinion. Dogma, to quote Wikipedia, is an established belief or doctrine, authoritative, not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from. Dogmatic describes a stubbornly held belief. Unquote.
Political belief and practice can be dogmatic. Individuals whose views are widely known and propagated can be dogmatic. Ordinary people? In the Declaration of Independence, the founding document of America we read : A State exists only to secure Life, Liberty and the pursuit of H a p p i n e s s. Nothing Dogmatic.
How does this expression of positive thinking compare to Osama Bin Laden’s NO. Negative notions do not give meaning to life, to the pursuit of happiness, because they do not address life’s problems. Mohamed Bouazizi, wanted to support his family with a fruit stand, but the authorities repeatedly denied him the license, in despair he set himself on fire, an act which triggered the Tunisian revolution, that sparked the “Arab Spring”. In Egypt, the crowds that took to the streets were asking for the quality in their lives which the regime withheld from them, in Bahrain for the freedom to live freely without discrimination, in other words the crowds were in pursuit of happiness. There was no desire to bring about regime changes for the sake of Bin Laden’s dogma of negation.
Even the French Revolution, started in 1789, was about “bread”. Liberte, Egalite ,Fraternite followed.
Bin Laden’s NO did not help the non petroleum producers of the Middle East, whose bloated public sectors, restrictions of every kind and educational systems which produce degreed unemployed, are their impediments to happiness. In evidence of the distance between dogma and reality by 2011, when US Navy Seals removed Bin Laden from the Most Wanted list, his support according to the regular opinion polls had sunk to less than 20% in Pakistan, 34% among Palestinians. Life had defeated his dogma.
Dogmatic thinking is not confined geographically. It is evident in the management style exhibited by the Politicians who determine the fortunes of the EU. National pursuits first, common pursuits second. Under the influence of Dogma European leaders fail to lead Europe, fail to be in accord with Public sentiment.
In the US Dogma, propagated by the Tea Party which exerts a commanding influence in Republican politics, has polarized American politics to an alarming extent. A game of “chicken” between the two parties threatens a US default in a few days, if they do not agree on the issues which bitterly divide them. In the root of the problem is the political dogma of each party.
China is another case of Dogmatic thinking. China is the last remaining Communist state, but at the same time a bastion of Capitalism. It boasts not only the world’s largest reserves, $1.6 trillion, but also hundreds of millionaires and it constitutes the world’s largest market for Luxury items. At the same time political Dogma prevents China from “opening up” to Democracy, Freedom of expression and such Western values. Even Google pulled out of China because it refused to submit to censorship.
In Greece Dogma is currently spreading misery. To reduce deficits, as a first step to the reduction of the National Debt, which has created a host of problems, the Government is faithfully adhering to its Socialist Dogma. The obligation to restructure the Economy by removing all obstacles to Private enterprise, liberalizing labor regulations, opening up “closed” trades and professions, disbanding all Government regulations on profits and professional charges, had not been implemented because it was contrary to the Socialist Dogma. Under pressure from the lenders of Greece these, necessary, changes are now being implemented in a hurry.
Reduction of the bloated Public sector out of the question. Reining in its expenditures unthinkable, Budget targets unobtainable. Taxing the Private sector to its limits in a time of deep recession unavoidable. Taxing the citizens to the point of despair necessary. Forming a team of experts from the Private sector to create a Development plan which can attract foreign investment to stimulate the Economy and having this team of experts present the plan and negotiate with potential investors is not an option. Dogma dictates the thinking and the action of the Government.
The realities of life?
