The late mr. Ratzinger, the amazing and honourable late pope Benedict XVI, has gone to knock on the door of st. Peter.
This is one of these things, that I have REALLY worked a lot with on a reflective level. I have done a LOT of thought as how to say something that is at least meaningful about this majestic person.
On one hand, he did, as one of the few popes, stop before time, at the other hand, he was a brilliant master in managing the left and right within the Catholic Church. A critic of Islam but not a hard core conservative.
So, he was in the same vein as Barack Obama and David Cameron, a modern conservative.
What is there to say about such an illuminary with any meaning.
First of all, he was a renewer, but on a base, that was ancient.
In this field he was the predecessor to the current eminence pope Francis.
But at the same time, he was, as a person, such a nice man. Humble, wise and just a wonderful person.
I truly hope, that Benedikt XVI will be remembered as what he was, a man, that really changed the Catholic Church, but within the frame of that ancient church, with respect for its institutions.
G-d bless Benedikt XVI And may st. Peter receive and recognise this wonderful soul.
Well, I guess, that the last post was a bit of a whip. The whole turbulence, that it created in the US, was really a surprise to me. But I guess, it touched upon a subject, that has been very difficult to touch upon, because of all the mystery that surrounds the banks.
But my realisation, after having made the interview with the bank insider mr. Ole Bjerg, the banking world themselves seem quite happy with the discussion. I guess, that they are not that used to debate, but when it comes, they listen.
This is a surprise, but also very good surprise.
I received a paper from the national bank here in Denmarks, where they discuss the issues.
The weird thing is, when I get to know how the banks think, I actually agree. The virtues they have are the right virtues. So the ability to make people trust the currency, the mission to fight inflation and so on, are spot on. The problem seems to be, that the national banks are diverging from these ideals and are discussing the limits of the digitalisation of the money.
Well, as a moral philosopher, the message is quite clear. Trust of money is even more difficult to gain when everything is digitalised. The citizens KNOW that the banks have the ability to use their power in a way, that the banks become a meta police.
But if they do that, they LEAVE their true conviction, that of being a defender of the currency.
These ideals, if they erode, will make a huge dent in the trust of the banks, just by talking about the meta police possibilities, has raised eyebrows in many places. Yes, for now, it is only insiders like mr. Ole Bjerg, but if the national banks do not reconsider, the criticism will be increased.
But it seems to me, with the media storm, that the last post created, the banks have had to think about their plans, and hopefully, get back to their core, that of defending the currency.
G-d bless the will to follow ones conviction in the face of the lure of naked power.
I have given it a lot of thought as to what is really the basis of civilisation.
Yesterday, I made a long interview with another philosopher called Ole Bjerg. He has been criticising the banks quite a lot from an ethical perspective. He is of the opinion, that the banks have forgotten their own virtue, that of putting money aside for hard times. Banks are supposed to be about savings.
As I understand Ole, the banks have all kinds of political ambition, they want to control the citizens with acces to money.
Well, I agree, to some degree. To me, the most important thing, the very bedrock of civilisation is protecting of the weak. It goes through our justice system, it is the point of socialism and is the prime virtue of all knights.
Then how does that work with a banking system that is supposed to protect our assets, and now have political ambition?
Is this political attempt protecting the weak?
If it is that, then I guess it makes sense, but seriously, we have PLENTY of economic problems these days, not least the Geist of inflation, that is made because the central banks gave the banking industry a lot of money ten years ago, and our production sector is loosing steam.
So, I mean, what is it really the banks want?
The banks COULD help society by making ressources available in the industrial sector, that would really help the nations in Europe and the West in general, but now they fuss on how to control the citizens.
It seems to me, that the banks are kind of confusing what they are here for. We really NEED the banks in a crisis situation, to be responsible and protect the economy, because at the end of the day, who pays for the mistakes the banks make, the poor people pays.
So, the banks CAN protect the weak, by making sure, that the economy is working as it is supposed to do, with a sound investment environment, and ample supply for those who invest in good paying American jobs.
Fussing over the possible control over the citizens will not make progress, it will make the opposite, more recession.
Progress requires the possibility to make new things, and experiment. This is expensive, and therefor we need the banks to take risks in the industrial sector. Ultimately, this leads to more industry that makes more jobs, that makes it possible for people, to live a respectable and honest life.
The banks thus have a crucial role to play in the nation, they just need to prioritise their investment.
G-d bless the banking system, and may it help.

Full title: Saint George and the Dragon.Artist: Gustave Moreau.Date made: 1889-90.
Harry, you need to come to Denmark and find yourself. And this is it, you are so welcome. Go through the Danish royal house, if you wish.
What is Denmark in relation to England?
Well, when we were one kingdom thousand years ago, we were a minor player in the world. But that changed for England and the UK.
You grew into an empire, and stretched yourself all over the globe.
Here in Denmark, we, more or less, just stayed the way we were when we were one kingdom. We never had the opportunity to grow, because we are in the middle.
But, and this is where Denmark can support England, we kept things as how they were. We have fussed over our shared ideas for the last five thousand years.
Effectively growing into a fairy tale.
This fairy tale is yours.
The fairy tale of the prince, who fought all his dragons, to find his princess. Now, you have found your princess already, but the fight with the dragons is here right now.
How do you fight those dragons?
Well, as a prince, what you do, is to try and find the RIGHT WAY.
THE RIGHT WAY is essentially a moral course, that will lead you to slay the dragons.
Let me give you an example, from my own life.
When I had to choose my own course, I could have went with the other artists, and have had an elevated status as the main philosopher in the country, and all the fine status that goes with that. I could have become an editor of the leading newspaper, sat at the side of the queen, and so on.
From the beginning, I just hated the idea of sitting on that throne. I REALLY despised it. So I ran away from it.
I went to the farthest there was, at that time politically, SIAD, that spawned the EDL.
I REALLY tried to get away from all the attention and the sycophants.
I succeeded, now too much it seems. Now I am a persona non grata in the upper echelons of society, the black sheep, so to say. It is not, that they do not attend to what I am saying, they do. But I am branded, because, I ran those years ago.
It gives me quiet and I get to live a life outside the limelight, that is good.
But I truly learned a lot of things.
First of all, what it all comes down to, as royalty, is your own example.
You can say a lot of things, but at the end of the day. You are judged by what you do. And there is no way to cheat, people are wise. They see trough the lies.
So, what I do now, is doing. I protect those who are weakest in society. Lately, that has been a vicious fight against the municipality in defence of Hanne, and old lady with three disabled kids, that the municipality is mistreating horrendously.
That was a truly vicious fight. But it has blown light on the way we treat the weakest members of our society, and there is a major reform coming, to support our disabled people better.
Then there is the fight for our forests, another vicious fight, that we just cannot loose. If we loose, all our forests disappear.
But the way I do it, is not by going to the other elite artists, I do it by talking and connecting to those who are in the fight.
I help them, support them. I do it with my own hands.
That is horrendously difficult, and often I get to my own limits. But that is what really is all about. Fighting dragons, is fighting dragons.
You have this ability as well, I can just see the talent shining through.
You need to find a simple and truly discreet way to fight your dragons.
Don’t go with the limelight, that is not where you change the world to a better place. The way you change the world to a better place, is by being with those who are truly fighting.
These people are simple, those who truly fight. Honest, humble giants of humanity.
If you find yourself with those people at your side, you know that your fight is REAL.
But it is very difficult, because you have to be humble, and essentially humble yourself.
But the people who are really fighting are amazing. So you get to get really good friends. And that is much more important that all the limelight in the world.
G-d bless the will to see the way, to make a difference and make the world a much better place in the face of spirit and all his angels.
I have thought a lot about how to be a royal these days, and honestly, I come only from a minor house. It may be that of an illustrious one, but it is not a royal house.
So these ideas are not based on ideas of royalty, but rather my own experience with finding a way as an aristocrat in a world that does not care much for honour and integrity.
Ok, this is my experience.
First of all, you need to find a balance between liberalism and conservatism, and that is really the difficult thing.
If you are too conservative, people will see you as old-fashioned, and not up to date. If you are too liberal, people will see you as abandoning the tradition.
So, you need to walk that very narrow scope. In practise you need to take the best of each tradition, and make it your own. This calls for a very high amount of quality inspection and valuation.
Take climate change, that I have worked a lot with. There are amazing things in this area, and there are awful things in this area. The good things are energy development, forest care and just caring for nature in general. The bad things are a skewed focus on too much green energy, without regard for the transition to green energy, effectively destroying the economy. There is also these ideas called rewilding and “wild” nature, that essentially destroys the nature, as in Harzen, that has lost all its ancient forest due to this skewed project.
So it is a tight rope, you need walk.
At the other side, there is the defence, that is very good. These warriors are skilled, cares for the realm and are essentially heroes. They have not been given the attention lately, as in Afghanistan, where they fought valiantly.
A prince could pay some respect for that cause here after the draw out. That would be positive conservatism.
So there is a very difficult balance there to walk.
But, and that is the good thing. With a carefully detailed and thought through plan, you can change the world to a better place.
This process is extremely difficult, but you have friends. Hans and I are walking this tight rope together, and we are making a difference.
So finding that balance between conservatism and liberalism, is what real politics is all about, and off cause also the support of the entire empire.
As the late illustrious and friend queen Elisabeth did.
But it is not easy, you have to be careful, and think it through.
G-d bless the will of the English people, and may it live forever.
Ok, we have to be a little careful with the green change, that we are doing.
First let us go down memory lane a bit, and see what we can learn from that.
When the whole windmill industry started, it wasn’t really an industry, but a hobby project done by visionaries.
Especially the illustrious mr. Preben Vilhjelm was a the head of the game.
Through some debate with the insiders of the whole energy development, these are some of the lore we can ween from his era.
Preben was a genius. He was educated as an atomic physicists, so he knew a whole lot about energy.
What he did, was a genius move, to my mind. He was a the head of VS, Venstre Socialisterne when he did the following.
He professed, that what Denmark needed was a balance between windpower, and then something that never catches on in the rest of the word, but is really important to this first plan. Remember, this is forty years ago, or something.
He pushed for a renewable cycle of agricultural products. What he pushed was a system, where by you could produce gas out of waste in the agricultural business. That really worked, and today we have these small but efficient power plants that run on waste from the farms.
So, his idea was, and that is very important to think about. To make A BALANCE between the energy we get from the farms, and the windmills. Effectively making a system that would always run. The problem about only making windmills is the fact, that it only runs when there is wind. So there is something to ponder there. I know that in California, there is a lot of windmills, but you need to either make a huge power saving system or make an alternative power producing, one could very well be recycling the waste of agricultural products.
Anyway, that is an important point.
Then in the next phase, we hit a low in Denmark under the energy crisis, so we decided to be energy independent. We build a lot of oil rigs and gas production. And here is another very important lesson learned by the illustrious mr. Poul Nielson.
When he rebuild the energy supply in Denmark, what he did was, that he REALLY made a masterful plan. He counted all the beads, and made a massive investment in fossile fuel. The point is, you need to master both disciplins to really get ahead of the game.
BOTH the fossile fuel game, AND the green tech energy.
We have to get to a point where green energy is in abundance and cheap. But until then, we still need to play the fossile fuel game.
It has to be a CONTROLLED shift.
Green tech is really developing these days, especially within the field of power to x, but it will take some time to get to a point where green energy really rules. So we need to respect that research and development takes time.
Invest in R&D as much as we can, to really speed up the process. But it will take time, at least ten to fifteen years to reach a point, where green energy is really cheap enough.
So, have a little patience, but show initiative by cosponsoring the logistical development at the same time as the R&D.
G-d bless the will to make a greener world.
When Alcibiades, the famous scion of Athens had used all his cards, and was thrown out of Athens, Socrates, that used to be Alcibiades teacher, went to Alcibades and said something like this:
“Royalty is not a given, talent, having that in abundance, is not a privilege. It is a possibility. These things are cards, that HAS to be combined with responsibility to be of any value. If you squander your gifts from spirit in this life, you will look back at your life as some kind of failure.”
That is the truth right there.
My dad was a hero. He was one of the brightest kids of his country, and had to flee to Denmark, because of civil war. There he succumbed to lack of recognition, nobody could see his qualities. So his life really just ended up as a bit misspent. He had so much potential.
So this was what I grew up with. A hero dad, who never really realized himself, and an essentially broken life. He was the prince, that never realized his potential. Actually he was not a prince, but a Nawab, which is a bit different, I think.
But then you are left with all this legacy and dreams of a system that used to be, and, many people, see as void.
The thing is, royalty DO have a role to play. It has the role of ethics and morality.
In a world where everything is falling apart, and people are, honestly really annoying, showing people, that there is such a things as decency, honesty, family values. That is the revolutionary thing to do.
There is no promise as to whether you succeed or not. I know, from my own life. But at the end of the day, your striving for a better world is what royalty is all about. Finding that path of goodness, is what it is all about.
You need to get down on your knees and pray. At least, this was what I did, when all was lost. I went to my knees a prayed for me, for my own life. And the answer is pretty simple. The way you treat the world, is the way you yourself is treated.
If you are the cool and honest guy, that respects everybody. You get the respect back. To get a good life, you need to be able to give.
Giving is so much harder than crying.
But that is truly the only way. Giving.
So Harry, you need to get up on your horse again, and ride into the sunset.
Because not using the gifts you have, to the betterment of humanity, will end you up in a bitter place, and you will be a sorry example to your own kids. This my experience.
But if you stand up in the morning, make your bed, and try your best, your kids will adore you.
G-d bless the will to be the good and amazing example, that is possible.
Ok, so the royal family is in trouble. Harry is trying to realise his own purpose here in life, and because he is such a strong and truly willfull person, this creates a lot of problems.
Harry, in many ways, I have always been a true fan of you. The potential you show, is so great, that it really could bring the world to a much better place than where it is today. Why? Because you are such a powerful person, when it comes to truly moving the world. I remember, when I first saw your speech at the athletics tournament. I just knew, that a true prince of England was born, right there.
But being second in line, is much more difficult than being born to reign. The problem is, you need to earn your place at the table.
Now, how do you do that. You do it by listening to what the country needs. You are a prince of England, at least to England, and the English people you are. That is really what matters. Not which place you may have in the official lists.
That is the truly difficult thing to work out, because how are you supposed to be a prince of England, while as you are not in the system?
Ok, I will tell you a story, that may give you a possible answer to that.
A month ago, I was travelling the forests of Denmark. I do a long line of stories for the TV station about our forest. Forests is nature, and I believe it is very important for our planet to care for our forests, so that we support the beauty of nature. Our planet is a living, breathing, beautiful thing that is alive. I am very good friends with the part of our society here in Denmark that cares for nature, a grand old aristocrat called Hans, who used to be an adventurer and a spiritual leader. When John Lennon was here in Denmark, he talked to Hans. And when Dalia Lama was here, he send his right hand to talk to Hans.
So following Hans example. I went out, to document the beauty of the forest, and try to commune with it in a way.
You know, when I was at the top of the forest I was in a forest called Dronninglund storskov. The Queens glade, it started speaking to me. I was totally in shock, but it had all kinds of things it wanted me to do. We have a great problem here in Denmark with a system called rewilding that is really hurting the animals, and another system called NNP, that is destroying the forests.
Prince Frederik lives just besides Hans, so he knows this issue.
So what is really the message here?
Harry, the message is. Don’t listen to what people around you are saying. Cut the chatter, and go to England. Travel the forests there, and listen to what England has to say.
You are its prince, and it needs you. I don’t know what England truly needs of you, I am a philosopher of Denmark, but my experience is. You need to be there, connect, talk to country. Not the media or the glitterati of stars. But the country itself.
Connect with your old friends at the army, travel around, get your head out of all the conflict, and find yourself as what you are.
When you do that, you will have a better understanding of your purpose.
And know this, you are always welcome in Denmark.
Go through Frederik, or whatever you want. But we believe in you, you have so much potential.
G-d bless the will to find solace in the fact, that you as a person is wonderful and truly something special. G-d bless England, and may it always live.
The Democratic Party is at some kind of Crossroads. I mean, let us have a bit of a look in the mirror. When Barack was in the leading seat, we had a wonderful and epic lead in all. Yes, there were things that could have been done better. But in most cases, things went really well. The US was at its peak in terms of international respect, we got the economy turned around and that did some good for the country, we even thought about making some kind of serious border control. Not a wall, but some kind of normal border situation.
Then came Trump, and the whole world went bananas. First of all, I really did my best to fight him at the election we had with Hillary. I lost, I get it, Trump was just amazing as a campaigner. You could hate his style, but he was effective. And the Americans just didn’t like Hillary.
So, we had four years of Trump, and a whole lot of chaos.
Some of the things Trump did, weren’t so bad. I mean the whole anticorruption spree he went on, was good.
But the image of the US was tarnished in the world, and now we are kind of trying to recuperate.
So we drew out of Afghanistan, and now we fight in Ukraine.
Both wars, that are pretty awful and not that good for the image of the US.
You can spin all the wheels of propaganda, but in this social media world, the propaganda just does not cut it. People don’t want to get in the way of the war, so they feing an interest in it, and then try to not get harmed.
I truly agree with Europe spending more money on defence, yes I totally agree. But the Ukraine war is an American project.
On the economic side. This has both a good and a bad effect. The bad effect is, that the American dollar is soon to loose its status as the number one trade value. This will make the American economy much more vulnerable to the flux of economy, but it is not the end of the world, because the other effect of the war, the fact, that we are getting our production back from China, alleviates this issue.
So the focus on American production was a very important step we took under the Obama administration, and it will weather the downfall of the dollar as the trade currency.
We will see where it all ends, but one things is certain, the conflict with China is not over, it has just started, and that is a fierce conflict, if there ever was one. It reminds me of the fight between emerging Rome and Karthago. The conflict between the old and the new power.
There are similarities, and there are profound differences, not the least, that the Phoenicians were not willing to face the threat, they left it to Hannibal. But this time with the US, it is different. They call it the Thucydides trap, what does not make of sense, since the prime example is the Phoenician war, and not the influx of Greek culture that was what Thucydides stood for. But never mind.
The Punic wars are the obvious historical example that the China/US conflict is all about.
G-d bless the will to be swift on foot, and honest in opinion.
I have given the current wars a bit of thought, why was it, that the wars that Barack and I did, was so much more of a succes, than what the US is doing today?
Well, I think the reason is, that off cause Barack was an amazing orator, he could give a speech, so that the angels sang. BUT, the thing that I contributed with, was the honest to g-d advise, that was all pure and without any corruption.
I did all the work I did, while I was working as a caretaker in an institution for boys that had had a hard life. So a lot of the groundwork I did, was written on some banged up computer that I had scavenged for my little computercafe, that all the children were playing at.
It is this honesty, that was the philosophical basis of the success.
Everybody knew, that my advice was honest.
So, this sincerely and honesty, is the answer to how the US was so successful. Why? Because in this world of social media, everybody knows what is going on anyway. You can push your agenda really hard, but at the end of the day, all you do is really cower people into accepting your agenda.
This is really not needed. I mean the needs of the US and the West in general are both justified, and based on some values and virtues, that are, hands down, amazing.
Humanistic, democratic virtues, are beautiful.
Yes, I guess, that the US is a bit more conservative than here in Denmark, but that is a good thing. I believe, that we are too free in the wrong things here in Denmark. The high degree of divorce, the uncaring for family, is not a good thing. I speak from my own experience.
But, the US based on all the beautiful ideals is essentially a good thing. Why is it, that the world loves Star Wars, it is because it exemplifies the rebel for democracy against tyranny. We love that.
So there is really no need to find new virtues or values, what we need to do, is to be idealistic about it. Fuel the fire of Democracy, be there with our virtues and freedom, and inspire.
If we do that, it will be a good thing for the world.
The situation we are in right now is good, but it will end, if we forget who we are, and what we are. Descendants of a beautiful culture of humanism and freedom.
G-d bless the will to be free and share the ideals of Democracy.
Concerning the discussion on tax, and how to make a tax system that actually work.
First of all, we need to understand what the idea behind progressive tax really is. Marx had the idea about progressive tax from a classic philosopher called Democritus. The idea is, that society has a geometrical form. It can be made like a pyramid, that is the rich in the top, and the poor in the bottom, or it can be levelled out, so that there are fewer poor in the bottom.
What you do is, that you tax the richer more than the poorer.
It has the effect, that we have a society that is more equal, and equality gives us harmony.
So progressive tax is really a tool to create happiness and citizens that are content.
What it does however, is that it hinders creativity in the area of production, and in some cases, rich people abandon their country, and goes somewhere else. We have this problem in Denmark and in Norway right now. The rich don’t see it as a just system.
In a democracy however these measures are often popular, because there are more poor than rich. The rich being a minority in the Aristotelian sense, makes the politician a bit wary about making too steep a progressive tax system, because the rich don’t like to get abused, as any minority. Here I go with the classic differentiation between mass and minority, where it is very important that just because there is a majority, doesn’t necessarily make the majorities motives right. As it goes with other minorities like gays and native americans. Rich people are also a potential minority, even though it sounds a little weird, but that is what it is.
Anyway, the discussion of how to keep the production WITHIN the nation, could be inspired by the idea of the progressive tax. We could, potentially create a system that is like the progressive tax system, with the key difference, that the cheapest you can get away with in terms of tax, is valued by the amount of production you keep in the country.
So say the farmers, who, by the nature of their trade, would get a low tax, and the IT company that has outsourced most their production would get a high tax.
In this way, it is calculable for the company how much they would get the production cheaper if made in the far east, they would have to calculate an extra tax.
So it is not, that they cannot make things abroad, they can, but it would be more expensive. This would incentivise the companies to keep the production in the country, and it would not destroy the free trade agreements we have already. We can still trade freely across borders, according to our strengths. It would essentially be fair.
This measure should be discussed in detail, and be rolled out after a lot of discussion on the practical matters of the tax. Because we should discuss the how and the what. To make it right, we need to be able to compute the tax in a fair way, how do we do that, and so on.
It wouldn’t cost the state anything, because an increased production in the country would levy taxes from all those who work in the factory and those who are secondary beneficiaries of the factory. All in all, a lowered tax on the patriotic business life, would gain the country they are in.
So that is a possibility, to really implement the ideas of Adam Smith and Aristotle in terms of tax levying.
G-d bless the will to find new ways to make a better economy and more jobs to everybody.
What is he aim of politics? Do we sometimes stop, at ask ourselves, what is it really we are doing?
Often we end up in petty infights, and actually lose the greater view on things, and stop seeing the basic reason for all the politicking we are doing.
Making research for my book on economics, I kind of stumbled on the introduction to the work “economics” that is an Aristotelean discussion on what and how we work with economy.
Well, the book being Aristotelean and working in the vein of that great person and amazing mind, there is off cause an answer to the question; why do we do politics.
He says, we do politics, because we try to make a city (polis) where people are happy.
Just stop there, think about it for a second, the profound wisdom there is in that. Why do we do politics? We do not do it to make money for ourselves or win some kind of competition, we do it to further the happiness of the citizens. It is a simple as that. Make people happy, content, that is the aim of politics. It also happens to be the aim of economy, so we should discuss that too. And that is what I am doing, trying to discern, how does the economy contribute to the wellbeing of all the citizens, that is a VERY complicated discussion.
One of things that I believe that Benjamin Franklin got right, was the point, that what we strive for is unity. Not being split up into smaller warring factions of country against city or white against black. But a society, where people get along, getting each of their shot on a happy life. And, by the way, isn’t that exactly what the American dream is all about?
G-d bless the will to do good in a world where people are torn by division.
I have tried to think a bit more about the Middle East. What went wrong the last time?
To be honest, it was Hillary Clinton. Now, I fought for ms. Clinton against Trump, so it is not so much that I don’t like her ideas. This idea that we should fight for the sound family that resides in a sound village, that resides in a sound state and so on, is a beautiful idea.
BUT, I think the rivalry that was between Hillary and Barack when she was in charge of the foreign affairs were actually not good.
One of the things that I really am truly and still is sorry for, was the fall of the embassy of Benghazi and the assassination of mr. John Christopher Stevens. Why, well first of all, because that was a essentially wrong thing to do, and secondly because when we abandon our best, and John Christopher Stevens he was the best in ourselves, we also show the world, that our own resilience in terms of our OWN idealism, is not there.
We essentially show the world, that we are not strong in our own conviction. So, I sincerely believe, that that is a lesson learned. When and if we support the uprising in Iran, we need to support it, wholeheartedly. Not 50%. When and if we succeed in supporting the rebels of Iran. We truly need to support them all the way, from a point of idealism.
They want freedom, ok, we will give them that with all the means we have. Like supporting a constitution that reflect a Democratic world, with an eye to the history of Iran.
You know, freedom in Iran is different than freedom in the US, in the sense, that Iranians are not Americans. Iranians have their own history and values.
They used to be Zoroastrian, that is a peculiar Iranian religion, that is, hands down, a beautiful religion, that works with fire and has the aim of being good. In fact Iranians invented the idea about goodness, imagine that.
So, when and if we support them, we have to do it, from a true idealistic perspective.
We should fight with them, to give them freedom.
So, that is, at least, one lesson learned in the Arab spring. We should enter in the conflict with an honest heart.
G-d bless the will to keep the light aflame, and support those who yearn for Democracy.
The Iranians are seeking democracy, freedom, they fight against tyranny, they REALLY just throw their best lifes in there, to be free.
For at long time, I ignored it, and hoped that the peace deal we made the last time, would hold, but to be honest. For me as a democratic philosopher, who ACTUALLY fight for the oppressed and have sacrificed a whole lot of my life and family for these ideals, I just can’t sit by and look at the bravery and the sacrifice.
We have to help them, even though it may not really be in our immediate geopolitical interest.
It has given me a lot of thought to the dynamics of American foreign policy.
Seriously, why is it, that a philosopher, who, by all means, is living in hiding, persecuted by the authorities, in the underground here I Denmark, happens to be a central advisor for the American administration. How does that ever make sense?
Not only that, what Barack and I made together, and what we could make in Iran, is, potentially, a massive foreign policy win.
Why. Why is it not the academic, who, by all means, have gone the usual straight line, through academia who is the true best advisor.
The reason is, I think, that the US, was made by people like me. Desperate, persecuted, idealist, that came to a new place, to realise some lofty ideals. Like the first settlers, who sought to realise paradise, to the French philosophers who came to the US, and said, that the US is the REALIZATION of the French democratic ideals.
The US is, when it is what it is, a rebel nation. At the same time, it seeks to be a world power. It is the span of interest and ideals, that is so difficult to really work out, because, to be honest even the US is in a bit of academic decline.
But it also really teaches us something about American foreign policy, when it is TRULY idealistic, as with the Arab spring, it moves the world. But when it geopolitical only, it does not really work.
Change is finding the idealism of the US, and spreading it to the world, make the world more Democratic.
In a way it is both a curse and a blessing, because when we make wars that are unidealistic like the war in Iraq, we loose steam. But when we make wars that are truly idealistic, like the Cold War and the Arab spring we are boosted. This is coming from an idealistic, persecuted philosopher.
There is not a day, when I am not having to fend for my life here in Denmark.
So seen from that perspective, the Iranian rebellion, is really a no brainer. It costs the US nothing in terms of material investment, and the potential spoils of that war in terms of geopolitical strengthening is massive.
Just think about it.
But this IS the Benjamin Franklin view of this time, and not the power pusher view. So you need to take that into consideration.
G-d bless the will to keep the flame lit, the flame of freedom and Democracy.
Trying to find a solution to the competition from the far east towards the West, we need to understand the quality of our own culture, in order for that culture to find itself again.
First of all, I really like craftsmen. I see myself as a craftsman. Yes, I am an academic, but my ideas are not really academic in the sense that they are supposed to be flashy and beautiful in their structure. I do not write philosophy to show off. What I try to do, as a constant, is to make ideas and structures that have quality. Like my ideas within green Change. You know, the easiest path of green Change, is to put up windmills in abundance, and show them off.
BUT, to make it work, we have to be thorough, truly understand this whole endeavour in all its aspects, to truly make a Change, that will work. It is not enough to make hydrogen fuelled cars, because what about the infrastructure. Here I believe, that we have to go just that extra mile, and change hydrogen to green fuel, to be able to use it in our existing infrastructure. Yes I know, that it is extra troublesome, but to really make a system that work, I believe we have to go that extra mile.
I have a friend who is a carpenter. But not just any carpenter. Per has made chairs that are exhibited in our museums. Danish Design and all that.
After the capital moved production to the East, what could Per do? So he invented a factory in his own workshop. He bought a huge saw, not just any saw, but one of those saws, they just don’t make anymore. Then he went to buy up lumber himself, the best oak you can get. He cut up the oak, and let it dry for two years, and then continued making this furniture of the very finest quality.
That is a craftsman, right there. He goes the extra mile, no the extra thousand miles, to make chairs that will last for a hundred years. That is his claim. He even showed me, a shovel and a small bucket, that the church uses when they put us in the ground, and he said, that what he made, will last at least 500 years.
That is craftsmanship of the highest order.
Can we find it in ourselves, to follow the example of Per, at make things of that quality in the West, again. Move the production back, and make things again. Be consistent and honest in our work.
To be a worker, is a mark of honour, and we should not forget that.
G-d bless the will to support our workers in this most difficult time of theirs.