Čitajte na srpskom
Imagination is an interesting word, pointing to possibilities so divergent as self-deceit in narcissistic fantasy to creative genius. The first of these, self- deceit, is preyed upon by too many entities to list but a short mention should include the modern ‘institution’ of church, state and corporation. The second of these, creative genius, is notably absent in prey and, cunning takes its place in the predator.
These thoughts demand (or never cease demanding) some sane answers in relation to social incarnation or community, where communities are in state of persistent persecution by forces nominally in a role guardianship, whether the symbiotic church & state or their corrupted mercenary forces (the corporation.)
It was my familiarity with Berlin over a period from the late 1990s (includes two years residence in the district of Charlottenberg, from late September 2010 through 2012) where the assault on community was clearly obvious in the city with two phenomena; 1) the break-up of artists’ communities with a form of ‘gentrification’ where poor but ‘hip’ districts attracted enough wealthy individuals to take over the area, driving prices up and the artists out and 2) city authorized, promoted and/or mandated ‘urban renewal’ catering to corporate real estate development interests, dismantling entire neighborhoods resulting in displacing the poor and dis-empowered. Nowhere was seen the Christian ‘charity.’
In Germany, the church is financed by the state with religious tax and never did one see the clergy effectively standing up to this wealth driven social injustice. The modern legacy of the Kaiser is, in Germany, church and state are two sides of the same coin, paid into the pocket of the mercenary corporation. This is a coin that should have rendered the historical Jesus speechless (or perhaps violently radicalized him.)
Then, it happened one day I was talking to a cab driver from the Balkans (a Serbian) about the dying villages throughout Europe, especially in the former communist states. We both recognized the EU responsible for policies driving small farmers off the land as socially criminal. The net result is the poor rural families increasingly dispossessed where the advantage is gifted to powerful mono-culture farming corporations by the state as the dying villages give their children up to the allure and seduction of city life.
He asked me “Why don’t they [the people] rise up?”
I answered “They still have enough to eat.”
The conversation was cut short with arrival at my destination, and after, I thought about how I might have answered ‘They are tired of wars.’ Or ‘Eventually there must be an uprising, because there is no moral authority (leadership) to stand with them, rendering uprising unnecessary.’ But I couldn’t be certain of my answer and so I did a little bit of research.
I’ve yet to meet any Orthodox priest in conversation but I am cognizant enough to grasp the Slav mentality is generally different to Western, particularly the Orthodox Slav. The Romanized (Catholic) South Slav can be discounted as somehow morphed into a damaged (self-hating) clone of his inexplicably elevated, self-adopted, superior ethnic German master; if I read the work of Cicily Isabel Fairfield correctly.
The Orthodox Serb, on the other hand, battered by too many iterations of overrun by empire to count, is an odd admixture of forever true to the self immersed in a soup of child-like innocence prone to retribution by the hand of the occupying Greek Nemesis. For the Serbs are possessed of their own pagan mentality in everything but name, yet unluckily having abandoned the fates (suđaje, suđenice, & narečnici) to their own devices, and rather pursuing the forgiveness of Orthodoxy; in this circumstance we see that past Serbian Patriarch Irinej had been no exception but rather appeared thrall to the bad luck inherent in a social phenomenon of childish naiveté:
“Serbia should not look with suspicion at the EU, if the EU respects the Serbian identity, culture and religion. We believe that we are an historical part of Europe, and we want to be in this comity of nations. In the accession we will accept everything, that is not in contradiction with our cultural and historical identity”
Such naiveté is illustrated in the Nordic neo-pagan literature of JRR Tolkien wherein Worm-tongue sits as vizier to the King of Rohan; for what would Tony Blair, in his advising and suggestions, ever show himself to the Serb authority in negotiations concerning this proposed alliance but a poisonous “archetypal sycophant, flatterer, liar, and manipulator” ?
The grand illustration of this would be, the exceedingly corrupt European Union Commission, so corrupt as to suffer an internal gangrene of human spirit, when refusing to publish its’ own report on corruption, doesn’t tell the Serb ‘our problem isn’t with your corruption, rather our problem is your corruption is practiced openly, it is not finessed.’ In other words, Serbs are not yet entirely corrupted of the soul; and you can’t ‘belong’ to Europe until this happens. But rebellious European Union parliamentarians pulled back the curtain:
[A] new European Parliament study … reveals that corruption throughout Europe is costing almost £800 billion a year. The staggering sum, which equates to 6.3 per cent of overall EU-28 GDP, has prompted calls for the creation of a European Public Prosecutors’ Office as part of a crackdown on corrupt practises.
“The new estimate of the total annual loss, at £782bn [€903 billion in March 2020], is more than eight times higher than previous calculations. This is because it measures the full cost of the problem – ranging from indirect effects such as companies being put off from investing, to direct impacts including money lost from tax revenues.
“Corruption, which the report defines as the “abuse of power for private gain” can vary from paying bribes to officials abusing their powers to award lucrative procurement contracts”
My question for the present Patriarch would be, how is it possible for the good of Serbia to be served by meeting what amounts to the EU Commission’s demand to transform the plainly visible external corruption of the Serbian body, into an invisible, internal corruption of the soul? The competent physician may effectively treat the body, whereas a matter of darkening of the nation’s soul is a more complicated and exceedingly dangerous proposition. Because to practice the Christian principle of forgiveness with the minions of evil is a non sequitur; yet this is what the Western Christian culture has come to, and is the contagious societal virus proposing to infect Serbia with invitation to join the European Union.
One should not place oneself in irrevocable history where unkind sobriquet must forever tarnish one’s countenance; for does not what amounts to the European Union’s demand of ‘corruption with a pretty face’ or ‘finessed corruption’ recall Augustine’s ideas at the root of the philosophical divide between East and West? How could this darkness be missed?
Moreover the Patriarchate has supported restoration of the monarchy. In this regard it should be pointed out a wise king, one whose titles do not aspire to rule another people, can be a good, even a great thing; but the European history’s inbred (inevitable by the 3rd generation of royal to royal marriage) kings by birthright also has produced much mediocrity and many imbeciles. Should not any Serbian prince, one who aspires to be king, be of necessity born of a Serbian mother with no foreign allegiance, residence or citizenship? Are not the Serbs entitled to a consistently healthy, loyal & wise leadership? What should prevent Europe’s dark family intrigues and history’s royal usurpation of sound governance becoming manifest in Serbia? Who would be your king? Should not referendum confirm, renew, and if necessary, by force of law, abdicate any incompetent or unfaithful (to the Serbs) persona who would claim birthright to the royal prerogative? A moral conscience is critical to the modern ‘constitutional monarchy’, this must be principled and incorruptible, and if not, then disposable, preferably sans violence. Any would-be-king should serve at the pleasure of the people. It follows, these questions for the Patriarchate should also be questions for the pro-European Union, aspires-to-be king, Alexander.
Were one to find a tolerable future life of ethical ambition among Serbs, this proposition of requiring wise and courageous abilities should not rule out patriarchs and kings, but these persona nevertheless must bring the corporation to heel with sound guidance and a competent leadership found in a sincere patriotism; where the Serb villager is held up as the backbone of the nation, never to be folded into the corrupt human mono-culture of global modernity.
To willfully abandon the village children to the seduction of the EU is to foster the first six of the eight principle vices; as metaphors we could say gluttony is found in the modern taste of youth for methamphetamine, lust is found in the associated, accelerated breakdown of traditional values, greed is the spawn of this consumer culture’s power over will, anger is born into this trap of addiction, whereas sadness & despondency is discovered in their relatives’ memories of beautiful children they cannot now recognize. And would it not be a kind of blind, narcissistic vainglory, and its’ twin, a false pride in leadership, turning it’s back on the simple and honest people, enables this preceding? Now we have the entirety of Orthodoxy’s eight vices.
For, in short order of having lost self-sufficiency, with this comes a loss of traditional values and, as well, comes the loss of personal sovereignty that enabled the Serbian people to choose their own leaders. After, who will feed Serbia? The German Bayer AG? Where would the king’s loyalties find their sense of security? In sincerely addressing the difficulties faced by the Serbian villager, or the worldly comforts, dark intrigues and dynastic pride found in the British/German princes of Saxe-Coburg & Gotha? Will the king be the good Samaritan to the villager, or aspire to become the oligarch associated persona who Jesus informs us must pass through the eye of a needle with his camel? Will he publicly censure his cousin, King Juan Carlos, receiving a €90,000,000 (ninety million euro) bribe from the Saudis’ to use his influence favoring one decision over another or keep his silence in this matter of a related constitutional monarch’s apostasy?
Is it not only correct, but should it not be the duty of the father of every Serbian village child, to necessarily raise these questions? Therefor it is respectfully held the Patriarch must self-examine and proceed to lay out clean, responsible, irrevocable, devoted to the village, patriotic priorities, in his state supported role of vizier to the moral authority of any would-be-king of the Serbians (and necessarily includes any pseudo-king or Serbian political cult of personality presently wielding great power.)
For any negotiations to join the European Union should not be mere speculation of precious benefits generated in idle imagination, rather subjected to a rigorous examination; of an EU’s institutionalized, corporate predator-prey relationship, one that is so dark of the soul and pervasively corrupt, the European Union’s Commission not only recently refuses to publish its’ own report on greed, graft and bribery, thereby concealing temporal lechery of every description, but has actually abolished the mechanism for producing these reports; yet studies contracted by rebellious parliamentarians enlighten us. It follows, any & all authentic examination of these facts should determine a higher moral authority reject any consummation with this dark and perverted ‘union.’
Updated 5 December 2020 –
Related:
“I Said No” the self-deceit of Aleksandar Vucic
Gavrilo Princip Was Not What You’re Taught
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“In any democracy, ethics, self restraint, tolerance & honesty will always take a second seat to narcissism, avarice, bigotry & persecution, if only because people who play by the rules in any democracy are at a disadvantage to those who easily subvert the rules to their own advantage” -Ronald Thomas West (Ronald’s Maxim)
Ronald Thomas West 