The Forgotten Man

I dug my spurs into my horse’s flanks, urging her forward to cut off the cow before she wandered off the trail, dragging half the herd with her.  She complied but bellowed to let me know she wasn’t happy, and it wasn’t too long before a heifer tried the same thing.  My horse diligently obeyed, though I could feel her heavy breaths as her sides expanded and deflated, moving my legs out and in with each pant.  Her mane was damp and her hide glistened with sweat, but on she went. 

It’s not a perfect parallel, but to coincide with William Sumner’s ideas, we could call this horse “the forgotten horse.”  William Sumner was an American social scientist who taught at Yale during the Gilded Age.  The uprisings of monopolies and flourishing of the middle class starkly contrasted with the life the new immigrants and lower class were living.  Efforts were put forth to hinder the growth of booming businesses and others sought ways to assist the immigrants and lower class.  So what does this have to do with a forgotten horse?

In Sumner’s work, What Social Classes Owe to Each Other, he passionately argues that “every effort to realize equality necessitates a sacrifice of liberty.”  He sees many people working diligently and seeing success, yet the fruits of their labors are laid at the feet of those in poverty.  There is no motive to rise above that condition when “social doctors flock about him, bringing the capital which they have collected from the other class, and promising him the aid of the state to give him what the other had to work for.”  With these circumstances, the social reformers and philanthropists, A and B, dictate what C will do for the poor, D.  And what does he call C?  The Forgotten Man. 

Image Credit: Scale (via mesosyn)

Beneath the Surface

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a chilling story of a dignified respectable man who manages to separate his personality into two, his good side, and his evil side. The story plays with the idea of what happens when man has to much freedom. Dr. Jekyll creates a monster of himself and begins losing control of his humanity because of his experiments.

There is good and evil in all of us. What we choose defines us.

This story is fascinating because it explores freedom, good, evil, and agency. Dr. Jekyll splits himself and becomes two identities, the other being Mr. Hyde. Mr Hyde is the evil, base, carnal, animalistic, and instinctual side of Dr. Jekyll, where Jekyll retains the dignity, goodness, and well mannered behavior expected in a civilized society. This novel tells us the story of this man and what happens to him, and I very much look forward to reading it myself and learning more about it. From my brief research on the book thus far I've had some interesting thoughts.

I feel as though this story can be applied to each and every human. Each one of us has an internal battle that is constant between our conscience and our instinct. In a religious realm we are constantly choosing whether we will follow God, or lower ourselves and follow the Devil. However you choose to view this, we all make constant choices that fuel our good side or our evil side. We have the agency, as autonomous beings, to define our life and what we will be and who we will become. For many, the path of natural desire, instinct, lust, and self servitude is easier and more enticing. For others, the diligent quest of self mastery and goodness is the end goal.

But each of us has moments on both sides. Wether we are seeking evil or seeking good, we still make choices which fuel the other side. We need to be careful as we make our choices. If we let our evil sides have to much freedom, we, like Dr. Jekyll, can lose control and our Mr. Hyde will prevail. We have individual liberty to make our own path and to choose good or choose evil. What is beneath your surface? Dr. Jekyll? Or Mr. Hyde?


https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Strange-Case-of-Dr-Jekyll-and-Mr-Hyde

It's Time to Vote

We live in a politically charged time where many feel they are not represented by our leaders. They feel that there is a disconnect between our values and the values of those in charge. John Locke said, "Men being... by nature all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this condition and subjected to the political power of another without his own consent." We, as humans, have natural rights such as freedom, equality, and independence. In a society we often give up some of these rights so that we can live with safety, stability, and order. We give up part of our rights in a hope that our society will benefit us and reflect our beliefs. By living in a society we choose to be governed by it. While we live here we choose to be governed by our leaders. Now this becomes a problem when our leaders do not represent us and our beliefs. We may feel that too many of our rights are being taken.

John Locke goes on to say, "When any number of men have so consented to make one community or government, they are thereby incorporated and make on body politic wherein the majority have a right to act and govern the rest." If we as a people are disenfranchised with our leadership we have a right and obligation to act. In our case this means to vote. The majority governs the society, and if a majority want a change, they can achieve it. John Locke believed that there was power in people, and I believe that too. We may be terrified by the state of our country, but unless we do something, we just allow it to govern us. By taking a stand and voting one can make a difference and begins to take more of his rights back into his own hands and make a change in the way society is governed. People choose to be governed, and can also choose how they are governed. Let's all choose how we are governed and vote for something better.