Neither/Nor

Neither/Nor: No matter how one analyzes the mystery of life, it always comes down to choice. For some people, especially those living under destitute conditions, it becomes difficult to see how free will and the act of choosing play an integral role in their lives. Like the ominous hole pictured above, which ironically enough is the entrance to the radioactive waste site known as Yucca Mountain in Nevada, Christ tells us that many will strive, but few will enter the kingdom of life everlasting. And much like the narrow door to salvation, one must at some point loathe not only his own existence, but also every person and thing he encounters. This kind of elemental despair is important for it constitutes the first step in a Faith building process that ought to continue throughout life. When faced with a challenging decision, man should be adamant in saying that he wants neither to make a choice, nor to deal with the consequences of not making a choice. Yet choosing not to choose is the greatest risk of all. Therefore, employ the divine right of free will appropriately and never under any circumstances decline to exercise it.

The Faith of the Oppressed

The Faith of the Oppressed: In the forgotten lands of the third world, people struggle to survive. Seems obvious, right? Well, according to the Group of 77 as recognized at the United Nations, the growth of a country's gross domestic product (GDP) does not tell the whole story. Take the nation of Mexico for example. Its GDP has been growing steadily over the past few years, and yet some seventy million Mexicans live on five dollars a day or less. As evidenced by its burgeoning GDP and seemingly destitute population, the wealth in Mexico is clearly concentrated in very few hands. And although Mexico is not a member of the Group of 77, it certainly qualifies as a developing nation. Aside from these rather horrendous economic realities, the people of Mexico remain ardently devoted to their Faith, which for the most part, constitutes Roman Catholicism. Karl Marx once said that "religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature," and nothing could be further from the truth in the country of Mexico. Sure, a vast majority of the Mexican people are oppressed, but they do not fill the void created by oppression with religion. The Faith of the oppressed Mexicans is so great that it surpasses any attempt at personification. Besides, the secular progressives, which tend to pervade the industrialized world, could all learn a valuable lesson from the oppressed people of the third world.

The Taoist Doctrine of Wu Wei

The Taoist Doctrine of Wu Wei: What is meant by the Taoist doctrine of Wu Wei? By most scholarly accounts, Wu Wei translates from traditional Chinese to English as "without action." Arguably the most fundamental tenet of philosophical Taoism, the ultimate objective of Wu Wei is to fashion the human condition according to the Tao. For the most part, the Tao is the Way to Virtue, which is marked by its steady and unwavering nature. The Tao can also be appropriately equated to the notion of Being, as espoused by pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Parmenides. Being and the Tao are unformed, ungenerated, and unchanging. In effect, Wu Wei is the vehicle through which one travels down the Tao. Given its widespread prevalence in the classic Taoist text of the Tao Te Ching, Wu Wei constitutes a central pillar of Taoist thought. As for the author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu, he most likely proclaimed the doctrine of Wu Wei in an effort to help common Chinese people understand the inherent value of what is not. Therefore, Wu Wei adequately testifies to the idea that inaction is often just as important as action.

Becoming the Buddha

Becoming the Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama did not necessarily become the Buddha overnight. Born in 563 BC along the Indian border in what is now modern-day Nepal, Gautama appeared to have it all. His father was a feudal lord who made every effort to shield his son from the drudgeries of life including disease, famine, and poverty. Yet one day in his twenty-ninth year, Gautama decided to leave it all behind and seek enlightenment in the forest. For six years, he searched the forest, encountering everything from ascetic Hindu monks to the evil one known as Mara. It was during this time that Gautama famously sat under what is now known as the Bo Tree and meditated for seven days and seven nights. His meditations were brutally interrupted by Mara who tempted Gautama with fame, greed, and lust. Gautama, needless to say, resisted all of Mara's temptations, and therefore, reached enlightenment. For the next forty-five years of his life, Gautama embarked on a mission to bring enlightenment to all those who sought it around India. His Four Noble Truths and Eight Disciplines subsequently became the basis of a reformed version of Hinduism known as Buddhism. Yet in 483 BC, at the ripe old age of eighty, Gautama died of dysentery.

The Fall of France in 1940

The Fall of France in 1940: What brought the nation of France to its knees during the months of May and June in 1940? Was it poor military planning or rampant political strife? Given the plethora of evidence ranging from Paul Reynaud's letters to F.D.R. or Maxime Weygand's memoirs, it's plausible to conclude that France's fall was the result of weak leadership in both the military and the government. Upon further investigation into the topic, however, one might understand the causes of France's demise to go far beyond weak military/political leadership. Focusing on the failure of French military doctrine in 1940, it is fair to assert that France's downfall essentially stemmed from trying to fight to defensive war in a foreign territory, namely Belgium. To make matters worse, Belgium had declared itself neutral in 1936, as the Nazis marched into the Rhineland. The neutral status of Belgium therefore presented France with numerous diplomatic and political barriers that she needed to circumvent in order to properly fortify against the encroaching German Army. In addition to the various obstacles thwarting France's defensive efforts, the French Army possessed rather outmoded military tactics (no mechanized divisions, slow tanks, etc.). In short, the French High Command was preparing the French Army to fight the First World War all over again.