The Christmas Truce of 1914 and The Power Of One Idea

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Danilo

It is Christmas Day today. Children all over the world will be waking up to a plethora of gifts underneath their tree. They will be shrieking in joy at the excitement of opening up a gift just for them. They will be playing with their new games or toys for the very first time with all the exhilaration that animates even the most phlegmatic and stolid amongst us. Whatever your views are regarding Christmas or the holidays matters little. Is this explosive elation in our children not one the most precious things to witness in our children?

Top 10 Rich People Who Were Once Poor

Many parents work hard building a business or acquiring wealth so that their children do not need to “suffer” as much.

Ironically sometimes out of an environment of mild privation emerge the most dedicated and passionate individuals.

Strong work ethic and a desire to achieve are the pillars of success.

There is so shortage of rags to riches stories.

“Success is ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm”, Winston Churchill

Just as we, as parents, must encourage our children to devote themselves to their craft if they want to achieve mastery, so too must we encourage them to seek self-knowledge.

Knowledge that is learned of one’s own accord becomes owned as opposed to knowledge passively given to us by others.

Being comfortable in solitude or surrounding oneself with a small group of soulful genuine friends can facilitate this process.

Before I leave you I would be remiss if I did not make mention of the Christmas Truce of 1914. Simply put, it was a brief pause in the bloodshed of the trench warfare that comprised World War I.

To the immense chagrin of the superior officers for one day there was no more slaughter.

For one brief day there was camaraderie, friendship, and benevolence. There was hand shaking, retrieving and burying of the dead. There was exchanging of gifts and conveying heartfelt messages of love. There was drinking, eating, laughing, and playing of games. For one brief day amongst the carnage, humanity shone through.

The immense tragedy is that this magnanimous sentiment lasted only one day before the killing commenced once again.

This is the power of one idea!

This is why I write, produce videos, and interviews! This is why I focus my attention on discussion of philosophy, morality, and economics!

War, oppression, and injustice are largely the result of ignorance and misunderstanding, not evil.

I hope you all carry this Christmas spirit of compassion, kindness, and humanity far beyond this one day. I hope you all are able to carry it with you throughout your lives. This is what changes paradigms. This is what improves the world.

Happy Holidays! 🙂

https://steemit.com/christmas/@danilo-cuellar/the-christmas-truce-of-1914-and-the-power-of-one-idea

http://peacefulanarchism.com/feed/podcast

Obedience Is The Enemy Of Morality

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Danilo

It is very difficult to judge law enforcement officers and soldiers on the basis of their individual actions because they pride themselves on not acting as individuals, but rather as being the physical manifestations of the State. Nevertheless we must make the effort.

An order is just spoken words or ink on paper. It is the order followers who bring those orders into the real world where they have real consequences. At every point of the chain of obedience there is always a choice to continue obeying. Therefore every order follower must always assume personal responsibility for each and every action committed by their hands. There is no shirking responsibility. To attempt to do so is to pretend one is a soulless machine rather than a thinking sentient human being.

The beginning of wisdom is to be fully accountable for one’s actions no matter how egregious. Self-ownership involves claiming ownership of one’s physical body, the fruits of one’s labor, as well as the direct consequences of one’s actions. When every human being assumes this there will be no cowardly blaming of one’s superiors, the law, politicians, or one’s job. There will be no shameful diffusion of responsibility. The phrases “I’m just doing my job” or “I didn’t write the laws I just enforce them” denote a special degree of mind body separation that would make any spiritual adept green with envy. They are only used when justifying truly horrifying actions.

Teach your children what is right and wrong. Teach your children what is morality and to think for themselves. If you succeed in doing this you will not have to fear that they will rationalize future atrocities with such contemptible phrases. A child who internalizes a moral compass will not, as an adult, be swayed by the tempting allure of poisonous sophistry nor the forked tongue of political predators. The child is the father of the man. Raise your children in the manner you wish to see the world of tomorrow. Your words become their reality. Choose your words with great care.

https://steemit.com/obedience/@danilo-cuellar/obedience-is-the-enemy-of-morality

http://peacefulanarchism.com/feed/podcast

The Dangers Of Collectivism

Posted on December 16, 2016 by Danilo

The dangers of collectivizing groups of people is never immediately apparent until one is in dire need of the help of individuals. Every moment of every day we are making decisions according to the information presented to us. Sometimes it is necessary to make decisions based on a quick assessment of the situation. Sometimes this assessment is based on sketchy details, previous beliefs, and previous experiences. This is called Heuristics and one must take care when to employ it. Quick assessments may prove to be beneficial when dealing with inanimate objects such as choosing what to eat for dinner, choosing what clothes to buy, choosing what car to buy, choosing what house to rent/buy etc. When applied to human beings this quick assessment may prove rash.

Unlike inanimate objects human beings have needs, wants and desires that vary based on gender, ethnicity, religion, culture, race, creed, and the individual. The same individual’s desires can change based on the year, month, week, and even day in question. After knowing an individual for a long period of time one may make certain general predictions based on previous behavioral patterns but even this may be risky.

Not only is it insurmountably difficult to thoroughly know another person, it is likewise quite difficult to fully know oneself. One is born and lives everyday in this human shell but that does not mean we are all masters of ourselves nor do we fully possess self knowledge.

Every day we are all incessantly learning about ourselves, others, and the world around us. This is exactly why one can never legitimately impose one’s beliefs onto another. It is impossible to have all the information. The future is both unknown and unknowable. The only way to act with moral consistency is to live and let live. Civilization is for the civilized.

Man as an individual is a genius. But men in the mass form the headless monster, a great, brutish idiot that goes where prodded.

Charlie Chaplin.

https://steemit.com/collectivism/@danilo-cuellar/the-dangers-of-collectivism

http://peacefulanarchism.com/feed/podcast

The Importance Of Failure

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Danilo

Many people complain that they cannot do a particular task because they have failed at it. This is not a reason to stop trying. In fact it is a reason to pursue it evermore vigorously. With every failure one is that much step closer to success and little wiser as a result.

In one’s personal affairs every failed relationship or friendship is a learning experience at how to treat others and what one desires in a mate or a friend. If one’s relationship requires force to maintain that is a despicable circumstance indeed. In business every failed venture is a lesson in how to efficiently allocate scarce resources. If one’s failing business requires violently redistributed stolen funds to continue, this is by definition a waste of resources. Hence the State is the largest polluter on the planet.

Failure is necessary and fundamental to a thriving and resilient market economy. When businesses are allowed to rise and fall of their own accord the result is efficiency and prosperity. The market, through the sum total of billions of consensual peaceful interactions, will decide which businesses will get awarded with success and which will vanish like a javelin thrown into a serene lake. Just like death nourishes and makes way for budding life, so too does failure provide the fertile ground wherein another creative entrepreneur might improve upon the mistakes of his predecessors. This is the marvelous splendor of the market economy we are all privileged to witness. It’s a beautiful time to be alive!

https://steemit.com/economy/@danilo-cuellar/the-importance-of-failure

http://peacefulanarchism.com/feed/podcast

Finding Your Tribe Of Confidantes

Posted on December 11, 2016 by Danilo

It is not about how many friends you have. It is about the meaning and depth of those friendships. A small handful of genuinely caring friends who would come to your aid in your time of need is more valuable than the most precious rubies and gems. No man is an island unto himself. We humans are social creatures. We strive for connection and companionship above all else. What better way to express this brotherly love than to trade with our fellow men and women?

We thrive on improving each other’s lives through specialization and the division of labor. The Free Market is the fullest expression of love for our fellow brethren. When you love your neighbor you do not seek to rob him through taxation, strangle his business through onerous regulations, or encumber his freedom through a myriad of burdening arbitrary man made laws. Desiring absolute freedom for oneself must necessarily entail desiring absolute freedom for one’s neighbor. Moral reciprocity and a deep respect for the life of another is the foundation of virtue and integrity. I hope you all find your tribe of deeply caring confidantes. It makes this dance of life all the more pleasurable.

When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.

Frédéric Bastiat, French economist and scholar

https://steemit.com/capitalism/@danilo-cuellar/finding-your-tribe-of-confidantes

http://peacefulanarchism.com/feed/podcast