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Scoundrels, Zealots and Progressives
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When the public mind becomes muddled by hardships due to breakdown of social order, three types of characters calmly emerge out of the confusion and channel public passions for their ambitions. I call these three characters: the Scoundrel, the Zealot and the Progressive.
For my amusement and in the hope of shedding some light on the nature of these characters, so you may better identify them, I put forward the following descriptions and illustrations of each.
Scoundrels have no faith in any thing but power in their hands and money in their pockets. The sole ideology of a scoundrel is that all men are inherently and incurably wicked and untrustworthy. They use deception, intrigue and, if necessary, brute force to achieve their ends. For them, politics is a game with winners and losers. Success is measured by the effectiviness of their deception. They have no long-term vision. Because they are narrow minded and shallow, the fail to comprehend that their offspring will share the misery of the society they destroy. More important for them than the fate of their offspring is how well they flattered in a cocktail party.
How does the scoundrel eat your lunch, leave you hungry and then magically channels your wrath at your equally hungry neighbor? I will enumerate some of his tools and techniques for you following my description of the other two characters
While scoundrels lack faith, Zealots have too much faith. This group includes tribalists, communists, anarchists and idealists and hot heads of all sort. They are usually well meaning and highly devoted to a cause. They are single minded.
Their favorite phrase is: you are with us or against us. Their predictions are dire and exagerated. The source of their doctrine is usually a misunderstood holy book, poem,traditional culture, half backed ideologies of all sorts. They are susceptible to the machinations of charlatans and demagogues.
How do Zealots dupe so many to do their bidding. They quote selectively and out of context certain lines and phrases from a valued source. They substitute generality for detail. They terrorize those who question their logic. In their discussions and debates, they ignore the truth that all doctrine, no matter how perfect in theory, must be executed and implemented in practice by potentially corruptible human beings. Instead of addressing this deficiency, they will simply tell you “ it won’t happen”. Like the Ostrich that buries its head in the sand rather than face an unpleasant situation, the Zealot, conveniently and foolishly, blinds himself to the practical consequences of his convictions.
3) Progressives
Progressives are in the middle. Unlike the zealots who love theory and ideology, and unlike scoundrels who are opportunists, progressives unify all knowledge, combine it into whole and use as a guide to test and discover new knowledge. They are prudent, sensible, careful and methodical. They study, comprehend, digest and absorb (not just swallow whole like a dumb shark) information from multiple sources.
Progressives recognize that human beings are fallible and potentially corruptible by power, greed, pride, envy and so on. They take in to account this dark aspect of human nature and separate the theory of the dogma from the practice of the dogma. They accept the need for a moral foundation as a general guide and moral compass, but they also set up separate, detailed sets of practical rules and regulations designed to prevent the human tendency to corrupt any system. The net result is a system that trusts its leaders but also has a practical mechanism for catching the crooked ones.
In more vivid terms, I illustrate the nature of these characters as follows:
Favorite Fabrics: Scoundrels like wool and silk and dress like high-priced prostitutes. Zealots prefer polyester with non-descript, bland color. Progressives prefer high quality nylon dyed with graceful and inspiring colors.
Scoundrels use fragrance, breath mint and spray. Progressives value personal hygiene, showers, toothpaste, brush etc. Zealots are divided on this issue.
Scoundrels are hustlers – they beg, pan handle and constantly seek foreign aid, an euphemism for begging. Progressives are self reliant, dignified and frugal. Zealots are too busy giving speeches to hungry people, they do not have time for economic issues.
Favorite metal: Scoundrels love gold. Zealots love Lead. Progressives love Copper.
Favorite animals: Scoundrels like foxes and hyenas (cheats and scavengers). Zealots like horses (colorful and majestic and good for war, otherwise useless). Progressives like donkies, sheep and goats.
Favorite food: Scoundrels like half-done red meat from baby animals. Zealots like boiled corn. Progressives crave balance diet and prepare their meat well done.
What they read: Progressives study religious books, scientific books, and books about philosophy. Zealots misread, misunderstand and misquote any book they read. Scoundrels do not read. They get their information second hand or hire speechwriters to supply them with political speeches and clichés.
How do Scoundrels maintain power: They dispense alcoholic beverages, psychedelic drugs, candy, titles, etc to potential adversaries and imprison those who stay sober or refuse to accept the crumps. Zealots imprison the whole society in the boundaries of the country.
The chief Zealot carries a pistol or a whip. The chief scoundrel does not carry a weapon but keeps an unsavory character with a shotgun behind his chair in the meeting room. Progressives keep a wise person around.
Zealots are earnest and sensitive; scoundrels are cunning and viscous; progressives are intelligent, cool headed and dedicated.
Scoundrels and zealots are pessimist and fear mongers; progressives are optimists.
Scoundrels and zealots are both elitists. They think their judgment is superior to the collective judgment of the masses. Progressives are not so rash - they value collective, steady deliberations.
Scoundrels have no conscience. Zealots have guilty conscience. Progressive have a balanced mind.
Scoundrels like red carpets. Zealots like straw mats. Progressives like floor cushions.
Scoundrels like glamour, pomp, ceremony, parades, and multi- colored flags, solemn processions. Zealots are unostentatious.
Scoundrels use titles like: his Excellency, his majesty. Zealots prefer: his holiness, supreme leader, chairman.
Scoundrels like load noise. Progressive like music and enjoy good lyrics. Zealots prefer silence.
What are their tools: for Scoundrels, it deception, treachery, and intrigue. For zealots, it is force and revolution. For progressives, it is deliberation, compromise and evolution.
Zealots hate debates and nuance. They trivialize the profound and love generalities. Scoundrels complicate the trivial with protocols and paperwork. They love clichés.
Scoundrels hijack and then debase and demean valuable concepts and terms, such as sovereignty and patriotism, religion, until the words lose their meaning and impact and people become disillusioned.
Scoundrels and zealots breed misery and woe. Progressives work for the wellbeing and joy of the society.
Who do they consider sovereign: Scoundrels believe “the state” is sovereign. Zealots think “the ideology” is supreme. Progressives believe the people are sovereign and human dignity is supreme.
In conclusion: Now that I have blown some steam and vented all that bent-up negative feelings out of my system, let me say few positive words.
Providence rarely affords a generation of a society with the opportunity to completely and thoroughly remake themselves on new and firm foundations. It offered this unique opportunity to the German people after Hitler; it offered to the Japanese people after the “divine” Hirohito was vanquished; like wise for the United States people after their revolution against the British. These successful nations, revamped the organization of their societies and wrote a new and practical constitution and statues that borrowed from, and incorporated, all of man’s knowledge from all time. They built new nations dedicated to liberty, fraternity, law, learning, progress and LEADERS ACCOUNTIBLE TO THE ONLY SOVREIGN - THE PEOPLE.
Fate now affords the Somali people a similar opportunity. They can play the role of the wise men and women who founded those nations and earn the eternal gratitude of their posterity or they can meanly lose this opportunity by indulging the darker aspects of their nature.
Abdulkadir J. Dualeh
E-Mail:abdulkadirdualeh2@yahoo.com
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