March 10, 2005

I have this theory. I have lots of theories, most of which don't make much sense even to me, but I have this one theory in particular that most of the trouble in the world is caused by people not minding their own business.

When people stick their noses in other people's business, it's because they think they are right and the other people are wrong. Specifically, what they do is blame their problems on other people. It's the flip side of the same coin: not minding your own business always involves blaming your problems on other people. It reminds me of the old saying about people ignoring the log in their eye while obsessing about the speck in someone else's.

Everyone in the world wants to blame their problems on others. It's the first thing children do. It's been noticed in the story of the Garden of Eden, which is who knows how many thousands of years old. It just might be the first defense that everyone engages in.

When this country was expanding across the continent it was easy to blame problems on Indians. Or the British, or the Spanish, or the French. Then they could be blamed on Southerners, or Northerners, depending on your point of view.

Those days are gone. There's really no one in the United States for most people to blame their problems on. So, now, we've blaming them on other countries. First it was Osama bin Laden and al Queda, then Iraq (with Germany, France and Canada thrown in for good measure, for not supporting us), now Iran, now Syria. . .

Ignored is the fact the United States has done some awful things to many innocent people throughout the world. They resent the US supporting dictators, overthrowing governments, murdering people. Of course they do. How could they not? It's human nature. The US hasn't minded its own business, ignored the log in its own eye, and blamed its problems on other countries.

Right now a lot of people are blaming the mess the US is in on George Bush and the neocons. They have a point. But then again, maybe we'd still be in the same mess no matter who was in office. We no longer have anyone at home to blame our problems on. So we have to blame them on other countries, all the while ignoring what we've done to them.

Every country wants to see itself as blameless. That requires believing other countries are responsible for your problems. There's no way around it. It's never, "We believe we are mostly right, but you have a side to your story, too." It's not even, "We're right and you're mistaken." It's always, "We're right and you're evil." Not just evil, but homicidal manics intent on attacking and destroying the self-proclaimed good guys. That's what invariably comes of countries seeing themselves as "good."

People always wonder about the expansion of Empire. Perhaps a partial explanation -- I certainly don't think it's a full one -- is that since all countries consider themselves good, they have to consider most other ones evil. Since they consider them evil, and therefore a threat, they have to be neutralized. Don't all tyrants claim they're benefactors, anyway? People as far apart as Aesop and Jesus noticed that.

George Bush has fallen into the trap of "We're good and they attacked us because they're evil." That's simple-minded, deluded, and dangerous. But all of it is a very common trait among people -- to blame your problems on others while ignoring what you've done to them.

If all of this is true, then the problem is in human nature -- in the human heart. Does it really matter that much who's in office? Aren't most politicians pretty much the same? And aren't there way too many citizens who cheer them on no matter what appallingly destructive things they do, fervently believing in that simplistic foolishness of "We're good and you're evil, so we have to destroy you and rebuild you in our good image"?

Early American coins had "Mind your business" engraved on them. Too bad we don't have them today.

Lew Rockwell See Bob's archives there.

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