"The Ideal Commonwealth will cease to be a theory and become a reality when fifty-one percent of the voters believe in cooperation as opposed to competition," stated a fine and kind man I know.
It is really lovely that men should cooperate for the benefit of all, and I think the time will come when these things are accomplished, but the mere act of 51% of voters choosing socialism won't make it happen.
Voting is merely an expression of a mood, and there is still work to be done once the ballots have been counted. Even if a man votes correctly, he may behave foolishly throughout the rest of the year.
The resentful, combative, faction-driven, and envious socialist is forming an opposition to keep him and everyone like him in check. And this opposition is healthy because even a society with many flaws must defend itself against disintegration and worsening conditions. As long as rivalry is prevalent, seizing the monopolies and running them for the benefit of society is insufficient and undesirable.
Men would fear and despise other men as long as their own interests come first, and under socialism, there would be exactly the same competition for position and authority that there is in modern politics.
The reconstruction of society is contingent upon the reconstruction of its individual members. Man needs to be reborn. Socialism will arrive when fifty-one percent of voters have taken control of their own souls and eliminated fifty-one percent of their current feelings of jealousy, envy, resentment, hatred, fear, and foolish pride.
The topic is far too vast to cover in a paragraph, so I will just highlight one item here: the harm that exclusive friendships between men and women do to society. It is impossible for two people of the same sex to support, encourage, or help one another. They typically distort the spiritual and mental realms. We ought to know a lot of people or none at all. If two guys start "telling each other everything," they are engaging in senility-related hiking. A little amount of well defined reserve must exist. For example, we are told that the molecules in solid steel never come into contact. They never give up their uniqueness. We should not abandon our personalities because we are all molecules of Divinity. You don't need a man; just be yourself. If you maintain some space from your friend, he will think more of you. Similar to credit, friendship is strongest when it is not used.
I don't see how a strong guy can value any one of these men significantly more than another and maintain his mental equilibrium, but I can see how he could have a deep and lasting affection for a thousand other men and address them all by name.
If a man gets too close, he will grab you like a drowning person and drag you both down. Men take advantage of others' flaws in a close-knit connection.
Men will frequently have their chums at stores and factories. These men understand one another's problems; they don't hold anything back, they sympathize, and they offer each other condolences.
They unite and support one another. Others may see that their friendship is exclusive. Suspicion rises, jealousy seeps in, hate lurks around every corner, and these men unite in their shared distaste for particular things and people. They encourage one another, and by acknowledging that men make their problems real, their empathy weakens sanity. Values are lost, and things become distracted. You can turn someone into an enemy by believing they are one.
We have a clique soon after others join in. A friendship gone bad is called a clique.
After a clique turns into a group, which then turns into a quarrel, we have a mob—a blind, foolish, insane, wild, rampaging, roaring throng that has lost its sense of direction. There are no individuals in a crowd; everyone is of the same opinion, and autonomous thought is nonexistent.
A mistake or foolish concept stoked by a foolish buddy is the foundation of a feud. And it might turn into a mob.
The clique is the crumbling bacillus, and it always starts with the exclusive friendship of two people of the same sex who tell each other all the nasty things that are said about each other, so be on your guard, as any man who has ever been involved in community life has observed. The exclusive friendship should be avoided! Respect every man and look for the positive in everything. Go among the simple, the dimwitted, the ignorant, and use your own wit and wisdom instead of limiting yourself to the gregarious, the clever, the brilliant, and the funny. You develop by giving without favors. By avoiding him as much as by pursuing him, you show your pal how much you care.
Yes, honor him, but be organic and allow room to do its work. Be a molecule of God.
Give your friend the freedom to be himself and be yourself. You benefit him as a result, and you also benefit yourself.
Those who can live without one another have the best friendships.
There have, of course, been instances of exclusive friendship that are cited to us as magnificent manifestations of love, but they are so uncommon and unique that they only serve to highlight how foolish it is for men of average strength and intelligence to exclude their fellow citizens. Perhaps a select few men who are significant enough to be remembered could play the role of David to another's Jonathan and still be liked by everyone, but the majority of us would cause resentment and conflict.
And until 51% of adults give up all exclusive friendships, this lovely socialist ideal—where everyone works for the benefit of everyone—will never materialize. There will be cliques, denominations that are cliques that have grown into large factions, feuds, and sporadic mobs until that day comes.
Don't rely on anyone, and don't allow anyone to rely on you. Ideal people will comprise the ideal society. Be a friend to everyone and act like a guy.
The Master was aware that exclusive love is a mistake when he told his students to love their adversaries. When love is monopolized, it dies. Giving makes it flourish. If your adversary misinterprets you, why don't you realize his mistake and appreciate him for the positive traits you perceive in him?
