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Coming of Age in the Sunset of Erudite Intellectualism

Reader comment on item: The Folly of the Intellectuals
in response to reader comment: The source of Western decadence...

Submitted by M Tovey (United States), Aug 24, 2020 at 23:12

Elsewhere in this post of the folly of intellectualism, the reader expressed how the earlier attempts of inculcating the reasons why the American way seemed to break the mold in how empires tried to influence their various people in thinking that the 'fearless leader' had the plan for their lives, only to take away those lives that did not fit the mold.
Higher education was given a brief, howbeit very brief audience to explain the benefits of socialistic ideas (did not read Alinsky's 'Rules for Radicals,' some how missed that on the reading list); all of it too no avail after reading the 'Handbook for Soviet Officers,' somehow found in an American library as translated into English. The professor of the class was initially elated that I had found the volume, only to later express contempt in a less than satisfactory grade on the paper I wrote outlining what I considered the true salient features of the indoctrination being the central focus of its revelation of model Soviet attitudes cherished by the former Soviet military. Actually it made for fascinating reading, but lacked true authoritative evident that the Soviet military model was any better than that found in the American versions for the United States military; Navy; Army; or Air Force. The main distinctive was found in what was worth defending. My knowledge of my forebears in America had the historical advantage; the fight was for the truth.
In reading from schooling prior to the higher academics, the issues of the heights and depths that America was forced through, ideal of social equality during the American Civil War, the Spanish America War, World Wars One and Two found my ancestors being tested for loyalty to the cause of the revolution that my earlier ancestors sacrificed so much for; and yet, there was much to be dubious of. Not that any of my ancestors fought without honor, but that the objectives were sometime blurred in the background political motives in each of the eras America has endured.
This was never more contrasted so starkly than that in the War of my era; Viet Nam. Socialist tendencies were already the fashion in the political motive inherited from the previous generation, all of which this observer now traces in the historical sabotage that is Marxism, the bane of the modern intellectual track on the way to decadence and the eventual decline of Western civilization due to the apostate attitude of totalitarianism and the heretic secularistic socialist agenda foisted upon history by Marx.
Intellectualism is actually a disease of the mind, not its enhancement. The culture wars spoken of elsewhere in this post and forum are the symptoms and with all appearances of no one really knowing how to extricate humanity from its grip, the forecasts of destiny are not looking all that good.
Issues of the mind cannot be exorcised by any really good arguments, disciples of either side offering good arguments after good arguments, yet neither side conceding nor offering quarter.
What they all forget; it is the heart that brings the peace; all the rest bring destruction, something the intellectual has a hard time understanding. That is what the professors did not convey; instead they harped on how smart they were in being the erudite intellectual they were; and everyone should obey their minds to the destruction of what the hearts were saying otherwise. That's the lesson this reader learned away from higher education.

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Reader comments (13) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
2"Austere Religious Scholar" wins the cake [187 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
dhimmi no moreAug 17, 2020 15:07260010
3The source of Western decadence... [123 words]Min RheeAug 17, 2020 11:17260007
Coming of Age in the Sunset of Erudite Intellectualism [573 words]M ToveyAug 24, 2020 23:12260007
Immunity? [107 words]Rolf WasénAug 17, 2020 00:17259998
How History Demonstrates the Folly of Intellectualism [419 words]M ToveyAug 16, 2020 19:38259996
Our brains are to ideas as tree branches are to birds: Suitable for nesting [159 words]AnonAug 16, 2020 18:50259995
2With today's information, those stupid assessments are inexcusable [340 words]DaveAug 16, 2020 16:54259993
Common Sense [23 words]Alex BaldorAug 16, 2020 15:37259991
5Far worse than intellectuals' flawed personal views is their ability to influence many [415 words]Mehul KamdarAug 16, 2020 15:26259990
1support [53 words]William Lipsky, MDAug 16, 2020 14:57259989
2"Peasants and the Dark Path" [93 words]Billy RaeAug 16, 2020 13:17259987
An Old Adage [26 words]Barry BlackAug 16, 2020 12:00259985
Hard vs. Soft Science [505 words]RobertAug 14, 2020 15:57259949

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